Der Musikblog für Musiker und Bands und alle Musikinteressierten.
  • Current
  • Topics
  • Popular
  • Team
  • musician search
  • English
    • Deutsch
musician search
Here you will find exciting, up-to-date and interesting articles about the world of music.

News & more5 Min. Reading time

Band contests for newcomers – A blessing or a curse?

Written by Leif Weibrecht

SPH band contest, stage with band in front of large audience
Photo by Thibault Trillet from Pexels

Anyone who has ever been a guest at a band contest knows the drill: 10-15 euros for admission, six to eight bands in one evening, relatively short performance times and an audience comprising mostly friends and relatives of the participants. These events can incur mixed feelings. It’s a great chance for new music to flourish, and for bands to show their stuff, even if these evenings break convention with a packed schedule. So for whom is a band contest worthwhile in the end? Are band contests still important for the newcomer scene or should they disappear from the event cosmos? Let’s take a closer look at this whole situation:

When is a band contest interesting for musicians?

Forming a functioning band (more on that here) is a real challenge. After that, the jump from rehearsal room to stage is the next and most difficult step. A band contest with professional equipment and a well-rehearsed team, including light and sound technicians, offers all the prerequisites to make such concerts possible. Given the level of awareness of the participating bands, it is also advantageous that the audience is made up of distinct parties. It means that bands have a chance to reach the audience members who came for other participants and win them over. All in all that’s definitely a point for band contests. Especially for newcomers with little stage experience and relatively few contacts in the music scene.

Why do so many bands play in one evening?

In the case of a band contest the organizer has the responsibility of organizing the entire concert. This means booking the location, scheduling all bands involved, and marketing the event through various media channels. That’s a huge effort that you as a band don't have to deal with at this point. Sounds great at first, but it does pose multiple risks for the organizers: One band could cancel last-minute, another might only bring in ten guests—the list goes on. And that is often the reason why up to eight bands are on stage in one evening. It might be exhausting for visitors, but it’s the only way for the organizers to manage the evening financially: Most of the time band contests are financed exclusively by the entrance fee.

Do you prefer a band evening or a band contest?

Good question. Here, incentives and motivation play a decisive role. A band contest creates a competitive climate with attractive prizes and opportunities to play in front of an even larger audience than typical concert evenings. In addition, there are tempting final rounds in which, in addition to a top-class jury, an A&R or music producer could be happy to stop by and look for new talent. Also important to note: many band contests attract big sponsors and brands which supply the prize and in turn use the band contest to increase their reach. It’s a win-win situation for everyone—at least for all finalists and award winners.

What about the losers: curse or blessing?

A competition will always mean there are winners and losers. This creates mixed feelings. Of course, bands that are eliminated as “losers” in the first round go home a bit hurt. Nevertheless, it is usually precisely these evenings that become beautiful memories in retrospect. A performance on a real stage with professional lighting and sound technology in front of spectators who may have never heard your music before. This fact should surpass everything else and be the main draw when deciding to participate in a band contest.

Conclusion: For us, a band contest is a clear asset and should continue to exist. Even if the atmosphere is not like a “normal” concert, it is still special and often unforgettable.

Photo by Thibault Trillet from Pexels

How do band contests differ and which ones are recommended?

Not all band contests are going to be a win-win situation. Before participating, you should read the conditions of participation in detail and carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages. For example, consider the participation fee, the quality of the event locations (including technology), and the ability and reach of the team behind them. Purely commercial thoughts should not be in the foreground here.

A band contest that, in our opinion, meets all the requirements is the SPH Music Masters. We were just recently live on site ourselves and as part of the jury were able to visit the SPH team in the Germany finals in Montabaur. We got to look behind the scenes and also talked to the organizers about economic issues. What this young team does (mostly on a voluntary basis) is impressive. The competition is committed to the values of fairness, transparency, and cooperation among all acts, and we endorse all of this with a clear conscience.

Is it your dream to be on stage with a band?

