Testimonials - what people are saying about the UKSC

Feedback - Quotes - Testimonials...   What people are saying about the UKSC Back to Home Page        Testimonials are genuine and unsolicited - the originals can be viewed on request I'm just writing to thank you so very much for running the contest this year. I have spent the last seven and a half years of my life writing songs and dreaming of making a living doing the thing I love - Songwriting. After all that pleasant strife I am so glad to hear that someone out there can actually hear what I hear in my music! Even though I have always believed in my songs I am still very surprised and thrilled that I got to the finals as I have NEVER entered a songwriting competition before let alone got mentioned ! Your claims of listening to THE SONG and not the perfection of the demo were true - and I salute your integrity. I have NEVER mastered any of my compositions to broadcast level before, but you can be sure that after your encouragement I am certainly going to do so soon.  I would like you to print this on your website to encourage others who are sat noodling on their guitars and pianos feeling that nothing will ever happen for them. Tell them not to give up and to enter the contest next year - I certainly will. Even if you don't win - top music people are hearing your work and that's no gamble from where I 'm standing!  Thanks again, Julian Wilson, Finalist in 2005, Finalist and Semi Finalist in 2006, Semi Finalist and Highly Commended in 2007. ReverbNation: reverbnation.com/julianwilson MySpace: myspace.com/jwsongsmith   Since the results I have had articles in the local press and a feature on our local FM radio station 3TRFM. Best so far will be Saturday, when I will be interviewed live on BBC Radio Wiltshire by Sandy Martin, and with a bit of luck this will result in my first ever royalty! I have also made contact  with Jodi Shaw in New York  and Alison Hams in Australia (UKSC winners and runners up). Looking at their websites, they all seem very established professional musicians compared to me, so this makes my position as runner even better as I am very much an amateur! Paul Rogers, Runner Up Visit Paul's Website Finally - a contest that doesn't leave you left out in the dark. This contest displayed the results the way it should be done. Will enter again, very happy about the way this contest is run. Sal Lima. Semi-Finalist in 2005 I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for all the hard work you do in promoting songwriters. It's great to show the world that there's still raw, untapped talent out there. Catrin Lewis, Finalist. www.catacoustics.co.uk We would like to thank you for giving us and many others alike the chance to be noticed and recognised for our songwriting ability. It really is a great contest to enter and a must for all up and coming songwriters. The contest in our opinion was so well organised and we were constantly being informed of the contests progress. A great opportunity for everyone and well worth the £15 to enter. Thank you once again! (We can't say thank you enough!) Lucy and Pearl, Songwriting Partnership and UKSC Finalists 2004    Thank you so much for your helpful suggestions, thank you for the wonderful work that you and your team are doing for songwriters. I will definitely enter the contest again next year.  Marie Preston, Songwriter and UKSC Finalist  Visit Website I was OVER THE MOON when I heard I'd won the R&B category. I'm so pleased that my song was liked by the judges and it's given me such a boost to my confidence! Nicky Pitchers, Songwriter, Category Winner Just wanted to say that it was an honor to participate in your contest which I will recommend to other songwriters because in every moment you showed to be very professional and  respectful with our work. You showed a lot of professionalism acknowledging receipt and keeping us posted with all the news about the contest. Thank you again and please consider me a friend in Peru if you ever visit the land of the Incas. Cecilia Ugaz, Finalist I am thrilled to be listed as a runner up with my song 'Safe' !!.It is very encouraging for me to achieve this, and I will be entering next year also !! Mark Smith, Songwriter and Runner Up UKSC I have enjoyed participating in the competition and think you've done us all a marvelous service...You've been very thoughtful in the manner in which you handled the entire event. Electra Cliffton Smith – Songwriter, UKSC Finalist  Thanks for the great job you do in running this contest - particularly the excellent job in communicating. No finalist songs for me this year but it was nice to see that 3 out of 6 got through the first phase into the semi finals. I think it is a great idea to list semi finalists - please keep doing it. I'll be back next year to try to do better. Bob Reid, Semi Finalist Over the years I have entered a lot of songwriting contests and competitions  - and I can honestly say, without any doubt, that this one is THE BEST. Sonia Marsh - Runner Up, 2005 I am overjoyed!!! It is a great honor to be awarded this prize from the UK… thank you so very much!  