There are some changes to the Steemit Open Mic contest that all participants should be aware of. If you are playing musical instruments in any of the Open Mic contests we thank you for your participation.
When Open Mic first started we wanted to make it as easy to enter as possible so we allowed people to sing acapella or to a backing track and many of those entries were really good.
However lately there has been a wave of entries from people who don't play musical instruments and it seems clear they are entering the contest just to get the rewards as opposed to being part of this community.
The beginning of the contest posts states:
Steemit Open Mic is an online, live music venue to give musicians a chance to share their music with the Steemit community and get their music heard.
Open Mic has always focused on gathering musicians together on Steemit and the rewards are just a way to lure people in. Yes, musicians can earn some great payouts even if they don't win the contest especially with the price of Steem and SBD rising lately.
Unfortunately, this also brings with it a lot of people scamming the contest. You wouldn't believe the things people do to try to get over on the Open Mic contest and get a payout.
There have been people opening multiple accounts and disguising themselves to avoid detection so they can enter multiple times.
People also pull videos from YouTube that are not their own and try to pass them off as themselves.
Some people have started lip syncing to a recorded track like Milli Vanilli. It's such a joke and it's taking more time to sort through than it takes to listen to valid entries.
Still, others have been stealing valid entries from weeks before and claiming them as their own. One guy even tried to pass off the National Anthem Of Iran as an original song.
We are not going to let this happen.
If you are a musician playing music for the community you have nothing to worry about but if you are singing acapella or karaoke this rule applies to you.
We made this new rule for Open Mic beginning week 67.
NOTE: While we used to allow acapella performances to enter Open Mic, recently there have been far too many entries of singers without any musicians. Open Mic is a community of musicians and for this reason entries without some musical instrument being performed will not be considered a valid entry. NO KARAOKE
There are exceptions
There is a Karaoke contest on Steemit that you can enter. Karaoke Contest Week 22 Contestants --- by @killerwhale
There is also a rap challenge for rappers Steemit Rap Challenge Week 20 Sponsored By Teamsteem And Adsactly Rhyme For Sbd Win Prizes --- by @rondonson
Does this mean you cannot sing for the Open Mic contest? That depends. There are exceptions to this rule which I will cover shortly but the main reason we did this is to keep Open Mic focused on building a community of musically talented people.
You don't have to sing like Mariah Carey or Michael Jackson or play guitar like Joe Satriani to enter Open Mic but there does have to be some musical element to an entry.
Some of the entries lately have been so bad that it makes Open Mic look bad when we support those entries and it makes for a poor listener experience when the number of sub-par entries outnumbers the musical entries. I'm not talking about novice performances, I'm talking about people barely aking any musical effort at all and are just trying to pull rewards by entering Open Mic.
It's my fault for upvoting every entry. Not anymore.
We have had some really bad entries and way too many of them just really suck. I know that is not the politically correct thing to say but thank God I'm not a politician.
If you can't carry a tune in a bucket but are still playing your heart out on an instrument, we still want you to be part of the community, we just need to weed out the scammers and the people who are not really playing music at all.
So, no more Karaoke entries.
There are exceptions
Since we started this rule on week 67 there are people scamming it already by pretending to play an instrument, singing Karaoke but blowing into a harmonic every few seconds, tapping on a chair and calling it drums, asking if a microphone is considered a musical instrument, etc..
We want musicians of all levels of talent. That is the community we are supporting on Steemit and will continue to support.
Are there exceptions? Yes.
There are exceptions
Let me give you an example. This is an acapella performance but there is no denying the musical talent in this performance so it will be included and upvoted.
Is it worthy of an upvote? Hell yes!
What we are trying to discourage is entries that have no musical quality to them at all. I won't post an example of those because I don't want to embarrass anyone but if you're part of this community you know what I'm talking about, right?
So for those of you entering Open Mic who don't play a musical instrument, you may not get upvoted. I suggest you find a friend who plays an instrument to join in with you if you want to enter Open Mic.
There are exceptions
EDIT: (After reading @limabeing's comment below) If you are a singer and honestly performing for this community you are probably the exception we're talking about. Yes, vocalists are musicians too. However, almost all of the people attempting to scam this contest are entering an acapella or karaoke entry probably because they have no musical quality to contribute and somewhere along the way they heard they could make money singing on Open Mic. Those scammers will now get a link to this post or get ignored so I can focus on those who add to this community instead of spending countless hours a week dealing with scammers. Your singing abilility has nothing to do with this post. We just want more music, not scammers.
