Anime Expo 2004 Karaoke Contest Rules

Welcome to the Anime Expo 2004 Karaoke Contest! The competition will take place through two days as we run through our Preliminary, Semi-Final, and Final Rounds of the Contest. If you signed up pre-con, please don’t forget to come by the Karaoke Events Room (located in the Orange County Ballroom at the Anaheim Marriott) between noon and 6 PM on the first day of the convention to check in!

Preliminaries for both Individual and Group categories will be held on the evening of Friday, July 2. Semi-finalists in the Individual Category will compete on the evening of Saturday, July 3 for the right to advance into the Finals immediately thereafter. The top Group Category contestants will advance directly to the Finals. Exact times will be announced as the convention nears- check the Anime Expo Karaoke Forum for further news and updates!

Please read all of the contest rules before asking any questions. Contact information can be found at the bottom of this page.

The contest is open to all registered convention attendees and volunteers. You must have a valid Anime Expo badge for the days of the contest.

Anime Expo Staff and Crew, Guests of Honor, Industry members, and the previous year's contest winners are ineligible for the contest.

Signups will begin on April 26, 2004 and will run until June 13, 2004, or when all spots are filled. For more information, please check the Anime Expo Karaoke Forum. A list of confirmed contestants will be posted on the Karaoke Forum before the convention.

To keep the length of the contest reasonable, the number of acts is limited to 50. Signups are first come, first served. The online signup period will end early if we fill all 50 spots before the convention. We will also take up to five waiting list signups online.

You must specify the songs you are going to sing when you sign up for the contest. One of your three songs must be from an anime series, movie, or OVA. See the Song Selection section for more information.

Once the online signup period has ended, and if not all of the spots have been filled, you can sign up at the convention. All at-con signups (and any additional waiting list signups) will be accepted in the Karaoke Events room (Orange County Ballroom at the Anaheim Marriott) between noon and 6PM on Friday, July 2.

Any signups in excess of 50 will be placed on a waiting list. To be guaranteed a spot in the contest, we highly recommend that you sign up online early in the sign-up period before the convention. Note though that every year, we get a few cancellations and no-shows, so even if you are on the waiting list, your chances of being in the contest are still very good.

All contestants must check in before the contest to confirm their spot. Contestants who fail to check in will lose their spot in the contest. For check-in, you will need your Anime Expo badge and the music you will be using in the contest, in audio CD format. Check-in will be held in the Karaoke Events room from noon to 6PM the day of the contest.

Individual

The top twelve individual qualifiers from the preliminary round advance to the semi-final round. The top five individual qualifiers from the semi-final round advance straight to the finals, from which the individual winners are determined.

Group

In the Group category competition, all members of the group must perform in all rounds to be eligible for a prize.

The Morning Musume Rule: Once you have checked in, you may not switch group members. Adding, subtracting, or substituting group members in between rounds of the contest are prohibited.

All members of the group must sing during all songs, either as lead or as backup.

The top group qualifiers from the Preliminary round advance directly to the Finals. The exact number of group finalists will depend on the number of group entries, and will be announced at the beginning of the contest. There is no semi-final round for the Group category.

Songs must be from the following categories: Anime, Video game, or J-rock/J-pop.

English or other non-Japanese songs from the dubbed version of an anime series or video game are acceptable. (For example, the German theme to Sailor Moon, or songs from Robotech.).

Straight covers of English songs by Japanese artists (for example, Fly Me To The Moon) are not allowed. English songs which are significantly changed or adapted from the original version (for example, Wishing On The Same Star by Namie Amuro, which is rearranged and has Japanese verses) are okay. If you are in doubt as to whether a song is acceptable for the contest, please ask us before signing up, and we will make a decision.

As this is a contest for an anime convention, at least one of your song choices must be from an anime series, movie, or OVA. For purposes of this rule, image songs (songs which aren’t necessarily used in the anime, but are on the soundtrack) are okay. Songs from the live-action version of an anime (for example, the live action Sailor Moon) are also acceptable.

You may not sing the same song more than once in the contest.

Song Formats

Contestants must provide their own songs on an audio CD. No data CDs with mp3s, MDs, or cassettes are allowed.

Contestants must provide their own song lyrics, if needed.

Songs must be in their original format as on the released CD and may not be edited, cropped, remixed, or otherwise altered by the contestant or other party in any way. Remixes that have appeared on an officially released CD (for example, one of the many different remixes by Ayumi Hamasaki) are acceptable.

You do not need to provide a karaoke version of your song. If your song still has the original vocals on it, it will automatically be run through a vocal dampening system. For those who are not familiar with karaoke, vocal dampening automatically removes or masks the original vocal track so that your singing can be heard. We want to hear your singing voice, not that of the original singers.

• Preliminary round: Individual- two and a half minutes. Group- five minutes.
• Semi-final round: Five minutes.
• Final round songs: Six minutes.

Songs longer than these limits will be faded out when the limit is reached.

If the contestant wishes a song to be faded out early, he/she must indicate so to the Karaoke staff either by placing the microphone back on the stand and bowing to the audience, or giving the “engine shutdown” (hand across the throat) signal.

Contestants will be scored on vocal/singing performance (67%), and showmanship/presentation (33%). In addition, "Coolness Points" can be earned. Coolness Points can be earned for anything which, simply, in the judge's determination, is cool, and can add up to an additional 10% bonus to the score.

25% of your score from the semi-final round (or preliminary round, for group entries) will carry over to the final round.

In case of a tie in the preliminary or semi-final rounds, the tied acts will all advance. In case of a tie in the finals, the following tiebreakers will be applied to determine the winner:

1. Most Coolness Points in the final round
2. Most Coolness Points in the entire contest.
3. Straight vote of the judges.

All decisions made by the judges are final.

Awards

Trophies will be awarded to the following winners:

• Individual: First Place, Second Place
• Group: First Place, Second Place

Prizes will be awarded to all winners and finalists. In addition, in the preliminary round, each judge can award a Judge’s Choice Prize at their discretion to the act of their choice. Contestants do not have to qualify for the semifinals/finals to be eligible for a Judge’s Choice award.

Depending on prize availability, additional prizes might also be awarded.

As a convention for anime fans of all ages, Anime Expo has certain standards of behavior which all convention attendees should abide by at all times. Karaoke is no exception.

All aspects of the act, including, but not limited to: costume, conduct on stage, and song lyrics, are to abide by no worse than a “PG-13” standard. If you’re in doubt as to whether something is suitable, just ask yourself, “Would you do this in front of your mother?” If you're still in doubt, please email or post and tell us what you have in mind, and we'll work something out.

If any violations of this policy occur, Anime Expo Karaoke staff reserves the right to disqualify offenders from the contest or terminate the act in mid-song. In extreme cases, offenders may also be subject to convention penalties including loss of badge and removal from the convention.

During the contest, no interaction with the MC is allowed. Contestants may not touch or approach the judges' table. Contestants may not go into the audience or use an audience member in their act.

The only persons allowed in the performing area are the MC, Anime Expo staff and guests, judges, and contestants. Friends, relatives, fans, mascots, managers, agents, and any other persons or beings not actually singing in the contest are not allowed on stage.