Billy Byron - Songwriter, UKSC Category Winner CA, USA Visit Billy's Website  I was delighted to see my song "I Love That Feeling" get into the Semi Finals and would like to thank all of you for giving me and everyone else in the contest the chance to promote our music. I really enjoyed taking part in the contest. Thank you also for the discount vouchers which will come in very handy. The UK Songwriting Contest is an excellent event and I look forward to entering again next year. Cameron Ingram, Semi Finalist in 2005 I'm delighted to be a finalist and quadruple semi-finalist in this year's UKSC. I was impressed by how well-run the contest was and fully intend to enter again. I'm not after personal fame, but the press coverage of my songwriting was very gratifying and will be extremely useful for my credibility when pitching songs in the future. Many thanks, I'm still glowing about it all several weeks later! Kate Salisbury. Finalist and semi finalist in 2005 Many thanks for taking the time to reply - I have always been impressed with the way UKSC has handled its follow up and I have even made a special reference to this on my website (www.myspace.com/joelannon). I am impressed with your promptness and politeness and efforts at encouraging sensitive souls like me. I really appreciate your positive efforts to promote budding songwriters like myself Joe Lannon UKSC Semi Finalist in 2005.  Firstly, THANK U THANK U THANK U for having this contest and allowing songwriters the chance to have their music heard. Secondly, THANK U THANK U THANK U for recognition of some of my own songs. Cheers to y'all from the Asian Yank, Lijie  Website:  www.lijiemusic.com The UK Songwriting Contest is a great way for North American songwriters / artists to obtain a reliable and valued response to their music in the UK. This credit, is great to include in your press kits for labels and radio etc. Thanks! Semi finalist in dance music - artist, producer, writer Rhayne Retieff www.rhayne.com    In this day and age, it's great to see there are still legitimate contests out there - Jennifer Vazquez - Singer/Songwriter USA www.jennifervazquez.com After the results came out I started by contacting BBC Radio Newcastle, and to cut a long story short, they have invited me onto the 'More Than Soul' show, presented by Paul Wappat. I am beyond thrilled! These are amazingly fantastic times and I have you to thank for raising my game a few notches! I now use the 'UKSC double finalist' phrase in all my correspondence when dealing with musicians, artists, potential sponsors and companies, etc. I hope you will always keep this going, as I think you make many songwriters' efforts worthwhile. Fareez Shuib, Double Finalist in 2005  Thanks for a really well organised contest with a superb level of communication at each stage. I am delighted that 3 of my songs made it to the finals this year especially as I am an amateur 'home studio writer' without access to professional recording facilities. Peter North, Songwriter and UKSC Finalist Just a note of thanks for running such a professional contest for aspiring artists. At my first attempt at lyric writing I was a double finalist. John Coughlan, Songwriter, UKSC Finalist. I'm over the moon about this...This is an amazing honour - I was getting a bit down hearted about the whole music business as I seemed to be hitting my head off a brick wall. Thank you again for this great opportunity. (Within days of the results Tom's anti-war song Not In My Name, winner of the Rock Category, was playlisted with daily plays on Austrian national radio)  Tom McCreery, Category Winner 2004 Thank you very much for voting my song a finalist. It's refreshing to know that you must have given it a thorough listen - I know it's not the most immediate of songs. Thanks. Kris Wilkins, UKSC Finalist Visit Website I just wanted to say hello and a massive thanks to everyone at the UK Songwriting contest. I am absolutely thrilled to have won the instrumental category, and following your advice, have contacted local press and radio who have been most responsive. This is the first time I have sent my music out to anyone so I was genuinely stunned when I saw the results. I am still in a state of elated shock! I will be singing the praises of the UK Songwriting contest from all the highest rooftops here