Smart Bets: NewSong Music Competition

Posted on by Kay West

The sound of music will fill the room at Citizen Vinyl on Saturday, Jan. 11, as Asheville hosts to its fourth NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition. Now in its 23rd year, the event — which was held at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City until it moved to Asheville in 2018 — attracts aspirants from coast to coast and around the globe. NewSong Music co-founder, Citizen Vinyl CEO and North Carolina native Gar Ragland culls the list down to eight finalists. In the first round, all eight will perform two songs each for a panel of judges; three contenders will be brought back for another song, and from those, a winner will be chosen. The 2024 grand prize is a fully funded six-song EP, recorded and mixed at Citizen Studios, plus 300 vinyl records pressed at Citizen Vinyl. Doors for the all-ages show open at 6 p.m. VIP tickets are $121.23 and include early entry at 5:30 p.m. with preferred seating, drinks, hors d’oeuvres, a meet-and-greet with the finalists and a digital recording of the night’s performances mixed by Ragland. General admission tickets are $36.36 per person, including concert-style seating at café tables and on bar stools. avl.mx/eeq. Photo of 2023 NewSong finalists with Gar Ragland (back center) by Aaron Stone

Editor’s note: This story was updated on Jan. 9, 2025, to include the year the event moved from New York City to Asheville.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Kay West
Kay West began her writing career in NYC, then was a freelance journalist in Nashville for more than 30 years, including contributing writer for the Nashville Scene, Nashville correspondent for People magazine, author of five books and mother of two happily launched grown-up kids. In 2019 she moved to Asheville and continued writing (minus Red Carpet coverage) with a focus on food, farming and hospitality. She is a die-hard NY Yankees fan.
View all posts by Kay West →

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.