For those of you that keep trying to scam the Open Mic contest, you are on our radar. Some of you have been able to get away with it, some I have removed my vote after realizing they entered more than once, (some have entered 4 or 5 times in a week) and if you continue down this path I will mute you so you will not show up in my feed so there is no chance I make that mistake again.
Each one of these scammers knows about these updates and I received mixed reactions. Some have understood and deleted their multiple entries, some are angry with me, and some have even gone so far as to accuse me of being racist for excluding them.
I assure you, where you come from or your racial background has nothing to do with these new changes. Music, like love, is a universal language and I love all kinds of music.
I come from a multicultural family. My grandfather is from Italy, my grandmother from Spain, my mother is from Ireland, and my father from Morocco. We spoke 5 languages in my house growing up and listen to all kinds of music. If you were not upvoted for your entry it was because you didn't follow the rules or are blatantly scamming the contest.
It's interesting to notice that almost all of the scammers originate from Nigeria, Indonesia, and India and still there are many talented musicians entering from those countries as well. I understand that in a poor country people will do what they have to do to make some money so I'm not surprised at these attempts, but in Venezuela, a country with a collapsed economy where a few Steem is worth a small fortune, no one has tried to scam Open Mic.
Understanding that English may not be the first language of many of the participants I try to be patient when people do not follow the rules. For example, not saying Steemit Open Mic at the start of their video. When that happens I check to see if the video was posted on YouTube this week and make a judgment call on including it or not.
There are exceptions
As Open Mic grows I'm spending more time dealing with people who have not followed the rules as I am on listening to valid entries. Because of this, I have not been able to comment on every valid entry like I used to. This bothers me, but I'm thankful to see the community and the judges interacting more.
Going forward I'm going to ignore the invalid entries so I can focus on building the community. If your post is completely ignored that is probably why. Go back and read the rules and follow them.
To everyone who is posting and entering Open Mic correctly thank you so much for your participation, your music and energy, your patience as we go through these growing pains, and for making Open Mic the thriving community it is.
Thanks for supporting us while we clean up the entry process and make Open Mic about the music. I trust you understand why we made these changes and how they will make the Open Mic community even better in 2018.
Great overall
message and solutions. Yes vocalists will be given exceptions because as we filter through the entries you have a great ear as well and can tell who is being genuine with music. The dreamteam is ready to judge and reward and appreciate and encourage as we all grow together and gift the gift of music. Let's do this bro
You know exactly what we need to do to keep the scammers out.
If you're a singer or vocalist worrying about this news, STOP! There are exceptions and if you're musical you have nothing to worry about
Yes indeed and exactly. True musicians and vocalists don't need to worry. It is pretty blatant to see who is scamming and not even trying
Lol ok ok.
hello @luzcypher my post was completely ignored, is there a problem with it? https://steemit.com/openmic/@rjcha/steemit-open-mic-week-68-release-me-eddie-miller
Good to see this post and some new rules.
My main guitar picking finger has been injured for a couple of weeks, but I'm hoping to perform and video a song for you this week. I've been looking fwd to it for a while, I ran open mics in Nottingham for well over 15yrs up until around 2014. You seem like you're really catching the spirit of it too.
I'm glad you guys are sorting out the scammers and kareoke, as I've been watching some stuff lately that does, as you say, put you off it and makes a mockery of it too. You're bang on, what you have going on here is too good to let it slide down that slope.
Of course there are exceptions, such as the one you show above, and good beatboxers etc, but don't listen to the moaners, it's definitely a move you needed to make. There are other avenues for kareoke etc, and you want to attract musicians and musicianship, and that's the one thing that would certainly ruin it eventually, if not tidied up.
I'll be supporting regularly, hopefully from this week assuming my finger will bend enough, it was swollen straight for a while.
Online Open Mic........................ who'd ever have thought it eh?
Big up!!!
SCAM ALERT!
Since making this post the scammers have changed tactics. They stopped doing karaoke posts and started stealing actual entries from people entering this week.
People are downloading YouTube videos from other people who have performed for Open Mic and claim it as their own on a new Steemit account with a new YouTube channel.
