Local musicians named as finalists in for the 2013 International Songwriting Competition

Richard Gannaway, Miriam Stockley, Jay Oliver (AOMUSIC), from Asheville, were named as finalists in for the 2013 International Songwriting Competition. Their song, “Kuimba,” is among 13 top picks in the world music category. Judges for the contest include Tom Waits, Bruce Hornsby, Jason Isbell, Brian Setzer and many others. Winners will be announced at the end of April, 2014.

Press release

Finalists for the 2013 International Songwriting Competition (ISC) have now been announced. Recognized as the most prestigious international songwriting competition in the world, ISC awards excellence in the field of songwriting. Representing a broad variety of musical genres, finalists were selected from 124 countries worldwide. To view the list, go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners

Winners will be announced at the end of April, 2014. Prizes include over $150,000 in cash, merchandise, and services (including a Grand Prize of $25,000 cash and $40,000 in additional prizes). ISC is open to amateur and professional songwriters from all over the world, including bands and solo performers. Winners are selected by a panel of high-profile recording artists and music industry executives.

In addition to the winners selected by the panel of judges, ISC opens voting to the public to pick their favorite song. The ISC People’s Voice runs for the entire month of March and is open for voting at http://www.facebook.com/internationalsongwritingcompetition.

Over the years ISC has become a benchmark for songwriting talent, and winning ISC can be a tremendous career booster. Winners have included artists such as Gotye, Kimbra, Gin Wigmore, The Band Perry, Passenger, Bastille, Kasey Chambers, Gregory Porter, Lindsey Stirling, and many more. Many winners have gone on to be signed to record label deals and have secured publishing deals, licensing deals, and distribution deals, in addition to getting more gigs, fans, and recognition.

The complete list of ISC judges includes:

Recording Artists: Tom Waits; Nas; Imagine Dragons; Josh Turner; Bernie Taupin; Martina McBride; Duran Duran; Garbage; Robert Smith (The Cure); Selena Gomez; Bruce Hornsby; Florida Georgia Line; Dido; Michael W. Smith; Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC); Mark Foster (Foster The People); Alejandro Sanz; Gerald Casale (Devo); Jason Isbell; Joshua Redman; Brian Setzer; Avicii; Keane; Jeremy Camp; McCoy Tyner; Jon Secada; Ketch Secor (Old Crow Medicine Show); Boney James; Craig Morgan; James Cotton; Black Francis (Pixies); John Mayall; Anoushka Shankar; Toots Hibbert (Toots & The Maytals); Bombino; Chayanne; Jimmy Needham; and Matt Thiessen (Relient K).

Industry Executives: Dan McCarroll (President, Capitol/Virgin Label Group); Monte Lipman (President, Universal Republic Records); Alison Donald (Co-President, Columbia Records UK); Ed Vetri (President, Wind-Up Records); Bryan Leach (Sr. VP of A&R Urban, RCA Records and President, Polo Grounds Music); Richard Stumpf (President, Imagem Music US); Bruce Iglauer (Founder/President, Alligator Records); Albert Schilcher (VP Music & Music Mktg, MTV International); Angel Carrasco (Sr. VP A&R, Latin America, Sony/BMG); Dan Storper (President, Putamayo World Music Records and Putumayo Kids); Cory Robbins (Founder/President, Robbins Entertainment); Lori Tieg (VP of Talent, VEVO); Steve Lillywhite (Producer); Kim Buie (Head of A&R, Thirty Tigers); Douglas C. Cohn (Sr. VP, Music Marketing & Talent, Nickelodeon); Leib Ostrow (Founder/CEO, Music For Little People); and Jamie Masada (Owner, Laugh Factory).

ISC is sponsored by: Presonus, Lowden, Marshall Amplification, Solid State Logic, Berklee College of Music, Mrs. Fields Cookies, Airplay Direct, D’Addario, DiscMakers, Thayers, SongU.com, Sonicbids, The Music Business Registry, Indie Venue Bible, Celebrity Access, TuneCore, Independent Mastering, George Stein, Esq., Songtrust, and Taxi

ISC is now accepting entries for 2014. More information can be found at http://www.songwritingcompetition.com.

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About Alli Marshall
Alli Marshall has lived in Asheville for more than 20 years and loves live music, visual art, fiction and friendly dogs. She is the winner of the 2016 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize and the author of the novel "How to Talk to Rockstars," published by Logosophia Books. Follow me @alli_marshall

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