To submit a song or group of songs for possible inclusion on a Song DISCovery CD, simply send an audio copy of your song or songs with lyric sheet and contact phone number to:
Song DISCovery Attn: Phil Sillas
32234 Paseo Adelanto, Suite A
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 Or:
You can submit single songs via email (please also attach the lyric sheet) to phil@wlmag.com.
Due to the amount of submissions, you will only hear back from us if your song has been selected to go before our listening board (there is a new board every two months). However, as we do listen to every song that is submitted, you may want to know what we are listening for—which songs are most likely to meet the standards that we have for the Song DISCovery CD. See below for the five criteria used for appraising the songs submitted to Song DISCovery each issue. Please keep in mind, we also ask songwriters to be open to suggestions in case a song meets every criterion, but falls short in a single category.
Please Note: - Eligible songs must be accompanied with a lyric sheet.
- Multiple submissions are accepted, and all songs on submitted CD will be evaluated
- You will not receive your copy of the CD back, so please make sure it is not your only one
5 Criteria for Song DISCovery Listening Board - Production Quality – We want to be fair to the songwriter and present their song in the best light. We also have promised our subscribers that we pick the best of the best, and we do not modify the production in any way – how you hear it is how it goes on the CD.
- Style Diversity- We serve 20,000 worship communities each with a diverse worship culture and style cannot be THE evaluative deciding factor. Rather, listen to the song, can it be adapted – does it have the strength lyrically to be modified to fit a multitude of congregational settings? We will manage the style diversity, but we also must listen past our own style preferences.
- Worship Function - The song needs to serve a function in the worship service, i.e.: offertory, communion, main congregational worship portion of the service, benediction, choral, special number, etc.
- Lyrical Poetry & Accessibility - We are here to discover songs that allow worshipers to offer their praise and worship in a new and unique (but not too unique) way. This is what C.S. Lewis called, Lyrical Poetry. They also need to be accessible, each church’s definition of what is accessible will differ but generally if you can sing the song after only hearing one verse and one chorus it is accessible.
- Theological Content - Above all else this criterion is most important. We need to make sure the lyrical content is doctrinally sound. What truth is it speaking to the congregation? And is this what we want to present to congregations to be sung over people in worship services?
