JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum So Where Does Your Song Rank On Ourstage?

You have to contact them and ask them to remove a song.

Standin In The Rain is at 344 out of 396 in the country section but it's only been there a day and a half with only 10 listens. I have listened to 49 battles of the four way kind and my song hasn't come up once.

I have three entries:

"Tropic Of Candy Corn"....#39 in Tropical

"Beyond Eternity"....#49 in Guitar Solo

"A Strange And Different Wind"....#63 in World

You don't have to contact them to remove a song from competition...

not to remove from competition but to remove it in it;s entirety you do

Ok don't want to get all excited yet but I'm #56 in Spiritual, #58 in Male Singer/Songwriter, #90 in Jazz. I know how this thing fluctuates so I keeping a level head.

"Tropic Of Candy Corn" has now moved up to #5 in the "Tropical" Channel. The other two are about the same.

None of the three songs I have entered in competitions have broken, even temporarily, into the top 100.
I dropped a suggestion a few months ago, that OurStage should add a channel just for songwriters. I must not have been the only one, because they did it: one for singer/songwriter (male) and one for singer/songwriter (female)
But I wasn't clear enough about what I was after. I wanted a channel where singer/songwriters could compete on the strength of the song - not the quality of the production. There are forty-some channels for songs, worthy or not, to compete as full-fledged productions. But not one channel where writers can complete on the strength of their writing. What I'd like to see is the songwriter channels limited to one voice and one instrument.

Hey Richard you have a great point there. I hope they pay attention. Maybe if more people request it they might listen.

I don't believe either Singer/Songwriter genre is immune from the effects performance, production, and fan base. OurStage is really not a place to get an accurate accessment of your songwriting skills for these reasons: 1) A lot of the fans are clueless about the craft of songwriting - although they may vote based on how the song moves them - which would be valuable if they would be in the majority of voters 2) Singer/Songwriter has been a genre for a while on the Internet and many of these artists are touring professionals who have a fan base that will vote to support their artist rather than determine the best song.
3)OurStage is basically a performance competition. So performance and production will outweight songwriting much the same as a well produced and performed demo of a "better-than-average" song may have more appeal than a "rough" demo of a "great" song. But again, what really makes a great song? Isn't it the sum total of all these factors?

Currently at #3 in Funk/Groove & Soul Rock with my song Funk 1

If I make it to #1, that will be 2 #1's for me since I've joined!

Me very happy.

The point I was trying to make is that if there are forty channels for different genres, all of which are for competitions between thickly-produced songs, why have a channel called, "Singer/Songwriter" for competition between thickly-produced songs? I think it's a wasted opportunity for OurStage to further diversify, and it discriminates against songwriters who don't have, or don't wish to employ, production facilities.
Songwriters realize most listeners don't care to make the distinction between the song and the production of the song. But songwriters do, and it would be nice if they could pit their songs against other songwriters' songs, exclusive of songs that derive additional value from the production.

Richard
That is why I won't enter any of my songs in Singer/Songwriter.
It should be the writer singing the song with a single instrument just like it would be at an open Mic.
No Professional demo singers for hire, no bands, nothing.

Hey I made it to #21 in Traditional Country. Only about 60 songs there but it's something.
And I did it all myself. well my friend played all the good guitar parts.

Woohoo! "Agincourt" is #48 out of 371 on Folk! Not top 40 yet:), but I think it's the best I've done so far. I'd still like to see a "Celtic" category, since many of my songs would fit better there (though probably not Agincourt).

Anyway, I thought this was pretty exciting:).

Ken

#4 in Comedy with "Dead Sexy"
#164 in Folk with "The Graveyard of Songs"
#194 in Alternative with "Lemonade"

You guys are missing the first word in the genre title "Singer" Songwriter.... if you sing REALLY well and have a great song, you can do it easily with just a guitar or piano and do very well. If you aren't a SINGER.. the first half of the title of the genre, then you'll do lousy. That's not the genre for someone who can't sing. And it shouldn't be.

The quality of the singer is more important in finding a commercial audience than any other factor. It's a reality that you'll need to deal with. It doesn't mean the singer has to be a 5 octave freak of nature. A weak singer with an interesting voice that suits the mood of the song (think Tom Waits) can also do very well. But it will always been crucial for a general audience to appreciate it that you have a singer they enjoy. Remember that this isn't just other songwriters voting. That's a good thing. If you can't or won't find a way to please an audience, then you can't expect success against those who do figure it out. By the way, the easiest way, in my opinion, to find the songs that are doing well ONLY because they stack the deck with fans and themselves voting a zillion times? A weak singer reaching the top. Unless you have the most hilarious hook line that people will vote for and trump vocals (I think that's the only way to do it) the better singers will always do better than a better song.

Brian

Wow, these wild scoring swings are giving me heart palpitations...

