Brian
You are correct
It is a tool and to get the best use of it you must use it effectively.
But, without the Contest it is no different than any other site.
Everything that makes it great is tied to the contest.
I see your point in the cheaters being able to use the stats to try to manipulate the vote. But it seems they are already doing that anyway. All they have to do is look at the rankings.
I still think it would be very hard to cheat on this.

Like I said there is no way I could have manipulated the guy in last place. I NEVER got a chance to vote on the song. It never came up in, now, 4 hours of voting...BUT the songs on the first page....I saw every one of them numerous times.
The guy in last place could have ten thousand fans but it would not matter if they never get to vote on his song.

You can call it Nitpicking if you want but something isn't right. I know what I judged.
I can't devote 24 hours a day into voting, waiting for one song to come up, and I don't think many people can. An hour or two at the most but I am on here all the time. I doubt many FANS would spend much more time either.
I still don't understand how the guy in last place can compete with the guy in first place if the song never gets judged.

If you have an existing fan base that you can call on to vote for you, you will rise in the charts, if you are showing up in the judging. That makes sense.

So Fans of performing artists are the key...well that leaves me out of the competition. I am only a songwriter. This is not a song writer contest it is a performing artist contest.
I can live with that. No complaint at all. I am what I am.

I still have not found this Chat you keep referring too. Where is it?

Bill
http://www.soundclick.com/billrobinson
http://www.dreamqueststudio.com
Skype; bill.robinson12

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." --Thomas Jefferson didn't say it

http://voidnow.org/
http://www.americansworking.com/