Like this guy.
https://steemit.com/openmic/@michaeljhon/steemit-open-mic-week-67-be-yourself-the-weli-cover-by-me-michaeljhon
Here is another example where this guy:
https://steemit.com/openmic/@arispaloh/steemit-open-mic-week-67-3770788fa9923
Stole this guys valid performance from this week:
https://steemit.com/openmic/@thesimpson/steemit-openmic-week-67-romany-eyes-original
and entered it as his own content.
They have been called out and their blog muted so it won't show up in my feed.
Then they start another account and try again. Please be on the lookout from people stealing your Open Mic entries and posting your performance as their own and report it to us if you find them. Thank you.
Aw jeez, what f*cking shysters. I guess that means you've got to check everybody out that's new and with low RP of around 25 by either looking at it and calling a judgement or by seeing if the name of the user is repeated similarly on steemit.
Would it be worth bringing in the same as they have for the introduceyourself post, the musician holds the paper up clearly spelling the user's username as he speaks out the "open mic week #68" bit? On the basis that the scammers can't duplicate an actual account name here.
Just a thought.
Just had another thought though, that you've probably already had this thought run through your mind............
Yes, I have to check new accounts extra carefully. I can't believe people go through so much trouble for a few bucks and feel bad for the people creating valid content getting their videos ripped off.
That's a good idea, but it's a drag already having to even say that, but if it continues we may have to do exactly that.
"but it's a drag already having to even say that, but if it continues we may have to do exactly that" It doesn't seem to be putting people off entering mate, lol, a piece of paper with a username on it isn't that much more to add to it really, do you think? It's another trip wire forthe scammers, and I think all genuine users will surely understand the need when they realise that their stuff might get stolen next week etc............. ;)
Wha?!?! That's crazy that people actually would do that! Respect and manners totally out the window for these kinds of scammers. I'm still trying to get my head around the audacity of it!
I completely support this @luzcypher , don't let people make you feel bad, its plain to see what your intentions are, its about the scammers - which is good. If people want to nit pick over language, so be it, I think you have been quite clear :)
Thanks, man. I just want to keep Open Mic fun for everyone and keep it about the music. Speaking of music, I'm sure enjoying yours lately.
Lol! A lot of feathers ruffled in this thread. 😉
Allow me to climb up here really quickly...
I TOTALLY agree and honestly, stopped entering (though I play an instrument... even if it IS only a ukulele 😏) . I don't really think I'm quite good enough (though a LOT better than some I've seen 😆) to enter and NOT be wasting your time. I wanted to start a contest of sorts where folks could put videos of what they are working on, but not yet perfect. But I've learned, most think their sh*t IS perfect. 😎
It's sad how much panties get twisted when people think you are talking about them. Ya didn't even call anyone out, yet the virtue signaling cometh!
I'm sorry you are having to deal with this. You made it VERY clear what you are after and most will see that. Obviously, you aren't dogging singers. For those that thought/think that, it's simply to do with how THEY feel about singing.
You are super nice to explain to them over and over that singers are people too. LOL!
I flippin' love singing... and playing whatever instrument I can find and in no way did I feel like you were using the wrong words (isn't that more of a Facebook thing?) or attacking singers.
I saw over 300 entries in OpenMic recently. That's NUTS. Especially if it's a lot of karaoke.
Side note: If anyone is still reading...
The Killer Whale Karaoke Contest has HUGE prizes and LITERALLY 3 or 4 people enter a week. It's easy money if you have followers to upvote ya. Just remember... it's KARAOKE... singing on backed tracks.
And lastly, those that are all up in arms about this... you can always just post whatever the heck ya want. For reals, ain't nobody stoppin' ya. Just be respectful to those TAKING TIME and FUNDS to hold these contests.
Follow the rules or find another sandbox to play in.😎
Rock on, OpenMic Land. Rock on.
Thank you, my dear, for saying exactly what you said. I agree 100% with everything you said in this comment except one thing.
You are good enough to play in Open Mic and you're never a waste of my time! Absolutely and we have missed you.
And remember everyone...
... singers are people too
Awe, shucks!😍
Thank you! I might inch my way back in here soon. At the very least you'll be seeing more duets with me and @chrisroberts 😎 .
Awesome! Look forward to that.