My entry in Male Singer-Songwriter didn't make the August finals and when it dropped to below #250 I thought it was out of the game permanently, but I just checked today and it's currently #27 out of 486.

My other entry in Americana/Alt Country also rebounded to #42 from waaaay below. Seriously, I think it was sub-#300 at one point. Maybe it's just a matter of getting enough listens for things to shake out.

Winning would be nice, but I'm more interested in that local opening slot opportunity I'm vying for, so if my song just stays put awhile longer...I've been asking people to judge fairly and join the fanclub, but it's all in the people's hands...

Finishing in a decent spot really helps Ourstage make a case for artists to get various slots and gigs. So it's always good to finish in the top 10% or better at least once.

Brian

Three or four days ago I was in the top ten in comedy, today I'm 56th. I managed to listen to a few that are in the top ten now, I just don't get it, I guess there are all kinds of senses of humour, but to me they were not funny. Oh well, to each his own.

Crowds seem to behave like individuals, full of moods and changes of heart. I wouldn't be surprised if you're back in the top ten today or tomorrow, Everett. In that Comedy channel, it's interesting to watch Russ Tamblyn's "Common Side Effects Include"...over the past few months I've seen it command the #1 spot for days, and I've also seen it languish near the bottom...it was #80 yesterday, but it's still a great song, performance and recording.

Ourstage says it needs to be funny to be in the comedy genre. Frankly a large percentage of the songs seem to be funny only to the entrants. I'm not aware that a song has ever been removed for not being funny. Yes, it would be a hard and arbitrary call but it appears that someone should be doing some screening. It could be that some entrants are putting songs up in that genre because it's one of the least competitive as far as numbers go and getting their PC posses to vote however they need, to promote themselves. I just put in my entry for the month:
www.ourstage.com/fanclub/summeoyo
"Big Busted Women Flat Busted Broke"
Do you think I'll get votes for the song or the picture - which by the way is cleared because I gave credit in the song description?

Summeoyo,

That's a general problem. It's not that the entrants to the comedy channel are the only ones who think their songs are funny, the broader problems is that many artists/writers are the only ones who think their songs in general are any good. And they'll kill you if you suggest otherwise (or at least call you a lunatic or idiot or some other deragatory term). Artists/writers often want to know all about what you think of their work, as long as you love it.

Brian

I think a lot of people hope their stuff is good, and are very sensitive to negative criticism. It's probably better to say nothing than to say something bad about a song someone put a lot of effort into. It's only natural to strike back if you feel you're being attacked.

Richard,

That's perfectly fine with me. If someone doesn't want to know what people think of their songs, there's no reason to volunteer it. But when people INSIST on getting your opinion, you have two choices when it is bad... lie or tell the truth. And often the truth gets a big backlash. That isn't the fault of the person telling the truth, it's the fault and weakness or the person asking for the opinion. False praise is the worst thing people do to artists and writers. It leads them down the wrong path and keeps them in denial and makes them even less receptive to someone elses honest opinion later. But it's a common problem. It's why delusional people try out for American Idol and it's why people who haven't learned their craft insist on putting their songs out there anyway and don't understand why they aren't connecting (and usually end up blaming everyone else for holding them back).

Brian

Brian. My comments were not directed at you.

r

So far, so good. My song "Tropic Of Candy Corn" is holding steady in the Tropical Channel. It had been #4 or #5 for over a week. It moved up to #3 yesterday morning and is till holding there. The other two have slipped 6 or 8 positions, but have been ranked between about 40 and 70 since the month began.

Good luck to everyone.

Alan

Go get 'em, Alan!

Mark,

I have little hope of attaining the #1 position. That entry has held the #1 position since Sept 3rd. In fact, I usually vote for it when it comes up for judging. It is different and refreshing for the genre. I like it a lot. If I lose out to it, I will have no complaint.

Thanks, though! I appreciate the support.

Alan

I have an instrumental song on the Electronic/Electro-Pop channel at #89 under my pseudonym, The Audible One.

It was an experiment with GarageBand. I'm curious as to how well it does - if it does OK, I might do some more for the Music Libraries using either GB or Logic Pro.

It's called "Wonder the Street" if you want to give it a listen, but you don't get to vote on it if you listen to the link

http://www.ourstage.com/music/channel/22-electronic/KNFTJEIVNVLO-wonder-the-street

I just entered Comedy not quite two days ago and I've climbed to 65. I can't believe some of the judging. Hey Mark, I just voted DEAD SEXY over THE MILF SONG - a horrible piece of crap - and found that I was only in the 3% who thus far voted for you. Now I know that could mean that there were few votes on that battle - but seriously - can anyone honestly vote against you in that battle?

At the moment my song is #13 in Male Singer-Songwriter, out of 500 entries.

