Musicians Invited to Enter East Lansing’s First Songwriting Competition
If artistic inspiration strikes every time you drive down Grand River Avenue or see crowds dressed in green and white, a recently launched songwriting competition gives the perfect opportunity to put that inspiration to use.
A judging panel will select eight finalists to perform at a live event that be held in September. The audience at the live event will pick a winner who will have their song professionally recorded and produced by Ryan Records, a local recording studio.
Allie Siarto, chair of the East Lansing Arts Commission, told East Lansing Info that a recent change to the ordinance governing the city’s art fund made the competition possible. Previously, the fund could only be spent on permanent art installations. Siarto hopes the songwriting competition is a new way to build community and cultural infrastructure through the arts.
“It’s kind of our first experience in that, and I’m hoping it’s just another touch point for the community to come together,” Siarto said.
The Arts Commission hopes the event produces a song that reflects the community and can be played at local events. Artists can draw inspiration from the city’s history, culture or people. Siarto shared that there is no geographic limit for artists, anyone can enter as long as they have a tie to the city.
Additionally, Siarto hopes the prospect of working with Ryan Records to professionally record and produce the song motivates artists to participate, since having a song professionally produced typically costs thousands of dollars.
Songs like Detroit Rock City by Kiss, Philadelphia Freedom by Elton John and New York, New York by Frank Sinatra inspired the competition, according to a January Arts Commission meeting agenda.
Longtime musician Thomas Ryan, owner of Ryan Records, was born in East Lansing and decided to open his studio in 2024 when he noticed there wasn’t a huge music scene in the city.
Devin Pierpoint, an associate at Ryan Records, noted the city is not looking for a specific genre, so artists can and should get creative.
“Honestly, the more variety of genres the better … I’m expecting there’s going to be a lot of singers with an acoustic guitar, there will be room for that definitely,” Pierpoint said. “But I think the more unique you get [with] it … I think you have a higher chance [of winning], but that’s just me saying that.”
Pierpoint also said referencing East Lansing in the song or drawing on experiences specific to the city is helpful. The song should also be radio-safe. His biggest tip for artists is to practice performing live since finalists must be able to perform in person in front of a live audience.
“I used to be scared of performing when I was a bit younger, but essentially high school jazz band whooped me into shape,” Pierpoint said. “The more you play in front of people, it can just be like a partner [or] family … it’s not so much [that] you’re asking for notes from them … it’s more so [that] you get comfortable playing and singing in front of people.”
While most details have been hammered out, Siarto noted the judging panel is not finalized, but it will most likely be composed of members on the city’s Art Selection Panel, Arts Commission and local experts.
The exact date of the live event is also not set in stone, but it will take place in September in downtown East Lansing. The voting platform the audience will use to vote is being determined.
The contest’s winner will keep the right to distribute and sell their song online, but the City of East Lansing and Michigan State University will have the right to use the winning song forever.
To submit a song, an artist must upload a video or an electronic recording to YouTube and submit it to Heather Majano, the city’s art initiatives coordinator, at hmajano@cityofeastlansing.com. Submissions are being accepted through April 15.