You do that lass! 👍
As a supporter of Aus's trail and a hip hop head I'm glad there's exceptions ... Just like any instrument, good rapping takes 5 years to learn and 10 years to master ... most, like me, do it for 10 years and are still only mediocre, if not outright bad. Would hate to see a true artist with exceptional talent like @jamesgetsit disqualified.
Wow thank you so much for the opportunity to showcase one's talent @luzcypher. Although the new rules might be stiff for some... It's actually a good development to help curb the excesses of such scammers....
Looking forward to a great time in the open mic contest....
I have to admit that I bristled quite a bit because my voice is my instrument. Classically trained and a former soloist, I am a musician through and through. That being said, I completely understand your need to weed out the scammers and fakes. It's sad how people will take advantage of a good thing.
There are exceptions. I guess I should have highlighted that more in my post.
All the scammers, which is what this post is about, are entering acapella or karaoke entries. They are barely doing anything and it is obvious they are trying to just get rewards. If you are not a scammer you have nothing to worry about.
That's why there are exceptions to this rule
How have you been by the way? Long time since we talked.
I agree 100% with all you said, this community thrives as talented people have their shot, when people try to scam the system, it makes us all look bad, it's a shame some people can't appreciate this community for what it is, an unbelievable place to share real music and talent, all my support goes out to you and all of the judges!
The sad part is the scamming part which means that there is an intention to deceive. It's sad because it defeats the purpose. I am planning to join as well, but I guess I really have to practice some piano skills first. I can use the new rule as a motivation to further help me become a better musician.
I think this new rule is fair, and hopefully be able to weed out those who make it look bad.
By the way, are there people in the group who would be willing to put tunes, in some songs written?
That's a great attitude, use these new boundaries to push yourself to be better, that where creativity and innovation reside, My participating in the songwriters challenge has helped me believe that I can actually be a singer/songwriter by sheer proof of the results :)
You gots this! practice hard, you'll be so much better for it!
I second that attitude! Exactly use this as an opportunity to better yourself as a creator! If you don't play an instrument besides your own voice find an accompanist.
Trust me it will be much more fulfilling when you play with another musician or start accompanying yourself!
This rule will stop scammers, not vocalists
That's why there are exceptions.
Here is another example of an exception.
Steemit Open Mic Week 67 De Una Capital A Otra Cancion Original --- by @ovweedb
Is this a karaoke entry? Technically, yes.
Is it a valid entry? Yes. There is no scamming going on here. These people are really singing this. A scammer would be lip syncing to it.
I hope that makes why this rule is here more clear. If you only knew the sheer numbers of people trying to scam this contest right now you would see why we had to do this.
But the example above would get upvoted for sure even though it is technically a karaoke entry, it is clearly not scam or someone trying to cheat the contest which is what this whole post is about.
Thank you!!!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙏🙏🙏🙏
I hear ya. I can only imagine how many bullshit entries you've been dealing with. I'd lose my mind ;) Good thing no one really tries to scam the Steemit Sandwich Contest.. yet lol
Anyway, i'm not the host & I'm pretty sure that you know what you're doing!
Much respect and gratitude for you & what you've brought to the music community on Steemit (possibly igniting it cough cough).
I saw no bouncy ball on the screen, it must be ok!
Seriously I wouldn't class this as karaoke at all, after all it's the standard way to record a lot of good hip-hop, singing over dj's or mixes.......... I liked these
It sounds musical to me.
That Alicia Keys Cover really deserves an upvote and even winning! She kills it! 👏
I know, right? I get goosebumps every time I hear her sing. Listen to this.
I'm blushing hahahaha Thank you Luzcy. I really did not want to make so much fuss, I'm sorry. If I do not win XD I promise to play an instrument or look for someone to play for the next entry. I promise
No need to do that.You are one of the exceptions I'm talking about. Just do your thing girl.
Goosebumps!!! Omg how much more if she's playing music. Oh no. She doesn't really need.
Is it allowed to submit an entry with an backed up instrumental? as in singing/rapping own material over an instrumental? @luzcypher
Singing to music you created is completely supported. As are musicians making loops on the spot and then singing to them.
I feel really bad that it has come to this but most of the scammers are doing karaoke and acapella entries that have no musical quality just to get a reward. That has to stop. If what someone is singing is musical and they are adding to the community, then, by all means, go for it. That's why there are exceptions to this rule.
