Many writers in contest

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34106, 19 March 1976, Page 4

Many writers in contest

New Zealand songwriters, have turned out in force for ( this year’s "Entertainers” | original song contest. Many I of the entrants expressed! i disappointment that there I was no song contest in last year’s “Entertainers” series.

The judges are receiving [entries at the rate of six new songs to each new act (and they say the standard is extremely high.

It seems the nation's writers must have been bottled up for the last two years, for the ratio was 5050 in 1974’s “Studio One.”

The show’s producer. Mark Westmoreland, says

that although some of the entries are from established writers, many have come j from people who are not in (the entertainment scene but (simply have an interest in songwriting. He says that some of the entries are revamped versions of songs previously unsuccessful in the “Studio One” competition but. alongside this is a lot of new material. Al! entries are forwarded, without the author’s identification, to one of several musical arrangers. They arej then auditioned and a "short list” is compiled. All those! on the “short list” are further auditioned by the show’s producer and its musical director, Brian Hands. A selection is then made of the songs that will appear on the show. Entries have now closed for the “Entertainers” and the first programme will be shown on TVI on Sunday, May 16.