THE CONTENDER

BROADWAY RECORDING SESSION CONTEST
OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES AND REGULATIONS

No purchase necessary to enter or win.

Sponsored by Open Jar Studios and Stage Door Network

Entry into this Contest constitutes your acceptance of these Official Rules decisions of Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios, which shall be final.

1. ELIGIBILITY 

• General Eligibility. The contest is open to legal residents of the United States. International residents holding a current work visa, or student visa are permitted to enter. Employees of Stage Door Network, Open Jar Studios, Open Jar Productions, its affiliates, licensees, franchisees, advertising and promotional agencies and the immediate family (spouse, and parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of here they reside) and household members, whether or not related, of each are not eligible. There is no purchase necessary to enter or win. 

• Age Limits. The contest is open to individuals who are 13 years of age or older.

• Parental Consent. Contestants under the age of 18 years old must have a parent’s or legal guardian’s permission to participate in the Contest, as noted on the Contestant Entry Form. 

• Void outside of the area stated and where prohibited. All applicable federal, state and local laws apply.

2. CONTEST DATES

• Contest Submission Phase. The Contest shall begin on October 7, 2024 and initial submissions shall be accepted through 11:59 p.m. ET on November 8, 2024 (“Contest Submission Period”). 

• Semi-Finalist Voting Phase. Voting on the Semi-Finalists shall run from 12:00 AM ET on November 15, 2024 through 11:59 p.m. ET on November 24, 2024, unless otherwise noted (“Semi-Finalist Voting Period”). 

• Finalist Voting Phase. Voting on the Finalists shall run from 12:00 AM ET on November 25, 2024 through 11:59 p.m. ET on December 8, 2024, unless otherwise noted (“Finalist Voting Period”). 

Winner Announcement. On or about December 12, 2024, the winner receiving the popular vote, will be announced. In addition, the judges may collectively choose to announce an additional winner, the Judges’ Pick.

Open Jar Studios reserves the right to modify or amend the contest period and submission deadlines at its sole discretion and upon notice to all contestants. 

3. HOW TO ENTER

• During the Contest Submission Period, entry must be submitted via the Contestant Entry Form on Stage Door Network. If a contestant has not already done so, they  must create a free profile on Stage Door Network (www.stagedoornetwork.com), which includes providing a headshot and accessible links to at least 2 video performances (collectively, “Entry”). All Stage Door Network terms apply. Note: Private links are not accessible and may result in Entry being disqualified. 

• Submission Deadline: All Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) on November 8, 2024.

• Limit on Number of Entries. Each contestant is limited to one (1) Entry. 

• Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios team will review submissions as they are received to ensure working links and appropriate content

• Communication with Contestants. Contestants must provide an active email address and an active phone number to be used as the primary methods of communication throughout the Contest.  

4. REQUIREMENTS OF ENTRIES:  

Entry must be the original work product of the contestant, may not have been previously published, may not have won previous awards. Entry may not contain, as determined by the Open Jar Studios, in its sole discretion, any content that:

• is sexually explicit or suggestive; unnecessarily violent or derogatory of any ethnic, racial, gender, religious, professional or age group; profane or pornographic; contains nudity;

• promotes alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, firearms/weapons (or the use of any of the foregoing); promotes any activities that may appear unsafe or dangerous; promotes any particular political agenda or message;

• is obscene or offensive; endorses any form of hate or hate group; 

• defames, misrepresents or contains disparaging remarks about other people or companies;

• contains trademarks, logos, or trade dress (such as distinctive packaging or building exteriors/interiors) owned by others, without permission, to the extent permission is necessary; 

• contains any personal identification, such as license plate numbers, personal names, e-mail addresses or street addresses;

• contains copyrighted materials owned by others (including music, lyrics, photographs, sculptures, paintings, and other works of art or images published on or in websites, television, movies or other media), without permission, to the extent permission is necessary;

• contains materials embodying the names, likenesses, voices, or other indicia identifying any person, including, without limitation, celebrities and/or other public or private figures, living or dead, without permission;

• contains look-alikes of celebrities or other public or private figures, living or dead;

• communicates messages or images inconsistent with the positive images and/or good will with which Open Jar Studios/Stage Door Network wishes to associate; and/or

• violates any law.

If the Entry contains any material or elements that are not owned by the contestant, and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties (e.g., music or lyrics), the contestant is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the Entry, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the use and exhibition of the Entry by Open Jar Studios in the manner set forth in these Official Rules, including, without limitation, name and likeness permissions from any person who appears in or is identifiable in the Entry. Open Jar Studios reserves the right to request proof of these permissions in a form acceptable to Open Jar Studios from any contestant at any time. Failure to provide such proof may, if requested, render Entry null and void. 

Open Jar Studios/Stage Door Network, in its sole discretion, may disqualify your Entry for any reason, including if it determines, in its sole discretion, that your Entry fails to conform to these Official Rules in any way or otherwise contains unacceptable content as determined by Open Jar Studios/Stage Door Network, in its sole discretion.