For example :
Steemit Open Mic Week 67 Passenger Let Her Go Cover By Ray Ray --- by @ray.luv.music
That's musical.
I'm not going to show the scammers because I don't want to encourage them.
Here is an entry that is a karaoke entry that I'm sure was done to sound bad on purpose but has some measure of entertainment value. It was done by the rules and to this day holds the record for rewards earned from an Open Mic entry. He was in no way trying to scam the contest. That would be a valid entry regardless of how off it sounds.
Open Mic 65 My Christmas Gift To Steemit A Christmas Song Carol Sing Song Vlog --- by @sirlunchthehost
Ya both of these are great examples. Sirlunch's was hilarious bad.
Lmao!! Cant belive you used him as an example. Its obviously meant to be bad karaoke!! Lol.
Just asking you to make this clear
VOCALISTS ARE MUSICIANS
Just because some asshats are fucking up doesnt mean vocalists arent musicians.
Also -- some ppl post recorded harmonies without a loop machine and or play covers that arent uniquely arranged at all. just please stop saying that vocalists and musicians are different groups of ppl. Gaurunteed some really great pianist and guitarists couldnt read/write/sing like many vocalist especially in the acapella world. Ive bern trying to bring acspella ppl to no avail. :( i advertose oprn mic and songrwiting contest on my facebook. Was gonna ask yiu guys about starting a contest specifically for arranging/reharming for voice and /or voice plus inst.
This post is about stopping the scammers on Open Mic, not about whether vocalists are musicians or not. I don't know why you keep going back to that in your comments.
We are in agreement. This rule is going to stop scammers, not stop vocalists.
I used that video as an example of what would be acceptable to illustrate that singing quality has nothing to do with whether an entry is valid or not. Obviously he is singing bad on purpose, that's why I chose this video to show an example of an exception and to make it clear that someone's singing ability has nothing to do with this.
It's about stopping scammers. Almost all of the scam entries are scamming the contest by entering acapella or karaoke entries.
This rule will stop scammers, not vocalist
That's why there are exceptions.
Here is another example of an exception.
Steemit Open Mic Week 67 De Una Capital A Otra Cancion Original --- by @ovweedb
Is this a karaoke entry? Technically, yes.
Is it a valid entry? Yes. There is no scamming going on here. These people are really singing this. A scammer would be lip syncing to it.
I hope that makes why this rule is here more clear. If you only knew the sheer numbers of people trying to scam this contest right now you would see why we had to do this.
But the example above would get upvoted for sure even though it is technically a karaoke entry, it is clearly not scam or someone trying to cheat the contest which is what this whole post is about.
Lol... OMG! This was dull And uncommon... But twas original and fun. Love it.
Got you! Yo its all good I understand your decision. You also are just trying to make it easy for everyone as possible. Participants and judges. 👌🏾
Exactly, it's been really bad with the scammers and taking up a lot of time, but the community is growing like crazy so that is awesome.
Can we change up the lingo a bit? Its really, really grinding my gears. I know you "aren't a politician" but please, for the love of musicians everywhere: the voice is an instrument. Body percussion-- is an instrument. If it sucks--- thats how you gauge it. Honestly i sing better without guitar but have just barely gotten my neighbor to sign ip for steemit. But beyond that.
VOCALISTS ARE MUSICIANS TOO
If you suck, you are a novice.
But guess what? I can write and reas music sure i can play some other insteuments but voice is my preffered instrumrnt and acapella is one of my favorite genres. Please dont lump acapella with karaoke. Its not remotely the same. If this were a live venue a backing track wouldn't be totally welcomed but singing acapella??? What?!?!
VOCALISTS ARE MUSICIANS TOO
Thanks for all your work to support our community. Im sorry i havent been active as i dont like my mic and video quality. Also waiting on my bass player friend to work with me. Winter is kicking my butt and i have many interests. Music is my first love tho. Time management.
Like I said, there are exceptions. I could include an example of the kinds of posts we are trying to discourage and you would hear absolutely no instrumental quality to it. An entry would get an upvote even if the singer was off key but I'm talking about people mumbling into a mic like they are whispering in someone's ear you can barely hear, or doing a 20-second performance that is less exciting than an elevator ride with a sloth.
It has been horrible and a waste of time and has nothing to do with music and almost all of them are entering acapella and karaoke "performances".
