Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- How do people submit songs to be reviewed?
- Submit songs here. Note that we only accept Soundcloud links, so make sure your song is set up there first.
- What styles of songs do you accept?
- We'll take just about anything. Select the genre(s) closest to your style when you submit your song.
- Why do I have to pick genres when I submit my song? My music transcends genre boundaries!
- We use the genres to assign the board (see below). We don't want board members to reviews styles they don't like because they may not get the nuances. So think of the genres as narrowing down who should review your song.
- I'm still working on my song. I want feedback but I don't want a review posted for people to read yet.
- No problem. Read the next section.
- What's the difference between Feedback and a Review?
- Feedback is only seen by the artist that submits a song to Songboard. Reviews are for the public.
When a song is submitted, we assign a board (5 people) who will listen and provide feedback. That feedback is then shared with the artist, but NOT posted on our site as a review.
Some artists just want feedback on a song they are working on but it's not ready to be released or reviewed yet.
After an artist receives the feedback from the board, they can elect to have the song officially reviewed and posted to our site for all the world to see. Reviews are based on the feedback - think of them as the 'official write up'. - What is the "Board"?
- The "Board" is what we call the 5 people who review each song submitted. Each songs is assigned it's own board (not the same 5 people every time).
We use "Boards" to review songs so we can ensure the best feedback and reviews possible. In part this is to reduce the effect of any one reviewers sole opinion (4 people who like something will average over 1 person who didn't - where as if all 5 dislike something, it's more likely to be an issue), but also to ensure we have people with different expertise reviewing songs. - How are "Boards" assigned?
- Boards are comprised of a mix of songwriters, producers, audio engineers, working musicians, and music connoisseurs. We try to ensure that each board is comprised of a diverse set of specialties so we don't miss the nuances of any song. We also ensure that board members are interested in the genre(s) of the songs they review - a good review starts with an appreciation of the style.
- How do I get my song on one of your playlists?
- Submit your song for a review. If it gets a score of 15 or above, it goes on a playlist.
- How are Song Scores calculated?
- Each song is reviewed in 5 categories:
CompositionProductionMelodyRhythmEmotion
Each category is scored on a scale of 0 through 5, where 0 is not good and 5 is excellent.
Each songs is reviewed by 5 board members who each giving a score for each of the 5 categories. A songs score for each category is the average of each boards members score for that category.
The songs overall score (the Songboard Score, or SB score) is the sum of the 5 category scores. A perfect score is 25 points.
Lets look at an example. Suppose a song gets the follow scores for reach category from the board members:
Then the scores are rounded to get the final score for each category. Then all the category scores are added together to make the Songboard Score.Board Members Score
Averages1 2 3 4 5 Composition 4 3 4 2 4 3.4 Production 2 3 5 5 4 3.8 Melody 3 3 4 5 3 3.6 Rhythm 4 3 4 2 3 3.2 Emotion 5 4 5 5 4 3.6 Score Averages Score Rounded Composition 3.4 3 Production 3.8 4 Melody 3.6 4 Rhythm 3.2 3 Emotion 3.6 4 Songboard Score 18 out of 25