2018 Song and Spoken Word Competition
Are you an aspiring song, nasheed, hip hop or spoken word artist? Well good news. DeenTV is holding a song and spoken-word talent competition! Send us a video of your original unpublished song, rap or spoken word piece. The top 8 winning artists will earn a spot on a charity mix tape featuring Native Deen, and other top artists. Each of the winning pieces will be professionally produced by at Deen TV’s Studio. Also, DeenTV will film a professional music video for each of the 8 winning artists. The deadline for submission is June 1st, 2018. The videos of the top 25 finalists will be posted to DeenTV. #deentvcompetition
Sent us a link to your video to: competition@deen.tv
Competition Rules
How to Submit My Song
Take a simple video (camera phone, camcorder, etc) and upload it to a private location (Google Drive, Dropbox, YouSendIt, WeTransfer, etc). Send us the link to the video and the lyrics of the song. Also in an email, give us a few words about you:
- Full Name(s)
- Your Group Name (If you have a group)
- Your city and state
- Your age(s)
- What inspired you to write the song/rap/spoken word poem
Send the link and the info before June 1st, 2018 to: competition@deen.tv
Genre
There are no restrictions on the genre of music. The work should be in English, but can include words or phrases in Arabic or other languages.
Subject and Content
Your song, nasheed, rap or spoken-word poem can be about anything, but we encourage you to write to about something that moves you. We appreciate songs that bring focus to our Creator, his Prophet (SAW) and the guidelines He has set for humanity. We will not accept any material that has profanity, hateful or derogatory lyrics or words. “…a good word like a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed and its branches in the sky” Quran 14:24
Location
To compete in this competition you must be living in North America (USA or Canada). We will not accept submissions from individuals living in other countries.
Unpublished Original Work
We will only accept original songs, nasheed, raps or spoken word poems. We will NOT accept submissions that are covers of other songs. Also, we cannot accept a song that has already been published on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Vimeo or any other social media or video site.
Solo Artists and Groups
We will accept submission of a song by a band or group consisting of up to 5 people.
FAQ
When will I know if I won?
The deadline for submission is April 15, 2018. Then, on Ramadan 1st, we will review the top 25 finalists on DeenTV. The winning 8 will be revealed July 1st. Production will go until 4 months and the album release date will be October 2018, inshaAllah.
What if am one of the 25 finalists?
We will let you know and the video that you submitted to us will be posted on DeenTV with a review by members of the DeenTV board and/or Native Deen.
What if I am one of the 8 winning artists?
Mashallah! We will contact you to have you come out to our studio in the Washington DC area (Herndon, VA) for 5-7 days. You will work with selected producers to produce your song / rap / poem. We will also seek to produce a music video in the time that you are there. All of this, inshallah, will be filmed for reality-style “behind-the-scenes” program to be featured on DeenTV.
I took a video video with my smart phone, how can I send it to you?
You can read this article for iPhone and iPad, and this article for Android devices.
Can I just post the video to Youtube and make it unlisted?
If you cannot send it to us via (Google Drive, Dropbox, YouSendIt, WeTransfer, etc), then you can upload it to YouTube as an unlisted video, however this is not the preferred method.
Who are the judges and how will the winners be chosen?
A panel of DeenTV staff and board members will judge all of the submissions. They will be judged by the following criteria:
- Talent of the artist
- The potential of the song / rap / spoken word poem
- Islamic principals
- Diversity (musically as well as ethnically and culturally)
- Popularity (Once the top 25 are posted to DeenTV, views and stats of each video will be monitored)
Who are the producers that will be producing the winning 8 artists?
We definitely will work with producers who worked on Native Deen’s album. We will also look to the style of music, song or spoken word poem that you submit and try to find a producer in the area. If you have a particular producer that you recommend, please let us know.
When will the charity album be released?
We are looking to release it Sept 2018, inshallah.
Will Native Deen actually be one of the artists on the album?
Yes! Native Deen will have a song on the album and they might even colab on some of the songs, if they feel it fits with their style.
Will I get any money from winning?
DeenTV Foundation is a non-profit organization and is sponsored by other non-profit organizations. So all fund from the mix album will go to charity.
What will the music video look like?
DeenTV will produce professional videos for all 8 artists – yes even the spoken-word artists. Depending on the song, some may call for a storyline with actors etc, while others may similar to lyric video with the artist visible on screen. Native Deen has seen success with videos of all kinds, and we will seek to create the best video for all 8 artists based on the current funds and time available.
Is there an age limit?
There is no age limit. All ages are welcome to join the competition.
Can we submit multiple pieces?
Yes, you can submit up to 3 pieces.
Will I have to sign any documents if I am selected?
Yes, there will be some legal documents that we will ask you to sign.