Frequently Asked Questions

For artists

Who can enter?

Any independent or unsigned hip-hop or rap artist. (More genres are coming as the platform grows.) Entrants must be 18 or older, or have a parent or guardian enter on their behalf.

How much does it cost to enter?

Entry is free for the current competition — anyone can submit. See the Enter page to submit.

What do I need to submit?

An artist or band name, a song title, the genre, a YouTube link to your music video, a short bio, and optionally your Instagram, TikTok, and Spotify. You keep 100% ownership of your music — entering never transfers your rights.

How long until my entry appears?

Every submission is reviewed by our team before it goes live, usually within a couple of days. You'll get a private stats link the moment you submit so you can track your votes and profile views.

Can I enter more than one song?

One song per artist per competition. You can enter again in future competitions — and fans will be able to see your past entries on your profile.

How and when do winners get paid?

The artist with the most verified votes when the competition ends wins the prize pool, paid within 14 days of the results being announced. Winners are responsible for any taxes owed on their prize.

Artist question not covered above? Email artist-questions@songbattle.co.

For fans

Does it cost anything to vote?

No — voting is completely free, and you don't need to create an account.

How many artists can I vote for?

Every voter picks a set number of different artists per round (shown on the Vote page). Spreading votes across several artists keeps the contest about discovery, not just popularity.

How do you stop cheating?

Several invisible layers: a device fingerprint and hashed IP limit one vote per device, a CAPTCHA blocks bots, and unusual patterns are flagged for review before they count. Votes from bots or paid services are removed and can disqualify the artist who benefits.

Can I change my vote?

Votes are final once submitted for a round. When a new voting round opens, everyone gets to vote again.

Voter question not covered above? Email voter-questions@songbattle.co.

About the competition

Where does the prize money come from?

The current competition is free to enter, so the prize is set and funded directly by SongBattle — it’s fixed up front rather than growing with entries. More detail is on the About page.

How is the winner decided?

The artist with the highest verified vote total at the end of the competition wins. In the event of a tie, the prize is split equally between the tied artists.

What happens to my data?

We only collect what’s needed to run the contest and protect it from fraud, and we never sell your personal information. Full details are in our Privacy Policy.