in Leeds. Thank you all again. Mark Heslegrave, Category Winner 2005 I was so thrilled to see I had made it as a finalist and also seeing two of my songs had reached the Semi finals. I never imagined I would have got this far!! I really don't know what to say other than thank you. Thank you so much. Jacqueline Brearey, Finalist and Semi Finalist I am thrilled to find one of our entries listed as a finalist in the Jazz/Blues category and thank all of you for your work in making this such an enjoyable event to be a part of. This is the first year that we have entered our songs and this result has inspired us even further to get writing! We will certainly be preparing our entries for next year! Thank you once again for giving us the chance to have our music heard. Julie and Richard Tranfield, Finalists I wish to thank you and the team for giving me the exposure through this great competition. Al James - Singer/Songwriter, UKSC Finalist  Visit Website This is great news... I started today by having this info up on my web site. Thanks for your thoughtfulness and support. Rhayne Retieff, Semi-Finalist 2005, Canada. Visit Website  Thanks for taking the time to write and the encouraging words. Something tells me that you folks really do care about this contest and the artists who entered.  I hope this contest exceeds your expectations in the coming years. Jim Gietzen. Songwriter. USA. Just to let you know, after our success in the UKSC the local press coverage has been tremendous, pretty much every newspaper and magazine has featured our band, and venues are currently asking us to play as much as possible. The confidence it has given us cant be underestimated. Well done on a well organized and fantastic contest guys. Lois Homewood and the band No Direction www.no-direction.com  Only 2 days after achieving a finalist place in the Miscellaneous category and 2 semi-final placings I have been interviewed by the local press and will be interviewed on the Pat Marsh show for BBC Radio Kent where they will play some of my tracks. Thanks for the opportunities this contest is presenting already and thanks for obviously listening - "Candy Carousel" is not the most obvious of songs and by far the least accessable of those I entered, so its clear to me that you judge each song on its merits. Many thanks, James Edge, 2005 Finalist and Double Semi Finalist May I thank you for doing such a marvellous job in this contest. Even though I did not make it to the finals this year I will definitely return next year. I particularly want to thank you for your sensitivity and understanding for those of us who did not make the mark this year. I think your compassion for the non-finalists has somehow made me felt renewed and rejuvenated. I look forward to the coming year and will move forward with unprecedented zeal and energy. Once again thank you. Jonas Lee, triple semi finalist in 2005.  Thank you ever so much. I've been blessed with 2 songs making it to the finalists board 2005 and I am truly over the moon!!!  I feel absolutely fantastic. It has come at a perfect moment in my career and I am now hopefully on the road to bigger and better things. Also, it's not very often that people are so efficient and I very much appreciate all your help. Thank you once again, I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. Fareez Shuib, Double Finalist in 2005 This is amazing! Less than 24 hours after contacting BBC Radio Kent with the news that I had made it as a twice-finalist in The UK Songwriting Contest, the newsdesk came back to me and organised an interview. Later that day the piece was broadcast on a radio programme featuring an interview with the pop singer Lulu. Being a finalist in the UKSC, allied with the industry recognition behind it, has given me the confidence and credibility to take the next step in my career. Rudi Cazeaux, Finalist. Rudi's Website NOTE: Rudi is just one of many UKSC contestants who have had radio play (and royalties!) because of a finalist or semi finalist position in the UK Songwriting Contest. See the Contestants' News Page for more details. I am sending this e-mail to thank everyone involved with the UKSC for organising such a great competition. There must be a tremendous amount of work involved but you still managed to keep everyone updated with what was going on. I look forward to entering again next year, and as a finalist it has given me a real boost in confidence. I will recommend this contest to everyone I know involved in songwriting/music, as a great competition to enter. You provide an invaluable way of getting a foot in the door of the music industry which is otherwise a very difficult business to gain access to. Once again a very big thank you. David