United States of Song 2020 - Update Thread

--------------

Welcome to the 5th edition of United States Of Song! This is an annual contest in which 51 songs from each of the 50 U.S. states (and a US territory) compete for a grand prize. I'm so happy to run this contest with you for a fifth year!

Obviously, the biggest change to the contest is our new name - why I changed the contest name (if you care) I wrote about in this blog.

If you are new to United States of Song: welcome! Last year's winning song was "Blacklight" by Yes You Are, who are from  Missouri. They narrowly escaped with the victory by scoring 124 points - 4 points more than 2nd place Minnesota. You can listen to the winning song here.

The early stages of the contest begin in January. Our full calendar is posted here and will be updated when necessary.

---

First: An OPEN CALL for 2020 song submissions! Please submit songs to be considered for the contest.
The deadline for sending songs is January 26, 2020.
Remember, submitting a song is not required to participate.

SUBMIT SONGS HERE

--------------

The "main" rules that USoS songs must abide by:
- The song must be between 3 and 4 minutes long.
- The song must be originally composed/produced. No covers!
- The artist should be from the US state they represent, or have strong connections to that state (like, they were born there, grew up there, etc.)
- The song must have been "officially" released in 2019. This means the single or music video was released in 2019. The song can be on an album older than 2019 if the single or video were released in 2019.
- The artist must be 14 years or older (so they must've been born before January 1st, 2006.)
- The artist cannot have had a Top 40 hit on any of the following Billboard charts prior to the date of the contest. Some of these include:
The Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Pop Songs, Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Hot Country Songs, Hot Rock Songs, or Hot Latin Songs.
The reason we enforce this Charts Rule is because we want lesser-known artists participating. Go away, Beyoncés of the world.

--
Official Website: www.unitedstatesofsong.com

----------------


After song submissions close, we will start State Song Selections!

---

Purpose of Contest
We want to show that there's more to American pop music than what's produced in Hollywood or New York City. This contest showcases music from every corner of the USA. You will find unique musical flavours and hidden gems in #USoS.

Why should I care?
'Cuz it's fun? If you have to ask, you probably don't care anyway.
Even if you don't have a song to submit, anyone can vote.
This is an annual contest only, so no burn-out.
I usually film/record a video in the host state (Alaska was an exception but can you blame me? lol) 
Watch last year's contest by clicking this link.

We also get attention from the artists in the contest - so that's cool, right?
Arizona 2016 (champion): bit.ly/2kCUHH8
Utah 2016: bit.ly/2g5SAYB
Wisconsin 2017: See 50SS '17 Final video Comments
Indiana 2016: bit.ly/2g76LjE
Iowa 2018: link
Maryland 2019 / Washington 2019

But AMERICA IS RULED BY EVIL, screw your contest! Go away! 
Every day I pray for a miracle, believe me...
Music is supposed to bring people together. I'm not my country's leadership.


I submitted a song last year, and it didn't get chosen! Why should I bother?
A small committee collects songs and helps choose the song for each of the 50 states + 1 territory. The rules are posted in many places, so everyone should know what songs are "allowed". Hopefully your amazing entry will make it through!

------

Missouri's entry will automatically qualify to the Final Round (we post a special announcement for the host state entry). The remaining 49 states (plus a U.S. territory) will battle it out in two semifinals for the Final Round of 25 songs (24 qualifiers + Missouri).