Announcement: ‘UPF Best Lyrics Contest’ (updated 10 November 2015)
The Lyrics Contest has ended (15th December 2015). Winners will be announced in the New Year. We would like to thank everyone who participated.
United Progressive Fraternity, in the spirit of being collectively united with fellow musicians, which also includes a global support network of Country Representatives, Promoters, Producers, Musicians, Writers and Artists, and most of all our legions of environmentally conscious fans, is proud to kick off an exciting ‘Best Lyrics Competition’.
The Message of the Fraternity is “To promote environmental and social awareness, directly relating to the state of Planet Earth and the human condition. The predominant message is one of hope, highlighting that we can make a difference through the power of music.”
So what difference can you make? PLENTY! – and here is your chance if you feel you have the talent to pen these themes into song lyrics that will reach listeners around the planet. In other words, what you write really does have the power to change the world, not just for the short time it takes to listen to a song, but how that message resonates and propagates down the line to trigger and inspire long term action and provide millions with hope in the form of solutions for a dying earth, our only home.
The bottom line here is that United Progressive Fraternity, through your lyrics can help bring about a much needed change in our troubled world. Together, we are raising the awareness leading to action.
Basic Rules
- Contents of lyrics should be about our troubled world (‘Loss’), environmental issues, finding a solution (‘Hope’)
- Send all lyrical ideas to trueack (at) bigpond.com in word document format
- One entry per person. So if you have more than one lyric, pick the best one for the contest 🙂
- Opening date 15th August 2015
- Closing Date 15th December 2015 (extended)
Two sets of lyrics will be selected for inclusion on our forthcoming album, one for the each of the two themes on ‘Planetary Overload – Loss (CD1) and Hope (CD2)’.
- Lyrics submitted will be sung in part or in full, on the song or songs UPF determines is most appropriate.
- Lyrics may be edited to fit the tempo and music.
- All winners will be credited on the album and song royalties will be shared with the contest winner.
- Winners will also receive a copy of the album (of course!)
7 thoughts on “UPF Best Lyrics Contest”
Such an engaging way to interact with UPF fans. Bravo! I’ll start writing now.
Presumably any submissions not required may still be used by the author once the competition is over? If the lyrics are accepted, conversely, would they be made exclusively available for the use of UPF?
I’ve written you a new song today (12/8/2015) called ‘By and By’ and am emailing it to you now.
Great idea for a competition, Mark, all the best to you, Sally, the band /United Progressive Fraternity and all the crew! Rock on! Jane x
How will any royalties be shared with the winners? Who will own any resulting versions of songs?
Hi James
Mark says that UPF owns the songs and lyric writers and composers own the rights.
From experience, unless the song is a massive seller, which we all want, there is not much for return. Royalty payments are generally very very small.
However, if the song is a big hit, like 100,000 sales as an example, then you can make some serious money.
Furthermore, if another artist does a cover version, or someone re-does/remixes the song and releases it commercially, the lyric writers and composers still receive royalties.
I remember Alicia Keys had a similar contest a few years ago although that was R&B lyrics and it didn’t inspire me enough to submit anything. But the health and future of our planet is something I’m very passionate about …. so I’ll defintely give it a go. Great stuff!
Thank you, James.
This is precisely what motivates the band members and their commitment to the UPF Mission Statement, The word is spreading, and some very influential leaders and musicians are coming aboard. Hopefully your theme may find its way into the hearts and minds of many people.
Cheers and stay tuned for many exciting updates as the arrangements are being completed over the next month or so and the musicians come into the studio to begin recording.
Hi Ted,
Yes, sure … I’ve known Mark since high school and he sang with our friend’s (RIP) band at my 21st, back in the day; then we all seemed to go our seperate ways. Since returning from living in the US, It was so great to see that Truey had persisted all these years and is fulfilling his dreams … And yeh, I don’t have royalty expectations because I know how shakey the music business is … I just try to write from the heart.