Flatt, UK, Songwriter and UKSC Finalist in 2004 Thanks for running a great contest with excellent communication. I was amazed to be a finalist in my first year of entry. I also gained a diploma recently thanks to the email you sent me about this. Thanks again. Rob Bell Dip.Mus www.rob-bell.co.uk  My songs are no better today than they were yesterday but now I am filled full of optimism for the future knowing that others out there do actually take me more seriously than I had at first supposed they would. Recognition from music professionals certainly does have a psychological effect on the people around you - once again I can only thank you for what you people are doing out there. Julian Wilson, Finalist. Not only have you made my day, but also reminded me how valuable it is to keep trying at  that in which we believe. Thank you once again and looking forward to the next contest. Maria Stride, UKSC Finalist I would like to say a BIG thank you for my finalist achievement in your songwriting contest (R&B and Hip Hop). I am really happy to have achieved as much given that fact that I used my home computer to produce every single aspect of the song I sent in. Oluyemi Asaolu, Songwriter and UKSC Finalist 2004 Thank you, so much, for having taken the trouble to reply to me in such a kind way. What you have done for me, in sending a couple of my songs to the right kind of contacts, is more than I dared to hope for. Gordon Dent, UKSC Finalist I would like to thank everyone at the UK Songwriting Contest for judging me runner-up and finalist in the 2003 competition. I am delighted...this result has given me great encouragement.  Mike Doody,  Finalist and Runner Up We are really pleased to be in the runners up of the Pop Category. Believe me it's great to be recognised. Once again thanks very much to all those involved. Ian Gibbs and Terry McCreith,  UKSC Finalists Please may I thank you for all your hard work & for keeping us all so well informed. What a great competition! Crissie Patient, UKSC Finalist I would just like to express my appreciation for the way in which the contest was organized and run. From a contestant's point of view it was not intimidating. Rather, your whole approach, each step of the way, was one of encouragement and reassurance, relaxed but superbly professional. Andrew Taylor, Double Semi-Finalist Firstly I would like to say THANK YOU!!  I am still  really shocked to find out that I am a UKSC winner. I have never entered a competition before, and I chose to enter this contest because it's focus is purely on talent, and songwriting ability, so I feel truly honoured to have won.  It has only been a few days since the result were posted on your site, but the South London Press has already run the story which is great!  The most important thing is the feeling of appreciation, and that industry professionals believe that my work is good. It's lovely when friends and family believe that you have talent, but it's even better when those in the music biz think so too. Thank you. Bianca Rose, Category Winner 2005. I very much appreciate your passing on my lyrics! I also want to tell you that I am very impressed with the way the contest was run. Richard J. Hamersma,  Finalist  I was absolutely blown away when I found out (at 2.38am) that I was a finalist in two of the categories this year.. My first time of entering... It's a great acknowledgement.. ThanX for the musical lift... Val Kelly - Rock/Indie and Miscelleneous Finalist 2005 Visit Val's Website Since becoming a finalist in this years songwriting contest I have received a lot of publicity as a result. I have had write ups in two local newspapers and an interview on BBC Radio Norfolk in the past week. I have gigs pending locally and a tour in Ireland, both as a direct result of the contest. Most importantly, the contest has given me a much needed boost to get out there and promote my songs - using the contest results as a tool to do this. I'd like to say thanks to the organisers for their encouragement to all the contestants and for keeping us so well informed at every stage of the contest. I'm already planning what I will be entering next year! Mandy Durrant, Finalist in 2005.  As a psychiatrist and a songwriter, having been through a number of engagements in the music biz, I again want to say how impressed I have been with the PROCESS of your contest, particularly the intellectual rigor, efficiency, and empathy that is evident. Jim Williford  (a.k.a. Geem) The Foyer - Glebula Entertainment USA. Semi Finalist in 2005.

The above is just a VERY small selection of the many unsolicited comments and 
testimonials that we receive. The originals are on file in our offices. Where possible we have given website links.