The heated pools at the Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield, CO where the DSE is held!
Hey Everyone, It’s obviously been a very difficult time for us all, and I do hope everyone is safe and well. Our Durango community is so special and so connected by a unique bond that transcends musical genres and creates a sense of family and unity we all are fortunate to share. We are hoping that we can all meet in Colorado, Oct. 1-3 for the 25th anniversary of The Durango Songwriters Expo and also we can do Durango Film/TV, which was originally scheduled May 14-16 and has been rescheduled for August 20-22, 2020.
At this point, both events are in question, we can’t do these events unless it’s safe for everyone, nor will we. We’ve been cleared to do Durango Film/TV, August 20-22 by the city of Ventura, but at this point, we are still determining whether we can pull off this event safely. As far as the October Expo is concerned, The Omni is not cleared at this point to have close to the number of people we need to make it happen. In both cases, on our end we’d have social distancing and masks would be required. If we don’t get cleared at The Omni, and if the environment is right, we could conceivably move The Expo to Park City, Utah, Oct. 8-10. Once we know the circumstances, we’ll make that decision. We will get the brochure up on the website if and when we can determine that we can safely do The Expo.
In the meantime, a lot of people have asked us if we could do something virtually. The truth is it’s impossible to duplicate the sense of community and the special sense of communion that bonds us all at The Expo. I was thinking about ways to possibly achieve this and the only thing I could think of was doing something that was integrally tied to The Expo and could provide opportunities intertwined with it.
Here’s what I came up with…I thought it would be a great opportunity to have people submit songs, and much like The Expo we’ll limit it to 200 people per category. There will be three categories: Country/Americana, Pop (pop, hip hop, rock, rap, EDM, etc.), Film/TV.
In both the Country/Americana and Pop categories, the top 5 songs in each category will have their song forwarded to top music publishers and label A&R, and the ultimate winner will get a free Expo registration and showcase at The Expo. The Film/TV winner will get a free registration to Durango Film/TV and the opportunity to showcase there. All entries to Film/TV will have to be of master quality production, otherwise the music supervisors can’t use it. Also, each entry will have to be easily cleared for licensing.
It will be possible for people to submit to more than one category if they choose to do so.
We are getting huge support from the industry on this, they love Durango and understand how important it is to keep this community together in these difficult times. We will shortly announce the publishers, A&R, and music supervisors involved.
I really think this is the best way to do this. I can’t imagine trying to do a Zoom version of Durango – it just wouldn’t capture the essence of what makes it so special. This works because it’s tied in with The Expo and Film/TV and it creates opportunities for people, which is kind of what we’ve always been about. It helps us keep Durango going and it also helps all of you who’ve been such an integral part of making it the special, incredible community we’ve all created.
We’ll be posting song submission details soon, but wanted to get everyone an update about our Durango events as soon as possible.
All the best, and everyone please stay safe,
– Jim Attebery