I totally agree vocalists are musicians. I made my living as one for 10-years and I promise you if you were sitting right beside me as I pour through these entries you would hear that something has to be done to keep Open Mic from turning into something other than a musical community.
Novices are welcome here but someone trying to scam this contest is not. I know the difference. That's why there are exceptions to this rule.
I didn't think I'd have to post this again so soon lol...
IF I WAS A JUDGE
This song is running through my mind a lot today. LOL
haha, I wonder why ;)
OMG this is fabulous! lol! SO GOOD!
I'm super new to Steemit and a musician. Is there a post you can point me to with the original rules for open mic? I'd love to participate. Thank you! :)
Sorry, here's the right link:
https://steemit.com/openmic/@luzcypher/what-are-the-rules-to-enter-steemit-open-mic-and-why-do-we-have-rules-anyways
Thank you for seeing my question and replying. :)
funny :D
Hilariously funny, and I imagine very accurate!
You have a point. Seen some of these entries myself. They're horrible. Fully in support of the new rule. Weed 'em out
Have you considered a minimum time limit? I think 2 minutes would be fair.
That is not so much of a problem but short songs are nice. More of a problem timewise is people singing a 20-second song with no enthusiasm and calling it an entry. Not even trying really.
I hear that.
thank U for clarifying the boundaries, the "openmic" is special, special people, special performances. thank you and @pfunk & the judges. I hope ya'll have time to take a breath every once in a while.
Right on
Solid stance Luz.
I really agree with your position, that singing to a none original backing tack (karaoke style) seems out of context for the current open mic.
For me, the "video exception example" still seemed like a really good singer singing Karaoke though.
Any singer who can display obvious talent...I find it hard to believe that they do not know a musician friend who plays guitar (dime a dozen, even I play guitar lol) or can't find someone to accompany them.
If they can't that's fishy already.... Even if it's a none Steemit Musician then boom! Maybe that person would even join after participating once or twice.
Considering this is a community event, encouraging these talented singers (who are musicians too, just like drummers heh hehe) to play with other musicians or accompany themselves shouldn't be too much to ask of them...In fact, it can only benefit them in the end.
I'm pretty sure that most of us know that singing to a backing track and singing live, with other musicians/instrumentation are 2 very different things.
If anything, allowing an acapella performance that is of a high caliber would be far more impressive to me and more in the context of things than singing a along to the actual track of a cover song.... For example there was that acapella 4 part harmony entry from a few weeks back that seemed like it had a lot of musicianship.
I love karaoke btw lol... Just agree that Open Mic is not the stage for it.
Just my 2 cents ppl.
JB
There are exceptions
Oh I know, I read the post. Just piping in is all. I hope most of the participant who have been doing solo vocals or to tracks take this opportunity to either accompany themselves or, hook up with other musicians! That would be awesome for them!
@luzcypher I had no idea this was going on. That sucks. And, yes, people know good and well they should be able to play an instrument. It is a shame you actually have to spell that out. I am glad you are doing what you are doing. Real Musicians Playing Real Instruments Will Never Go Out Of Style - Well Said.
This has been going on since the beginning, it's just getting really bad as the contest grows. It's not fair to the judges, the musicians entering, or the Steemit community. Not to worry though. We got this. Thanks for all your musical contributions and community interaction. Love it.
Damn! (( Cries eyes out and eats a liver))
Now Snekky can never enter again.... She has no handsssss well one up her... Not going there BUT.... Darn, ..... She can't play instruments at all. Only accapella singing!
However, I totally understand this and stand 100% behind it! Open mic has great value and it needs to stay that way!
I'm pretty sure you would be an exception.
Nah, I'm sure you'd be pretty good. Keep doing your thing.
Beautifully stated @luzcypher! We are all behind you, my friend - every step of the way!
I am also like that buddy ,
Great speech amigo! You are a very patient and decent person (also are your team), you have the right to do what it takes to keep the contest with the intention with which it was created. Good Job, Muchos éxitos amigo!
It's sad that people have been trying to scam/cheat. Maybe you should replace their entries with this image:) - Thanks for all you do!!!
That made me laugh thanks for the humor haha
Thanks - My humor may be better than my musical abilities, but I'm still trying:)
Trying is half the battle, I used to be terrible many years ago, now I'm not that bad haha
I feel like Simon on a bad day right now.
