Only one entry per category is permitted per participant. In principle, there is no age limit, but our aim is to promote young, little-known musicians with potential. Participants must be Swiss artists or residents of Switzerland. It is advantageous to think about the exact musical style of the song and to register it in the correct category:
POP
Pop, Singer/Songwriter, Neo-Folk, Synthpop, Lo-Fi, etc.
ROCK
Rock, Indie, Punk, Metal, Garage, Alternative, etc.
ELECTRONIC
Techno, House, Electro, Dubstep, Ambient, etc.
LYRICS & BEATS
Hip Hop, Trap, R'n'B, Soul, Funk, Reggae etc.
Neu OUT OF GENRE
New Jazz, Avantgarde and experimental music
A competent preliminary jury makes a selection. This is because many more demos arrive than can be dealt with in the live sessions. The demos of the invited participants must meet a certain quality standard in order to guarantee an exciting live session and interesting discussions.
The high number of demos we receive ensures that there are opportunities for comparison. The members of the preliminary jury have extensive genre knowledge in order to be able to judge quality and innovation.
A certain ambition should be evident from the application. Do the participants have specific questions for the jury, needs and concerns? What do the participants want to achieve with their music? Do they have concrete plans?
The performance and biography on the profiles on mx3.ch or other platforms can be decisive for the final decision.
- ONLY ORIGINAL COMPOSITIONS
Only original compositions/productions are permitted as competition entries, thus neither cover versions nor mash-ups, DJ mixes or similar. Entries may not contain unauthorised samples. Participants are fully liable for any claims by third parties.
- ACTUALITY
The song must not be older than two years. If a song has already been published, this is not a criterion for exclusion. However, songs that have already been submitted once for the Demotape Clinic cannot be submitted again.
- FILE FORM
Since we may play the songs at the Demotape Clinic live sessions, we would be grateful for an encoding of the mp3 files of 44.1 kHz, 16 bit - 192 kbit/s. mx3 is optimised for this encoding.
- SOUND QUALITY OF THE DEMO
The quality of the recording is not as important as is often assumed. It definitely does not need a perfectly produced demo from a professional studio. However, a minimum of recording quality is required.
The preliminary jury (professionals from the music business) will listen to all demos and make a selection for participation in the live session. Feedback will be given by the end of February at the latest. There is no entitlement to the presentation at the live sessions. The decisions of the respective jury are final; no correspondence will be entered into.
During the competition phase, the tracks will be presented to our audience on our communication channels. The names of the invited musicians will be published on our website in early March. At the live session, the songs of the 15 nominees per category will be publicly discussed by the jury.
- JUDGING AT THE LIVE SESSION
The musicians sit in the hall, the moderators and the jury on stage. The moderators will ask a selected participant to come on stage. If no representative of the participant is present in the hall at this time, the chance is lost and the next demo will be called. The invited bands and artists must be able to be present either in person or by proxy at the live sessions (24 & 25 March 2023) and must submit their questions to the jury in advance.
The submitted demo will be played over loudspeakers and then commented on by the jurors in conversation with the musicians. Individual questions and needs of the musicians will also be addressed: Can this music work live like this? Does it make sense to look for a producer or a label? What should definitely be improved technically? The jury will have a maximum of eight minutes per demo. After the live sessions, three participants in each category will be nominated for the awards.
- PRIZES AND AWARD CEREMONY
In the five categories Pop, Rock, Lyrics & Beats, Electronic & Out Of Genre, the jury will present one FONDATION SUISA Award each. The most promising newcomer among the five winners will also receive CHF 5,000 in prize money from FONDATION SUISA. The winners of the awards will be announced during the m4music Festival.
Our radio partners will include a selection of the best songs in their programmes.
- LANGUAGES
The official festival languages of the Demotape Clinic are German and French. A professional simultaneous translation on site will prevent any language problems.
- ACCESS TO THE SONG AND PUBLICATION
The participants of the Demotape Clinic authorise the organiser to make the mp3 demo tracks available to the public free of charge at the live sessions and on the communication channels of m4music. The submitted song must be uploaded to the mx3 account for the entire duration of the Demotape Clinic competition (until after the live session).
- MX3 ACCOUNT
Participants of the Demotape Clinic must have an mx3 account. This makes registration easier for the majority of Swiss bands and artists, as they already have an mx3 account, and standardises the judging process. Compared to other platforms, registering with mx3.ch has the advantage that your music can be included in the programme by our radio partners and other indie radio stations very quickly if necessary, even for participants who are not among the winners of the Demotape Clinic. The music editors of the participating stations regularly search mx3.ch for new Swiss music and check new entries for their suitability for radio.
The profile on mx3 must contain at least a photo, a biography and the competition song. The appearance on the account can also be decisive in the case of a run-off decision. It is worth paying attention to the content and completeness of the profile.
- CONTACT
Support for upload problems / contact for questions: dtc@m4music.ch