Mostly I'm excited it made the Top 20. Competition in that channel is really brutal, lots of good talent.

Thanks, summeoyo! Yes, sometimes seeing how others vote on a particular matchup just floors me.

To be honest, I no longer vote at all. I know that's something Danny wouldn't like to hear, but I have come to believe that A) I am too biased by my own entries to be truly objective, and B) I worry that every vote I cast for myself skews my "mojo", and not understanding how they do that, I figure it's better to just let the fans decide.

I agree that often the majority, as stated by the Ourstage %'s are crazy. I'd say about 1/3 of the time they are laughably wrong. But I don't really doubt people voted the way they say.. it's just that fans vote on things that have little to do with how well something is actually done.. and that's their right. They do it when they buy fast food and cheap beer and watch bad TV shows. No one should be too shocked by the music votes when you turn on network TV and see what people consider to be the best shows.

Brian

I'm back in the top ten in comedy, #4, I was there once before and slid back to the fifty's, can't figure this at all.

Well I'll continue to vote in categories where I'm competing. There really isn't much opportunity to vote for oneself. I just want the quality acts to get to the top. I've made the quarterfinals two months in a row with different songs. However, I wouldn't use those accomplishments yet on a bio because I need to determine if 1) The OurStage results are credible to me and 2) If a prospect - knowing what I know about OurStage - would consider OurStage results credible.
Head to head's the only way to really get a feel as to how others are voting. It also is a way to tell if there is a PC posse possibly working for a particular artist or against another. Since I'm still doing an analysis of OurStage until the end of October, I'll still wade through these waters.

"Agincourt" is number 10 in Folk today!!!!!!!!" I know it seems I'm a bit more excited than I should be, but I haven't been able to crack the top 40 since I started this in July, much less the top 4%! All by itself it doesn't mean that much, but it sure is exciting:).

I also know from watching this thread in previous months that this could change drastically at any minute. But hey, I'm gonna enjoy the moment;).

Cheers!

Ken Theriot

OK now I'm a little confused. "Agincourt" is showing as #10 on my profile, but when you go to the OurStage home page, and select the Folk channel, my song is nowhere to be found in the first 48. It certainly isn't showing as number 10. Is there a delay between what is showing on the home page and what my profile page is reporting?

Oh wait, I tried a different link to the folk charts and there I am (actually at #11 now). Oh well. At the end of the day it doesn't matter that much I guess.

Cheers!

Ken Theriot

"Tropic of Candy Corn", in the Tropical Channel, has been at #3 for 4 days now. Numbers 1 & 2, in the Tropical Channel, have held their respective positions for a few days longer than that. It looks pretty steady near the top. We'll see what happens.

Ken,

I used to live in San Antonio. I lived near Harry Wurzbach, Rittiman Road and Austin Highway. I played at the "Farmer's Daughter", on W.W. White Rd., and at the "Elbow Room". on Austin Highway. We also played out at Flore's Country Store quite a bit. That was in Helotes, if I remember correctly.

Alan

#1 in comedy,#16 bluegrass,#31 traditional country. Gaining ground in all three,I wonder how long that will last.

Well I've slipped right out I'm now #307 in Singer/Songwriter after a high of#58, #349 in Spiritual after being #56 and #111 in Jazz after being #90. Wow what a slip.

Another update: my entry is now #5 in Male Singer-Songwriter, out of over 500 entries. It entered the top 20 last week, not sure when it broke the top 10. Fingers crossed!

Excellent timing for you Scott! = ) To Stephen, hang in there, the month is still young.

Brian

Oh geez, all yesterday my entry was #2 out of 539! Then this morning it dropped to #10. I think I'm going to have a cow...

I had been #3 in Tropical for a full week. Last night, slipped down to #12. This late in the month, just one week from quarter finals, I am surprised to see this much movement, either direction, for the music...especially the top ten. I've noticed signififcant movement, up and down, the past 2 days in many of the channels. Seems a bit atypical compared to recent months.

Alan

Al,

The movement isn't surprising to me. Most people waiting until later in the month to start voting, deciding that's the only time it really matters since things change so much. It's human nature to put stuff off as well. I think the voting gets more and more frenzied as time runs down and folks want to get their opinions in.

Brian

Brian,

Thanks for suggesting a reasonable possibility.

Alan

Thanks Brian, but we've got to face reality sooner or later. I've been meeting some cool folks there though. Guess I winning that way...

I'm back up to #3 in male singer-songwriter, for the moment. ::knocks wood::

For the record, I have songs in other channels that aren't doing nearly as well. One is perpetually stuck around #90 in Americana, and another is languishing around #300 in indie pop for weeks.

Curiously, my best-ranking song is also the least well-recorded; it's literally a demo, whereas the others are more polished recordings.

Today I'm #6 in comedy and # 7 in bluegrass.