By submitting an Entry, contestant hereby grants permission for the Entry to be posted on Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios’ websites and social media pages and for all uses of the Entry as described in the Publicity and Grant of Rights paragraph below. Contestant agrees that Released Parties (as defined below) are not responsible for any unauthorized use of Entries by third parties. Released Parties do not guarantee the posting of any Entry and reserve the right to take down any Entry at any time.

5. WINNER DETERMINATION 

• Judging Phase.  All eligible Entries received will be judged by a panel of qualified judges based on the following equally weighted criteria: Compelling Storytelling (clear point of view, active objectives, use of tactics, truthful investment in the moment), Musical Technique (effective use of breath, appropriate phrasing, clear vocal tone), Body/Voice Connection (filling the space vocally, energetically, and in connection with their body). The individuals who submit the ten (10) highest-scoring Entries will advance to the Semi-Finalist Voting Phase (“Semi-Finalists”). In the event of a tie, an additional tie-breaking judge will rejudge the tied Entries using the judging criteria set forth herein to determine the Semi-Finalist(s). Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios reserves the right to select fewer than ten (10) Semi-Finalists, if, in its sole discretion, it does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified Entries. Decisions of the Open Jar Studios and judges are final and binding. Open Jar Studios/Stage Door Network will not disclose judging scores.

• Semi-Finalist Voting Phase. All Semi-Finalist Entries will be featured at https://www.stagedoornetwork.com/contender during the Semi-Finalist Voting Period. Limit three (3) votes per Semi-Finalist per person per voting period during the Semi-Finalist Voting Period. Subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules, the Semi-Finalists who receive the highest number of valid votes, as determined by Open Jar Studios, will be deemed the “Finalists” and advance to the Finalist Voting Phase. 

• Finalist Voting Phase. All Finalist Entries will be featured at https://www.stagedoornetwork.com/contender during the Finalist Voting Period. Limit one (1) vote per Finalist per person per day during the Finalist Voting Period. Subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules, the Finalist who receives the highest number of valid votes, as determined by Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios, will be deemed the “winner”. 

• Ties. In the event of a tie, a “tie-breaking” judge will determine the Finalist or winner (as applicable) based on the Judging Criteria.

• Voting Conditions and Restrictions. 

• Use of Social Media. Contestants are allowed to promote their voting page on social media. Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios will provide social media graphics to share the contestant’s Entry, but it is not required to use them and will not affect a contestant’s standing in any way. Contestants are not allowed to boost their social posts for more impressions.

• Votes will be audited and monitored for fake email addresses.  Duplicate votes from the same email address shall be discarded. Audit results will not be released to the public. Votes received from any person or email address in excess of the stated limitation will be void. Semi-Finalists and Finalists are prohibited from obtaining votes by any fraudulent or inappropriate means, including, without limitation, paying for votes, trading votes or offering prizes or other inducements to members of the public, as determined by Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios in its sole discretion; all such votes will be void and such Semi-Finalists and/or Finalists may be disqualified, at Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios’ discretion. Use of script, macro or any automated system to vote or with the intent to impair the integrity of the voting process is prohibited and all such votes will be void. Judges’ and Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios’ decisions are final and binding on all matters relating to this Contest. 

6. WINNER NOTIFICATION. 

Potential winner(s) will be notified by email. Potential winners may be required to complete and return an affidavit (or declaration) of eligibility and liability/publicity release (where prohibited) (“Winner Documents”). If a potential winner fails to sign and return the Winner Documents within the required time period, does not respond to the initial notification within the time required by Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios, a potential winner is found to be ineligible or is not in compliance with these Official Rules or declines the prize for any reason, or if a winner notification is returned as unclaimed or undeliverable, such potential winner will forfeit their prize and, at Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios’ discretion, a runner-up may be notified. 

7. PRIZE.

• Prize Description. One (1) recording session in the Open Jar Studios Recording Booth in New York City, engineered by Dan Weiner, scheduled to take place between December 16, 2024 and January 31, 2025. The winner will then receive a digital file of the completed song recorded in the session, as well as a video of the recording session that they may use for promotional purposes Winner is responsible for their own transportation to and from the Open Jar Studios in NYC on the date of their prize recording session. Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”): $500.00. Contestant will enter into and execute any additional releases provided to Contestant for Open Jar Studios to make use of the recording and the video thereof accordingly.

• No Publicity. Winner agrees not to release any publicity or other materials on their own or through someone else regarding their participation in the Contest without the prior consent of Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios, which it may withhold in its sole discretion.

• General Prize Conditions and Restrictions. Prize is awarded “as is” with no warranty or guarantee, either express or implied. Prize is non-transferable and no substitution or cash equivalent will be made except as provided herein at the Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios’ sole discretion. Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios reserves the right to substitute a prize or a component thereof for one of comparable or greater value, in its sole discretion. Winner is responsible for all taxes and fees associated with prize receipt and/or use. All prize details are at Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios’ sole discretion.  

