originally published: 04/29/2024
(PHILADELPHIA, PA) -- WXPN, the member-supported Philadelphia radio station, is inviting local songwriters to participate in a 24-Hour Song Challenge on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at 12 noon ET, when it will announce a song prompt to start the challenge.
Artists will then have 24 hours to write a brand-new, original song, record a video of their performance, upload it to YouTube, and share it to the WXPN 24-Hour Song Challenge website.
A panel of judges will carefully review all submissions. WXPN will announce four finalists on June 24 and crown the top prize winner on July 1. The winner will receive $1000, a one-year WXPN Program Partner Membership ($1500 value), ten hours of recording time at Milkboy Studios in Philadelphia, and the opportunity to perform their winning song onstage at WXPN’s 2024 XPoNential Music Festival in September. The three runners-up will each receive $500 and a one-year basic-level WXPN membership ($120 value).
Registration for the WXPN 24-Hour Song Challenge opens Monday, April 29 and songwriters must sign up by Thursday, May 23 at songchallenge.xpn.org.
The contest is open to anybody that can hear WXPN radio in their primary residence, which means those in South Jersey (88.5FM) and North Jersey (91.9FM) are elegible.
WXPN members have until May 1 to apply to serve on the panel of judges, with only one being selected to join them. The judges are:
* Donn Thompson Morelli “Donn T”, Singer-songwriter, producer, author, record label owner
* Mike Vasilikos, WXPN Midday and New Music Show Host
* John Vettese, WXPN Philly Local Host and Editor of XPN.org
* Heather Hurlock, WXPN Digital Content Manager and Singer-songwriter
* Bruce Warren, WXPN Associate General Manager for Programming
“With so many talented, independent songwriters in our broadcast area, we’re looking to find some of the most creative during the song challenge,” said Warren. “It’s a unique and exciting opportunity for songwriters of all experience levels to showcase their talent.”
WXPN, the nationally recognized leader in Triple A radio and the premier guide for discovering new and significant artists in rock, blues, roots and folk, is the non-commercial, member-supported, public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania. WXPN produces World Cafe, public radio’s most popular program of popular music that is distributed by NPR to more than 280 U.S. radio stations, and the Peabody Award-winning Kids Corner. WXPN serves the greater Philadelphia area at 88.5 FM, the Lehigh Valley at 104.9 FM, Worton/Baltimore at 90.5 FM, Lancaster/York at 88.7 FM, Harrisburg at 99.7 FM, North Jersey/Poconos at 91.9 FM, and the world via online streaming at www.XPN.org. The WXPN app brings all of WXPN to any mobile device. WXPN produces XPoNential Radio on XPN2 as its secondary radio channel in HD, also available online at www.xpn.org.
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