SONGWRITING CONTEST RULES
AND REGULATIONS
The Songwriting Contest
(the "Contest") ends at 11:59 p.m. (E.S.T.) on April 8th, 2005. You can submit your original songs in one
of two ways:
(1) Enter online by
visiting the official Contest registration website at http://www.the-refrigerators.com/contest,
completing all of the required information and following all instructions. Submit your entry (a readable song audio
file and text lyrics) as instructed on the website. Online entries must be
received by 11:59 p.m. (E.S.T.) on April 8th, 2005.
(2) You may also enter by
mailing a cassette or disk of your song, a lyric sheet, and your complete name,
age, address, zip code, home telephone number (including area code), and email
address to:
PO Box 195 Cropseyville,
NY 12052
All
mail-in entries must be postmarked by April 7th, 2005 and received by April 8th,
2005.
Only
one (1) entry per person. Songs may have multiple co-writers, but
please designate one name only on the application. Prizes will be awarded jointly to all authors of any song and the
division of prizes is the responsibility of the winners.
The Sponsors of this
contest include General
Electric Company, Albany Medical Center, Albany Broadcasting Company, and The
Refrigerators.
Submissions will not
be returned. Sponsors are not
responsible for late, lost, damaged, misdirected, postage due, stolen, or
misappropriated entries, or for faulty file uploads accompanying online
entries.
Three (3) winning
entries will be chosen. Upon agreeing
to the terms required of winning entries as described below, winning entrants
will each receive a Five Hundred Dollar ($500.00) cash prize and the winning
songs will be recorded by The Refrigerators and included on a commercially
released compact disk, the net proceeds from which shall be donated to benefit
the Pediatric Care Unit of Albany Medical Center. Winning entries shall receive no monetary consideration beyond
the initial cash prize.
Each song submitted
must be contestant's original work.
Songs may not exceed five (5) minutes in length. No song previously recorded and released
through national distribution in any country will be eligible.
This contest is open to U.S.
resident amateur and professional songwriters. Members of the
Refrigerators and the event planning committee of the corporate sponsors
(General Electric Company, Albany Medical Center, and Albany Broadcasting
Company), and any persons domiciled with such persons are not eligible.
Winning songs will
be chosen by the members of the band The Refrigerators. Songs will be judged based on melody,
composition and lyrics. The decision of the judges is final and not open
to dispute. Void where prohibited.
All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply.
Winners will be
announced on or about April 13th, 2005 on the contest’s website
http://www.the-refrigerators.com/contest
Winners also will be notified by mail and must sign and return an
affidavit of eligibility/recording rights/publicity release within 14 days of
notification date. The affidavit will
state that winner's song is his/her original work and he/she holds all rights
to song, that the
song has not previously won a prize in a songwriting contest, does not copy any
other work in whole or in part or otherwise infringe on any third party rights,
and has not previously been published in a national publication, and that
winner has complied with the rules of the contest. The
affidavit will further grant
to Sponsors and their assignees a perpetual, royalty-free, irrevocable right
and license to use, reproduce, copy, publish, copyright sound recordings of,
display, distribute, perform, translate, adapt, modify and otherwise exploit
the song (as a whole or in part), in its sole discretion, for any purpose and
in any manner or media now known or later devised throughout the world, and to
license others to do so, all without further compensation. Failure to sign and return such affidavit
within 14 days or provision of false/inaccurate information therein will result
in immediate disqualification and an alternate winner will be selected. Affidavits of winners under 18 years of age
at time of award must be countersigned by parent or legal guardian. Affidavits
are subject to verification. Entry
constitutes winner’s (and
if a minor, his/her parent's or legal guardian's) permission to use winner’s names, likenesses,
and voices for future advertising and publicity purposes without additional
compensation.
Sponsors will review all lyrics but does not otherwise assume responsibility for the content of the text of the lyrics.
Sponsors will not have any liability for any unauthorized copying,
publishing, display or other exploitation of the lyrics.
All federal, state and local taxes are the sole responsibility of winner. In the event the Contest is compromised by a virus, non-authorized human intervention, tampering or other causes beyond the reasonable control of Sponsors, which corrupts or impairs the administration, security, fairness or proper operation of the Contest, Sponsors reserve the right in its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Contest. Should the Contest be terminated prior to the stated expiration date, Sponsors reserve the right to award prizes based on the entries received before the termination date. By participating in this promotion, entrants agree to be bound by the Official Rules and the decisions of the judges and to release, indemnify and hold harmless Sponsors and any other promotional sponsors, each of their respective parent, affiliate, and subsidiary companies, and all of their directors, officers, employees, representatives, partners and agents, from any liability whatsoever for any claims, demands, actions, costs, injuries, losses, liabilities, expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) or damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the Contest, including but not limited to copyright infringement liability.