Contests on Audius are a fantastic way to engage your audience, promote a focus track, and discover new talent. This article focuses on the strategy side: why to run a contest, what makes one successful, and how to promote it.
For step-by-step setup instructions, see Contests on Audius.
Why Host a Contest?
Hear your work re-interpreted: Beyond your own circle, the Audius community is full of talented artists who can show you what your track sounds like across different styles, sounds, and genres.
Open up new creative connections: Find collaborators and creative relationships from artists who got your attention in a context that's already highly self-selected.
Deepen existing relationships: Invite friends to come blow you away with their take on your track and build a shared body of work (and memories) together.
Reach a much larger audience: The audience for a contest is the combined reach of every participant. Twenty submissions from artists with an average of 500 followers each is roughly 10,000 potential new ears.
These are just a few ways contests can give your release a longer shelf life.
The Basics of a Successful Contest
- Clear rules and guidelines: Spell out how submissions will be judged, what the prize is, and when the deadline lands. The deadline and a live countdown appear on your contest page so participants always know how much time is left.
- Provide stems: Upload up to 200 lossless stems of your track so participants have what they need to remix it. Be sure to include all the individual elements (vocals, bass, synths, drums, etc.) and tag them clearly.
- Active promotion: Promote your contest on Audius and across your other social channels.
- Appealing prizes: Cash, gear, plugins, merch, autographs, meet & greets, and tickets all work well as incentives.
- Community engagement: Like and repost early submissions, drop into Discord for listening parties or feedback sessions, and keep the energy up throughout the contest window.
Promoting Your Contest
- Use social assets: Teasers, announcement videos, beat breakdowns, and remix reactions are all good promo formats.
- Direct communication: Stay in touch with fans and participants through every channel you've got. They want to know the contest is being actively run.
- Lean on Audius: Audius regularly highlights contests on the platform, which boosts visibility and participation.
Example: Sable Valley's Approach
Sable Valley successfully ran a contest on Audius by leaning into a few proven strategies:
- Multi-platform promotion: They promoted the contest not only on Audius but also across other social platforms, reaching a wider audience.
- Exclusive prizes: Gear, official releases, and collaborations attracted high-quality submissions from talented producers.
- Community involvement: Reposts, comments, and feedback sessions kept the contest dynamic and interactive.
- Post-contest promotion: Highlighting winners and notable entries across their channels gave participants extra exposure long after the deadline.
See also: Contests on Audius for the step-by-step on creating a contest, picking winners, and entering as a participant.