Speaking to Billboard the show Producers for the American Song Contest have explained the key differences in the rules and format of the contest to Eurovision.
Christer Björkman and Anders Lenhoff have spoken to Billboard about what people can expect from the first edition of the American Song Contest which commences tomorrow at 20:00 ET. The two show producers explained the key elements that have been kept from the Eurovision Song Contest and the changes that have been made.
What’s Been Kept?
Postcards will be used to introduce the artist and the state or territory that they are representing. Postcards have been used at the Eurovision Song Contest since 1970 to showcase the host country or artist competing next.
Douze points, Christer confirms that the song that receives the highest number of points will be allocated 12 points.
The split of the jury and televote, the winner will be determined by 50% public vote and 50% jury voting in the Grand Final.
You cannot vote for your own state. As at the Eurovision Song Contest you are unable to vote for your own country. Jury members will be unable to vote for their own state and the public has to enter their ZIP code when voting to stop them from voting for their own representative.
The minimum age of competing singers is the same for both contests. Singers must be at least 16 years old at the time that they take to the contest stage.
What’s Been Changed?
The allocation of twelve points remains but Christer said that “we had to find a way of keeping the 12-point moment but not repeating it 56 times”. It is not known how this has been reworked, at Eurovision, each nations jury announces its 12 points.
Jury size, each state is represented by one juror who is a music industry representative. According to Christer they will be anyone from a composer to a radio programmer. At the Eurovision Song Contest each nation has a jury formed of five persons.
The length of competing songs is shorter at the American Song Contest. The maximum song length for the American Song Contest is 2 minutes and 45 seconds, which is 15 seconds shorter than the Eurovision Song Contest.
You can have more than six people on stage, the competing act cannot have more than six members, but you can have dancers, musicians or choirs on stage as well.
What is the American Song Contest?
Entries from all 50 states, 5 U.S. territories, and the nation’s capital Washington, D.C., will compete for the title of Best Original Song. The show will be made up of three qualifying rounds which will then be followed by semi-finals and end with a grand final where the winner will be crowned.
Song submissions for The American Song Contest opened back in late May and were open to acts of all genres from all over the USA, whether they be solo artists, duos or bands. The full list of participating artists can be found here.
The show will be broadcast on NBC from March 21 with the winner being crowned on May 9.
Source: Billboard
