What is Fedivision?

Fedivision is an annual contest of mucisians in the Fediverse. The Fediverse is a network of servers that are used to communicate with each other, share messages, music and much more.

Fedivision is, of course, inspired by the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC).

Who can participate?

Every person who has an account in the Fediverse that federates with the instance fedi.vision can take part. fedi.vision uses the Oliphant Tier 0 (bare minimum) blocklist.

What songs can be entered?

Your song can be in any language (or no language, instrumentals are fine!), no more than 4 minutes long.

Your song must be your own creation. No covers, no parodies, no filk, sorry! If you’re going to rely heavily on sampling of others’ music, talk to us about eligibility.

Using your (fedi)friends as session musicians or producers is fine.

Your song’s subject matter (title and lyrics) will be assessed by the community standards of the organizers’ instances (mastodon.art, weirder.earth, old.mermaid.town). If you think your song might be at risk of crossing a boundary, talk to us.

Songs that have been previously released are ineligible. Fedivision is a celebration of new music!

How many songs can I enter?

Every participant may enter one song, either solo or as a collaboration with others.

Being a session musician on someone else’s entry doesn’t preclude you from submitting an entry yourself. Everyone is free to help others to get their songs made!

How can I enter my song?

Please use this form when submissions open (in 2024, from 5 May to 12 May).

Why do I have to specify a download link to the song’s mp3 or ogg file?

In earlier years, some songs may have been entered just to create traffic towards previously existing media on SoundCloud, YouTube, etc. We want to give more visibility to musicians of the Fediverse, not create traffic for big media websites. So we will host the entries from here.

Please make sure your download link doesn’t require authentication or account creation to access. It has happened that we had to disqualify an entry because we couldn’t get to it.

If your download is only accessible for a short time (e.g., it’s on your NAS and you have to leave it turned on overnight), contact us for logistics and timing.

What are the technical requirements for submission?

Any audio format that ffmpeg can read, stereo, 44.1 or 48 ksps.

No matter how you supply your entry, we will transcode it to stereo MP3 for the best listener compatibility. If your experimental music form might suffer from this conversion, we suggest you transcode it yourself and submit an MP3 that you’re satisfied with.

We’d love it if you included ID3 tags. The streaming player doesn’t display track art so don’t go out of your way. Fedivision is audio-only, so we don’t want video tracks.

What does the winner get?

Eternal glory, a new fursona of their choice and a bag of glitter!

No, seriously. There’s nothing to “win” here beyond the contest itself. You’ll get a place in our Hall of Fame, and you can boast a bit. I guess.

How does voting work?

The amazing zatnosk has developed the glorious Fedivision Bot that can handle the voting. Go ahead and follow it!

When does the main event start?

Fedivision 2024 voting runs from 19 May to 26 May.

Why are some servers excluded?

We want to keep the contest safe and friendly. Accounts from blocked servers are excluded from participating and voting. Servers that fedi.vision blocks are based on the Oliphant Tier 0 list.

Are entries made with the help of AI allowed?

No, with some specific carve-outs listed here. We want you to bring the authentic you to the contest. During submission you will be asked to confirm that your submission is your own composition.

We do not count as AI:

• Compositions with a stochastic element driven by a random number generator (such a sample-and-hold).
• Instruments that might rely on cloud processing during production, such as artificial vocalists performing lyrics that you wrote.

When can I release my song on my own label?

We ask you to hold off releasing your song on your own site (Bandcamp, Faircamp, Soundcloud, etc.) until the playlist is released and voting begins (in 2024, starting May 19). This ensures a level playing field for all contestants.

What happens to my song after the contest?

Your song remains your property at all times. You are just licensing Fedivision to host and stream your song for about one month, after which it will be deleted from the Fedivision servers.

Where can I hear past years’ submissions and winners?

Good question, and we don’t have a good answer. Because we only host entries for a limited time, you’ll have to find the contestants’ own music sites. Starting in 2024, we’ll make it easier for you to find these after the contest is over.