Blue Sky and the Philadelphia Songwriters Project have united to create a dynamic opportunity for songwriters to express their personal experiences through original song. Blue Sky, producer of the First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary Art, is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and producing works-of-art based on real life experiences.

Submission Guidelines

All songs must be:

– About a personal experience on the road. Could be interpreted literally (e.g. Family vacation, back seat romance, or cycling adventure) or more metaphorically (e.g. leaving home, journey to self-discovery, coming back home) — as long as it happened to you.
– New and previously unpublished
– Under 5 minutes in length
– Deadline for entries: April 15, 2004
– Send CD (preferred) or professional quality cassette, with complete contact information (Name, address, telephone, email) include legible lyric sheet to:
First Person Festival
C/o Philadelphia Songwriters Project
PO BOX 69
Ardmore, PA 19003
– Open to songwriters in the Northeast region, USA.
– If selected, artist must be available to perform the song at the First Person Festival / Philadelphia Songwriters Project show on June 13, 2004 in Philadelphia, PA.
– Artist is responsible for all transportation to and from showcase.
– If selected, artist will grant permission to have recording of song included on a compilation CD.
– Writers will retain all publishing rights to their songs. However, songwriters agree to waive royalties from sale of compilation CD. Proceeds of CD sales to benefit Blue Sky and Philadelphia Songwriters Project programs.

All Chosen artists will:
1) Appear at the June 13 Philadelphia Songwriters Project show at First Person Festival of Memoir & Documentary Art
2) Have their song included on a nationally promoted compilation CD. Artists will receive five complimentary copies of the CD, and will be able to obtain additional copies at cost.
Select artists will be invited to:
1) Perform their song on stage at The Philadelphia Folk Festival in August 2004
2) Appear as guests on The Gene Shay radio Show on WXPN 88.5 (Date to be determined)
Selection Committee includes: Gene Shay, WXPN Radio, Phil Roy, nationally acclaimed singer/songwriter, Dena Marchiony, Co-Founder/ Executive Director The Philadelphia Songwriters Project, Stu Shames, Co-Founder The Philadelphia Songwriters Project.

For any questions email info@phillysongwriters.com

The Manayunk Music Exchange is the home to The Emerging Songwriters Series. Every Wednesday at 8pm we feature 4 songwriters in a cozy, very hip atmosphere. This venue allows us to invite performers back for long term residencies, give less experienced performers a venue to develop their skills, and Philly favorites a chance to work out new material. The Manyunk Music Exchange is a unique music store that offers used and consigned instruments, personalized music lessons, and has one of the coolest stages around. Say hi to Jeff. Announcing our Frequent listener card. Come to four Manayunk shows: get a ticket to the Adrienne free!

Schedule for April 7: Steve Brown, Sharis, Evryman Jack, Tom Groff Admission $5

The MusiCares Foundation is an organization you should know about ! The MusiCares Foundation, a charitable arm of the Recording Academy, provides emergency financial assistance, addiction recovery services, and supportive referrals for music people in times of critical need. For more information, call toll-free: 877-303-6962. If you are a music person experiencing medical, financial or personal crisis, MusiCares can help.

-Philadelphia Songwriters Project is now a resource for several prestigious Film, Video, Television and Animation schools. As student projects require original music, students or faculty can use the Songwriters Project to find just the right music for their work. This is a great way for songwriters to get in on the ground level with emerging film makers. Steven Spielberg was a film student once upon a time !

Contests and Submissions:

1) The 3rd Annual IMVF-Indie Music Video Festival is now accepting music video entries for the 2004 program. Early bird deadline: March 30 2004
Submission info online at www.imvf.com.
2) Ladyfest Ohio is accepting submissions for music, film, performance art, visual art, and workshops. Ladyfest Ohio is a not-for-profit feminist arts and activism festival based in Columbus and scheduled for May 28-31, 2004. Deadline for submission is Feb. 28. www.ladyfestohio.org
3) The 8th Annual Millennium Music Conference is now accepting submissions. The conference runs from June 24-26, 2004 and takes place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Harrisburg , PA. www.musicconference.net
4) The Board of OUTMUSIC is proud to announce the 2004 OMAs (OUTMUSIC Awards) celebrating excellence in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender recording, songwriting, and cultural activism. Recordings (in any genre) released by LGBT artists in the 2003 calendar year are eligible in 12 diverse categories. The submission deadline is Midnight Monday March 1, 2004. www.outmusic.com

Other Events You May Want To Check Out: Stay Tuned

Wanna Play The Project? Follow These Instructions !

To be considered for an upcoming Philadelphia Songwriters Project show:

1) Submit a 3 song CD ( if you have a produced CD- tell us which songs to listen to) or cassette with lyric sheets

2) Contact information: Name, Phone, Cell, EMAIL, Street Address should be on / or inside of CD or Tape (Extra paper sometimes gets separated and lost)

3) We’d rather not have you spend extra money to send glossy photos or bios if you have a website we can check

4) Get to a show or two. See what we do, support the Project. Say Hello

5) Send to : (NOTE NEW ADDRESS) P.O. Box 69 Ardmore, PA 19003