TBH, I have the utmost respect for Simon C and similarly for you Luzcypher. Just stick in and do what you instinctively know is right. 😉
I think this is absolutely fair. Music is a very subjective subject to be on, so it's hard to draw the line of you can or can't do this or that.
But I think for those of you asking overly specific questions - the bottom line is integrity. We are entertainers - if you can't 'wow' someone with the video you're submitting, focus, work on your craft, build something worthy of attention, and then submit.
Keep in mind, your music is your brand. Slander it once and the community remembers.
The one place where I slightly disagree is writing vocalists off as non-musicians. But as much as I don't agree with the idea, it doesn't really change the technicality between an open mic and karaoke. If this were a karaoke contest then it would be different, but it's not. If you are a singer and want to continue to profit off of Open Mic and can't play an instrument, cut in an instrumentalist and make quality live performances with the two of you. I mean damn, isn't that how music works in the first place? lol
Although I love and have utmost respect for the idea, I don't participate. Why? Because my voice is meh and my guitar playing is meh, and I would rather have a phenomenal reputation as a music producer than a meh reputation as a master of none.
I think the bottom line here is, if you can honestly say you're creating content with integrity and thought, then you're likely okay. But I can imagine how difficult it must be to sift through hundreds and hundreds of low quality videos that were made just to grab some upvotes off the tag.
I didn't say that.
It's just that almost all the people trying to scam this contest are entering either a karaoke or acapella entry. If there is musical value there, and it doesn't have to be a stellar performance as much as we all like that, and they are not just singing for 20-seconds to scam some rewards, then they will be included, but if not they will be ignored.
That's why there will be exceptions. Trust me guys, Open Mic is going to get better because of this.
I'm not trying to exclude singers at all and value their contributions. I'm just pulling some weeds that are growing in this contest.
You're right, you didn't - didn't mean to put words in your mouth. Apologies for that. Over the first read it had certain implications maybe that I misinterpreted but I should've reread.
But regardless, I do agree with you anyways.
Yea, some people started thinking we were banning singers. But no, just scammers. LOL
Hmmm.. i don't play any instruments but i can sing well and i would love to participate. But as it stands, some people have gone ahead to spoil the game thereby affecting other innocent participants. 😥 i wish the winner good luck!
The number of people trying to scam this contest has shot up dramatically over the last couple of weeks. Unfortunately, most of them are entering acapella and karaoke type entries. There are only so many hours in a day and I spend almost every waking hour listening to Open Mic entries and can only continue if I stop responding to those who scam so I can focus on the musical entries.
That said you can always give it a shot because there are exceptions and as @limabeing pointed out so well in her comments to this post, vocalists are musicians too.
Hehehe /me snickers
Well said! We definitely need to filter out the people who are just entering the open mic for monetary rewards, without having any musical knowledge.
Excellent. All right, and if I miss a rule, it tells me too. Viva Open mic and Steemit.
Viva la musica!
"If you can't carry a tune in a bucket but are still playing your heart out on an instrument, we still want you to be part of the community, we just need to weed out the scammers and the people who are not really playing music at all."
LOL! Thank you for that. I have been screwing up my nerve to enter and was thinking "Oooo, maybe I'd better not" when I read that line. Bartender! Another shot of courage! ;)
Lol love, i have so many attempts. Courage will not be enough for me hahaha. I could be ban in openmic.
I didn't even know about open mic. I'll have to check it out. Sounds like something really amazing, except for the scammers. Man, it seems this must take up a LOT of your time! Thanks!
Come join in the fun. It takes up all of my time.
LOL!
It takes up all of my time.
Muchas gracias por pensar tan bien de nosotros los Venezolanos, realmente vivimos una situación económica fuerte, aun así, nos esforzamos por dar lo mejor de nosotros para esta hermosa plataforma, gracias a sus iniciativas podemos mostrar nuestro talento y aun mas recibir una recompensa por ello, en nombre de los Venezolanos y mio mismo les enviamos infinitas Bendiciones y Gracias por considerar a esta humilde servidora y a mi familia, @elisonr13 @dali13 @enderson49 y @mamidalia
I can't believe people do this its so unethical and unfair to the real ones😪
How are you dear @cecirod1218 I wish your support me Steemit thank you
It's a shame that something like this happens, but it's a part of the cake I guess, Open Mic is growing and we,musicians, are all very happy with it.
