RULES | American Music Stars

2021 Season Rules

Performance Rules

The following genres are accepted: Pop/Top 40, Rock, R&B, Dance, Broadway/Musical Theater, Country, Hip/Hop, music of previous decades. Please contact us if you have specific genre questions.
Auditions and concert performances are strictly limited to a maximum of 4 minutes. Performances that run over 4 minutes without contacting American Music Stars are disqualified.
Auditions and concert performances must be free of profanity or inappropriate language/themes. If you are unsure if a phrase/lyric is acceptable, please email us.
Performers must be appropriately dressed. Streetwear is permitted as part of the overall look/style for the musical genre.
The same piece must be performed in both the submitted video audition and the concert event.
Performers can submit only one song per entry.
Performances must be from memory; lyrics sheets and music scores are not permitted.
Songs sung foreign languages are welcome; profanity/inappropriate language is prohibited.
Submissions must be the performers natural voice. Submissions may not be recorded in a professional recording studio with autotune, reverb, mixing, or sound enhancement of any kind. Submissions must be video format; audio submissions are not accepted.
Performers are welcome to sing original songs; this means a song written for them by a composer or song writer. Otherwise, please carefully review the "Backtrack Rules" below.

Performers will be responsible for purchasing their own backtrack for their performance. Obtaining a backtrack is very simple as there are many reputable backtrack or karaoke track websites. Most professional karaoke tracks cost below $4 USD. American Music Stars finds that most performers will successfully find high quality tracks at the following website:

Please choose a backtrack that is closest to the original.
Performers must use music that was PURCHASED in their audition video submission and concert events. Pirated music is illegal in additional to having inconsistent and poor sound quality.
After the initial application and audition submission, concert performers will be required to provide proof that their background music was PURCHASED for their concert recording.
AMS reserves the right to request that concert finalists purchase a different backtrack if we find that the backtrack presented is of insufficient quality for the Count Basie Center For The Arts sound engineers.
Performers that are invited to perform at Count Basie Center For The Arts will receive instructions about forwarding the tracks to AMS so that our sound engineers can be prepared for your performance.

Winners of recording studio time have 6 months to schedule and complete their recording. Recordings must be completed in one session. Recordings must be scheduled at a mutually agreed upon and convenient time with the engineer and Recording studio owner.
AMS has a strict no refund policy. Once a performer has sent their application, there will be no reversal of application fees. Once a finalist has made the performance commitment to the live taping Concert Series at Count Basie Center For The Arts by submitting their finalist performance fee, there will be no refunds regardless of illness, scheduling conflicts, or otherwise.
Judges decisions are final and can not be appealed.