November Contest: Gossip

[shrikant]

Thanks
D H Miltz,Max,and Psy-T

[Lady J]

Am I the only one who sees a lack of correlation between votes and angry entries in this contest which has a theme of angry? Not begrudging anyone their votes, but I have to say I'm surprised that the theme seems to have been kicked to the side as far as voting is concerned.

Maybe it's just me.

People pretty much vote for who they want or don't want to win. The music or the theme are secondary I've found. People who are very chatty in the gossip section add +1 people who review everyone's tunes add +2.


It's very predictable.

[vespers75]

People pretty much vote for who they want or don't want to win.

That is the point though, yes? Of course you vote for the track you feel is most representative and should therefore win. Of course, your own individual interpretation comes into play.

The music or the theme are secondary I've found. People who are very chatty in the gossip section add +1 people who review everyone's tunes add +2.


It's very predictable.

You forgot the part about the enamoured old contest regulars voting for the young girl and their monthly participating buddies though.

[Lady J]

People pretty much vote for who they want or don't want to win.

That is the point though, yes? Of course you vote for the track you feel is most representative and should therefore win. Of course, your own individual interpretation comes into play.

The music or the theme are secondary I've found. People who are very chatty in the gossip section add +1 people who review everyone's tunes add +2.


It's very predictable.

You forgot the part about the enamoured old contest regulars voting for the young girl and their monthly participating buddies though.

yes. now i must destroy YOU!

[vespers75]

now i must destroy YOU!

[folderol]

Am I the only one who sees a lack of correlation between votes and angry entries in this contest which has a theme of angry? Not begrudging anyone their votes, but I have to say I'm surprised that the theme seems to have been kicked to the side as far as voting is concerned.

Maybe it's just me.

People pretty much vote for who they want or don't want to win. The music or the theme are secondary I've found. People who are very chatty in the gossip section add +1 people who review everyone's tunes add +2.


It's very predictable.

In that case my music must really be crap
I'm fairly chatty, try to do reviews as much as possible, but this month I think is the highest I've ever got. I'm usually bumping along the bottom

[rp314]

The only way to make this contest perfect would be for those in charge to implement an objective, completely fair method of judging the entries. It wouldn't improve one's chances any, mind you, but it would help to accept the inevitable outcome.

Oh, and thanks to Chuck and Knockman for the "dissenting" votes. The offer for food and lodging if you're ever in the lovely City By the Bay was just a joke, of course...

[folderol]

TOh, and thanks to Chuck and Knockman for the "dissenting" votes. The offer for food and lodging if you're ever in the lovely City By the Bay was just a joke, of course...

Skinflint!

[rp314]

There were no quid pro quos, of course. They were merely pity votes. Like Conan O'Brien I'll take any at this point.

[LauraMichelJarre]

Am I the only one who sees a lack of correlation between votes and angry entries in this contest which has a theme of angry? Not begrudging anyone their votes, but I have to say I'm surprised that the theme seems to have been kicked to the side as far as voting is concerned.

Maybe it's just me.

You're right. Difficult themes turn these contests to anarchy. The conventional idea is to please people with one's recordings, and this month that idea was reversed to angering people with one's recordings. In a reversal situation, the rules become a paradox, or ironic, or a contradiction.

You either follow the rules and anger the voters, and then lose votes. Or break the rules and anger the entrants, and then lose votes. Both ways you lose

I figured that so many people hate musical theatre outside the theatre itself that a song with someone being angry about musical theatre written in a musical theatre style would find some approval. Treat an ironic theme with irony. Then make that someone who sounds "chaste and conservative" singing about sex. Then use phrases like "sleep with" to reduce the anger to a subtle level. All contradictory.

I removed all hihats I omitted bass guitar from the track Then I altered the phrases to be odd numbers of bars in length. I transposed to a silly key in a bridge the upkey was 2 bars in length then went back again

So by recording the worst track ....

The winner should have been the one at the *bottom* of the vote tally.

[Echo Voodoo]

The only way to make this contest perfect would be for those in charge to implement an objective, completely fair method of judging the entries. It wouldn't improve one's chances any, mind you, but it would help to accept the inevitable outcome.

No matter the criteria, there will always be someone who feels their entry wasn't given proper due; it's the nature of the ego, especially the creative one. I've felt that way many times myself; being one of the "in" group (ie. chatty, frequent reviewer, multi-year participant) hasn't stopped some entries that I really like ending up on the bottom of the voting list.

My favourite, though, was a contestant from one or two years back who entered a song, declared in the gossip thread that it was totally awesome, shortly thereafter declared his complete disbelief that his entry wasn't being praised heavily enough, and shortly after that cursed us all as he vowed never to return. The whole thing took less than a week. Wish I could remember the particular contest; it'd be fun to re-read.

[rp314]

The only way to make this contest perfect would be for those in charge to implement an objective, completely fair method of judging the entries. It wouldn't improve one's chances any, mind you, but it would help to accept the inevitable outcome.

No matter the criteria, there will always be someone who feels their entry wasn't given proper due; it's the nature of the ego, especially the creative one. I've felt that way many times myself; being one of the "in" group (ie. chatty, frequent reviewer, multi-year participant) hasn't stopped some entries that I really like ending up on the bottom of the voting list.

Well I was joking, and in fact I prefer an opportunity to get some personal reactions and therefore try to avoid too many explanations. But it's also probably not fair to characterize the criticisms some might have as being just disappointment over having lost.

However, it's precisely due to my own difficulty in trying to judge such a diverse bunch of music that I tend to agree with those who are skeptical that any changes would result in a fairer outcome. And, in the end, there is always that impossible to believe, infinitesimal chance that one's losing work is just not that great work of Art one thought it was.

[knockman]

i don't really mind what the 'conditions' of these contests are, i'm just happy to have an outlet to periodically document my processes, creative or otherwise. my pleasure is in the tension between the 'it takes all sorts/anything goes' approach and the need to acknowledge the theme/criteria in some way.

after all, where else can great works of art stand shoulder to shoulder with cries for help, together united in testament to humanity's inherent goodness?

[LauraMichelJarre]

i don't really mind what the 'conditions' of these contests are, i'm just happy to have an outlet to periodically document my processes, creative or otherwise. my pleasure is in the tension between the 'it takes all sorts/anything goes' approach and the need to acknowledge the theme/criteria in some way.

after all, where else can great works of art stand shoulder to shoulder with cries for help, together united in testament to humanity's inherent goodness?

I think if the contest wasn't held, we wouldn't possibly be working as hard on material.

"The House of The Setting Sun" (August 2009) is one of my favorites. Sometimes the track takes a while to grow on you. Lasting quality isn't always recognized here, especially in the couple of days we are voting.

[robogone]

I wasn't criticizing anyone's track if that's the way my post came over, so please don't think that. I was just wondering if the theme was really that relevant to this month's contest as it didn't seem to be.