Why is "create your own hot beatz" a selling point to non-musicians? And why is it such a popular conception that music is easy?
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that there is no such thing as a non-musician; there are simply lots of people for whom creating music (versus consuming music) is unfamiliar ground. Given some motivation and some practice, most people can become musicians just by virtue of doing it reasonably well on a regular basis.
Of course, non-pro musicians very much exist as a category, and the trouble with SongFight (or similar venues) is that people are being asked to be more than songwriters and/or musicians; they're also supposed to be arrangers, producers, and recording technicians. Those skillsets have a high barrier to entry (although lower than it used to be, thanks to Garageband et al) and require a lot of practice to get right.
I personally would rather hear a great song sung and performed badly than a terrible song with perfect production values, but of course the high praise goes to people who nail both aspects. From that perspective, SongFight and similar are fantastic, because it gives you a reason to practice, and to try harder. "Winning" isn't really the point; practicing and getting feedback is, and "winning" is just the online equivalent to getting the most applause from the audience at an open mic -- motivational without question, which is a good thing, but shouldn't be the end-all be-all either.
After all, every person on this board who submits great songs, well performed started off creating crap songs poorly performed -- they just improved on their own in a vacuum before sharing it with other people, or shared their crap at open mics (and places like this) to get feedback and improve.
In short: music IS easy; writing and recording songs like a pro is not. Garageband and the like simply give people the tools to make practicing *production* and *recording techniques* easier and more affordable, encouraging them to practice.
yeah i dont think im gunna enter. I made a song, but i dont want to enter when i know i dont stand a shot at winning. I'll just embarrass myself. I'm gunna wait till i get better.
Why? Your posts consistently use the word "gunna" instead of the colloquial "gonna" or (better yet) "going to" -- but you aren't holding off on posting until your grammer and spelling are perfect, are you?
On the other hand, if you don't want to enter because you don't think you can win, then you might want to take a moment to consider why you're writing music in the first place. There's nothing wrong with wanting to get recognition -- nothing at all -- but not trying because you won't be the best is just going to delay your development.
I say, submit! Then take your lumps in the feedback in the spirit with which people intend it (mostly) -- to help you improve. Pick one thing everyone says you're doing wrong, and fix it for next week. Repeat ad infinitum.
Good luck.