Thanks to you and the team for the oportunity !
Me parece excelente esta regla que esta planteando @Luzcypher, además de hacerle más énfasis a aquellas persona que de verdad tienen talento para ejecutar su instrumento.
@jmcp follow me I will support you
Scammers are every, it is but surprising that people can go this far in other to cheat.
I agree with this 100%
Hi my dear friend @luzcypher such great post your support me Steemit I will try to work thank you
https://steemit.com/openmic/@muhammadirfan17/steemit-openmic-week-67-cover-yovie-and-nuno-sempurna-ae9971b1141e4
You are right @luzcypher ... we must beat all scammers, so that the quality of entries in Open Mic does not degenerate ... I will always support you
and I request permission to translate this post to Indonesian
Hi, May I know what is the minimum duration of the song we should post ? And is instrumental covers allowed? For etc fingerstyle Guitar ? Have a nice day 😊 @luzcypher
Yes, instrumentals were always allowed and still are. I would say a 2-minute song with some structure that has a few verses and a chorus would be the minimum duration.
There have been dozens of entries where someone plucks one guitar string for less than a minute with no kind of song there at all and enters it as a post. That will not do.
I'Ve entered 10 instrumental covers since Wk40! Go for it 👍
thank you for the suggestion, i can not sing and can not play musical instrument, therefore i ask for help to my boyfriend to play the guitar, i hope you remember me @sucindi, because this is the first time i sing open mic in steemit
There are exceptions
I totally agree!
Wow excellent decision, I was surprised of everything that has happened! .. @luzcypher friend I have a question I would like to clarify and it is this: I have family and friends in steemit who do not play any instrument, but if they know how to sing, the question is : can I be the accompanying musician of the song of several of them apart from my own presentation in the openmic? .. in advance I appreciate your response!
Wow excelente decisión, me quede sorprendido de todo lo que ha sucedido!.. amigo @luzcypher tengo una duda que quisiera aclarar y es la siguiente: tengo familiares y amigos en steemit que no tocan ningún instrumento, pero si saben cantar, la pregunta es: puedo ser el músico acompañante de la canción de varios de ellos a parte de mi propia presentación en el openmic? .. de antemano agradezco su respuesta!
If they are entertaining they can sing even without the guitar. Like I said, there are exceptions.
https://steemit.com/openmic/@ramasai/openmic-cancion-sombra-en-los-medanos
https://steemit.com/openmic/@ramasai/openmic-cancion-sombra-en-los-medanos
...this is excellent news!!!...
I strongly agree with using the instrument or if it can not tell with friends, how can we judge if the song we first heard if you do not know the tone of the instrument, iru very heavy I think
I was told about this contest by a friend and can’t wait to record something to enter. I need to finish reading all the rules, but I hope to enter soon. Thanks so much for making this opportunity available to Steemit musicians:)
Look forward to hearing you.
I hope like this, and openmic steemit back pure like a few months ago without spam, it is disgusting to see many people using multiple accounts with the same person.
It is a drag There are people claiming songs as their own and even copying videos fro other entries from weeks ago and saying it is them
true sir, and very much they from indonesia do that very embarrassing
Better openmic
This is great sir, really great! 'coz there are some multiple users get in with this open mic community, I think just for the pay-out.. I was a karaoke performer here but this time I will do my best to share my music and not to scam this awesome community.
Love & Peace
Dude, your music is amazing.
It's good that Venezuela has not given anything to talk about ... Unfortunately, the outside countries speak very badly about us, it's good to know that here at openmic we behave: D love ya Luzcy
There's some good music coming from Venezuelan entries. Loving it and no problems except for internet connection sometimes.
Aloha
@luzcypher i Love your Contests even when I am no singer or musician... only artist..;-)
But I will resteem that other talents find you more easy!
Have Upvote break to regenerate
That why I use
@originalworks
Maybe they help me to vote...;-)
The @OriginalWorks bot has determined this post by @luzcypher to be original material and upvoted it!
To call @OriginalWorks, simply reply to any post with @originalworks or !originalworks in your message!
Hello my brother!
may you give me permission to translate this post?
I'm very agree with you!
Yes, please do. Just send me a link and keep all the links in the post the same. Thanks
sorry sir! this is new i see your reply comment ...
because I have promised, then I will do also this task ..