We have created a platform for musicians that brings musicians together and the SPH band contest offers the opportunity to play live concerts—sounds good, right? So what are you waiting for?

Originally published on December 15, 2021, updated on December 15, 2021

Main topic: Belting - a singing technique with two medal sides

Share the post with your friends
Here you will find exciting, up-to-date and interesting articles about the world of music.
Recent Posts
Young woman streams music via her mobile phone to the article Music streaming services in comparison

Music streaming services compared - the differences

19. July 2022

Practice effectively - Someone sits on a blanket with a guitar, notebook and coffee

Practice effectively - this is how you get audible results quickly and effectively

14. July 2022

Man in a dress shirt plays the piano - Postal image on the topic: The piano and its facets

The piano and its facets - instruments at a glance

14. July 2022

labyrinth to mukken metaphors in songwriting | blog

Metaphors in songwriting - How to create visual images in the minds of your listeners

14. July 2022

The artist MADANII aka POC Pop Princess in the mukken blog feature

MADANII aka POC Pop Princess

14. July 2022

Looking for a band 
or musician?

Musician search
Here you'l find exciting, up-to-date and interesting articles about the world of music.
Recommended by mukken

Post-punk-catharsis - this rage is real

News & more5 Min. Reading time

Belting - a singing technique with two medal sides

News & more9 Min. Reading time

How to export single tracks from Logic Pro for external Mixing?

Music production9 Min. Reading time

Looking for some more?

Subscribe to our newsletter and let us provide you with the latest news, tips & tricks and everything you need to know about the music scene.
Don't worry, we don't spam - we promise!
loader

Your data protection is important to us. We used your email address to contact you about relevant and new content. You can unsubscribe from any communication at any time. You can find more information in our privacy policy.
Discover more topics
Marketing
Music business
Music instruments
Songwriting
News & more
Coaching
Concert reviews
Features
Music production
Books & Movies

mukken shop

Shop now
Back to overview

Looking for a band or musician?

Music is passion – an enthusiasm that is best shared. We have realized a platform that brings music creators together. This is where Europe's largest search for musicians is being created.
Register now
Hier findest du spannende, aktuelle und wissenswerte Beiträge rund um die Musikwelt.
We bring musicians, bands, music teachers and producers together. Register for free.
Follow us
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
Pinterest
Instagram
Regionen & Städte
Baden-Württemberg
Bayern
Berlin
Brandenburg
Bremen
Hamburg
Hessen
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Niedersachsen
Nordrhein-Westfalen
Regionen & Städte
Rheinland-Pfalz
Saarland
Sachsen
Sachsen-Anhalt
Schleswig-Holstein
Thüringen
Frankfurt
Essen
Dortmund
Stuttgart
Städte
München
Potsdam
Wiesbaden
Schwerin
Düsseldorf
Mainz
Saarbrücken
Dresden
Magdeburg
Kiel
© 2022 mukken, a brand by simplefox GmbH
Privacy policy
Imprint
Young woman streams music via her mobile phone to the article Music streaming services in comparison

Music streaming services compared - the differences

New post

twitterfacebooklinkedinyoutube-playinstagrampinterest-p
Your cookie settings
Wir verwenden Cookies, um die Leistung der Website zu analysieren und personalisierte Inhalte bereitzustellen. Durch Klicken auf „Zustimmen“ stimmst Du der Speicherung von Cookies zu. Du kannst Deine Einwilligung jederzeit widerrufen. Erfahren mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung. ablehnen Einstellungen
More options
Manage cookies

We use cookies to save your login data, offer a secure login experience, collect statistics to optimize website functionality, and to provide content and advertising that is tailored to your interests. You can find detailed descriptions of the types of cookies we use in our data protection declaration .

Essential Cookies

Cookies that are essential for the function of mukken.com .

Analytical cookies

Analytical cookies enable the collection of usage and identification options by first-party or third-party providers, in what are called "pseudonymous usage profiles".

Marketing-Cookies

These cookies enable us to measure the effectiveness of our advertising and to adapt our ads to your interests.

Accept all