• Transportation and accommodations (if needed) are not included as part of the prize and are the responsibility of the winner.

8. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY, RELEASES AND TERMINATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTEST.

• Limitation of Liability. Stage Door Network, Open Jar Studios, Open Jar Productions, its affiliates, licensees, franchisees, advertising and promotional agencies and all of their respective employees, officers, directors, shareholders, agents, representatives, and legal advisors (collectively, “Released Partis”) are not responsible for and shall not be liable for: (i) late, lost, delayed, damages, misdirected, incomplete, illegible, garbled, inaccurate, stolen or unintelligible entries, email or other communications of any kind; (ii) or for lost, interrupted or unavailable network, server, Internet Service Provider (ISP), website, or other connections, availability or accessibility or miscommunications or failed computer, satellite, telephone or cable transmissions, lines, or technical failure or jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmissions or computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures or difficulties, or other errors or difficulties of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic, computer, network, typographical, printing or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Contest, including, without limitation, errors or difficulties which may occur in connection with the administration of the Contest, the processing or judging of Entries, the tabulation of votes, the announcement of the prize, or in any Contest-related materials; or (iii) any condition caused by events beyond the control of Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios that may cause the Contest to be disrupted or terminated. Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by site users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest.  Released Parties are not responsible for injury or damage to any person's computer related to or resulting from participating in this Contest or downloading materials from or use of the website.  

• Release of Liability. Contestant hereby releases and holds harmless the Released Parties from any and all liability, loss or damage arising from or in connection with their participation or attempt to participate in the Contest and/or the awarding, receipt, use or misuse of a prize and from claims based on publicity rights, defamation, or invasion of privacy.

• Contestant Indemnification. Contestant agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Released Parties against any claims by any third party related to the song recorded as part of the prize or any of the rights granted here (including, but not limited to in the Publicity and Grant of Rights section below), including, but not limited to a claim of infringement upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity or other intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity. 

• Should any portion of the Contest be, in Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios’ sole opinion, compromised by virus, worms, bugs, non-authorized human intervention or other causes which, in the sole opinion of the Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios, corrupt or impair the administration, security, fairness or proper play, or submission of Entries, Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios reserves the right at its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Contest and, if terminated, at its discretion, conduct the Contest using all eligible, non-suspect Entries received prior to action taken or as otherwise deemed fair and appropriate by Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios.

• CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, STAGE DOOR NETWORK/OPEN JAR STUDIOS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES AND OTHER REMEDIES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES) FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

9. CONTESTANT DISQUALIFICATION.

Contestant acknowledges that Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios has the right in its sole discretion to disqualify a contestant at any time if it determines that the contestant’s performance is offensive, inappropriate or contrary to Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios’ reputation or that the contestant has not complied with any of the Contest Rules. Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios may also disqualify any Contestant for engaging in false or deceptive acts. 

Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios reserves the right to disqualify any contestant or winner who, in its sole suspicion, tampers with the entry or submission process, violates these rules or the Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios’ Terms and Conditions, or acts in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. 

10. PUBLICITY AND GRANT OF RIGHTS

• Publicity Grant. Except where prohibited by law, entry constitutes permission to use Contest Entrants’, Semi-Finalists’, Finalists’ and winners’ names, hometowns, likenesses, Entry (including the videos embodied therein) and, if a winner, the recording booth session for online posting, and/or any advertising and publicity in any and all media, now or hereafter devised, worldwide in perpetuity, without added compensation, permission or notification. 

• Grant of Rights. Contestant irrevocably grants to Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual license to use Contestant’s Entry and/or performance(s) in any manner related to the Contest, including all associated use, reproduction, distribution, sublicense, derivative works and commercial and non-commercial uses, including any Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios website, blogs and/or social media related to the Contest; promotions and communications related to the Contest; newsletters, articles, reports and publications related to the Contest; and exhibitions of the Contest submissions and winner(s). 

11. PRIVACY.

Personal information collected in connection with the Contest is subject to Stage Door Network’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, which can be found at https://app.stagedoornetwork.com/privacy-policy ; https://app.stagedoornetwork.com/terms-of-use provided that, in the event of any conflict between these Official Rules and such Privacy Policy, the terms and conditions of these Official Rules prevail. As a condition of entering the Contest, each contestant gives consent for Stage Door Network/Open Jar Studios to obtain and deliver the contestant’s name, address and other information to third parties for the purpose of administering this Contest and to comply with applicable laws, regulations and rules, including, without limitation, the storing of your personal information for purposes of complying with state record retention requirements.

12. INQUIRIES OR QUESTIONS. 

Any inquiries or questions regarding this Contest may be sent by email to promotions@OpenJarStudios.com or by regular mail to Open Jar Studios Attn: Recording Booth Contest, 1601 Broadway, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10019.

13.  WINNERS LIST.

For the name(s) of the winner(s) (first name, last initial and state of residence) send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: The Contender Results, 1601 Broadway - 11th Floor, New York, NY 10019 no later than 30 days after the end of the Finalist Voting Period.