Annual NSAI Song Contest Presented by CMT

The NSAI Song Contest Presented by CMT boasts exciting prizes designed to help amateur songwriters on their road to becoming professionals. The contest is open to all genres of music and all songs entered receive a judging report. Music industry executives, professional songwriters and NSAI board members judge songs based on lyrics, melody and composition.

The NSAI Song Contest will declare one (1) Grand Prize Winner, one (1) CMT Listeners' Choice Award Winner, one (1) Lyric-only Winner, ten (10) Runners-Up, and ten (10) Honorable Mentions. The Grand Prize Winner will receive a mentoring session with Editor or Writers of Billboard Magazine (airfare, transportation, and hotel not included), as well as performances and networking opportunities, plus many more prizes!

The CMT Listeners' Choice Award will run from February 1 - February 28, 2014. The Top 10 finalists (excluding the grand prize winner) will be posted at www.nsai.cmt.com where fans can listen to the finalists' demos and vote for their favorite song. The song with the most audience votes will be the CMT Listeners' Choice Award winner.


The Grand Prize Winner will receive:

• One-hour mentoring sessions with both singer/songwriter Brett James and singer/songwriter/actor and executive Paul Williams


• Mentoring session with Editor or Writers of Billboard Magazine*

Brett James is an award winning singer/songwriter with cuts by Kenny Chesney (When The Sun Goes Down), Carrie Underwood (Jesus Take The Wheel), Rascal Flatts (Love You Out Loud) and Kelly Clarkson (#1 AC single Mr. Know It All) just to name a few.


Paul Williams is a singer/songwriter/actor and executive with a long list of hits including songs by Three Dog Night (An Old Fashioned Love Song), Helen Reddys (You and Me Against The World), David Bowie (Fill Your Heart) and the Carpenters (Weve Only Just Begun). Hes also composed countless songs for film (The Muppet Movie Rainbow Connection) and TV shows.


The Grand Prize Winner and CMT Listeners Choice Award Winner will receive:

One Year of Industry Access

• Publishing meetings with three professional music publishers*


• A&R meeting with one major label*


• NSAI Package, which includes: membership (one year), NSAI event gift certificate*, one mentoring session each quarter with a professional songwriter*, song presented at two of the quarterly pitch to publisher meetings, and song placement on NSAIs Top 40 Song Page


• Your song presented to music industry executives through our Winners Compilation CD for one year


• Industry coaching

One Year of National and Regional Media Exposure*

• Live Performance Opportunities including, but not exclusive to: 2014 Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival,
  The Bluebird Caf, CMTs Music Strategy Team at CMT, and Musicians Corner in Nashville, TN


• Television: including, but not exclusive to: Words & Music out of Nashville, TN, and service press release to winners hometown stations**


• Radio: Interview and performance opportunities including, but not exclusive to The Music Row Show, Station Inn Sessions produced by WSM am, and service press release to winners hometown stations**


• Internet: NSAI website, E-News, and social media pages, Bluebird Caf newsletter, and CMT.com


• Print: including, but not exclusive to Billboard

The Lyric-Only Winner will receive:

• Sixty minute mentoring session with NSAIs Songwriter of the Decade (1990-1999) Tom Shapiro*

One Year of Industry Access

• Publishing meeting with professional major music publisher*


• NSAI membership (one year)


• NSAI event gift certificate*

One Year of National and Regional Media Exposure*

• Internet: NSAI website, E-News, and social media pages, Bluebird Caf newsletter, Billboard.com, and CMT.com


• Print: including, but not exclusive to: Billboard

Additional Prizes

• Apple iPad loaded with GarageBand app
• Olympus audio recording device
• Three-day trip to Nashville, TN, including accommodations by The Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, based on availability excluding predetermined blackout dates (limited to US travel within the 50 continental states and only in cities serviced by American Airlines). If the winners legal residence is within 250 miles of Nashville, TN, only hotel accommodations will be awarded.
• CMT Prize Pack
• 2 Tickets to 2014 CMT Music Awards*
• Attend a CMT live show taping*
• Private tour of CMT headquarters*
• Billboard Magazine subscription (one year)
• Sonicbids subscription (six months)
• Certificate of Achievement