Why run your own remix contest? Well it can help with promotion of your tracks, help to improve the musician/fan relationship, find a filler track for release or even find new artists to sign up for your label. Some remix contests are run to make money by selling the remix parts, but unless you're very well known trying to sell the remix parts will probably end in failure and is therefore not advised. If you plan on running a contest make sure you run it properly from start to finish. It takes time for people to create an entry into your contest so make sure that you respect that and run a contest in a dignified way.

What you need to run a remix contest.
To run your own remix contest you are going to need to collect a few things together, I'm going to go through each one and explain them to make sure that your contest runs smoothly from start to finish.

• The Prize - Your remix contest is going to need a prize, many remix contest entrants are unsigned up-and-coming producers, therefore many would love to win a proper release on professionally run labels. This benefits both the people holding the contest and the remixer. It would also be great for remixers if they can get the additional prize of the chance for the winning remixer to have a E.P release on labels. For physical prizes think about what you are giving away as they are unlike to require a beginners piece of music software or downloadable tutorials as the winning remixer will probably already own superior software and talent for those prizes to be attractive.
• The Remix Stems - You will want to separate out each and every part of the track to be remixed and save them preferably in WAV file format so all music software can load it up easily. MP3 loses quality and is therefore not recommended for remix stem distribution. If you have lots of effects on a specific part, try to provide a wet and dry version to give your remixers full control over that section, especially with the vocals. Once you have each part it is best to zip them up (some people can't use rar files) so that they are easily distributed in one single file and then preferably hosted on your own server. If you don't have a place there are various download services which can host your file for you. Just make sure that it is not limited to a certain amount of time or downloads otherwise people will be disappointed when they can't get the files to start working on them.
• A Closing Date - Setting a closing date is a good idea as it tells potential remixers that your contest is still open. Not setting a closing date leads to confusion. You can always extend your contest by a few weeks if you believe that more time is needed. I recommend about a 4 to 6 week remix contest length. Not all will see your remix contest the day it opens, so a 4 to 6 week contest is not too short that not enough people see it, but not too long either. We also sometimes see contest have what they call a download stage where the download of the remix stems is only available for a certain amount of time. We advise against this and believe that you should allow the download of your remix stems for the full duration.
• The Rules - The rules serve two purposes, it allows the entrants to see where they stand when they enter your contest and to also protect you and your intellectual property. Firstly let the people know the rules when it comes to your remix stems, more than likely you won't want them used for anything other than the remix contest. Also let the potential remixers know who owns the completed remixes and what they are allowed to do with them. We advise that you allow people to post them on sites like SoundCloud and MySpace. By allowing them to post their remixes you are in a way getting free advertising for the original track too so it is worth allowing it.
• Submission of Completed Remixes - You are going to need a simple way for people to submit their remixes. Many remix contests just list an email address, if you do use this way of submitting we advise setting up a new email account just for the contest. One way which is becoming popular for submissions is using the DropBox available from SoundCloud.
• A Remix Contest Page - Finally your remix contest needs a page where all the information can be found in one place, making it as easy as possible for your potential remixers to find out about your contest and clearly see what's involved. I recommend that you include the following information and items on your remix contest page... An introduction setting the scene and detailing the prize(s),
  a link to the remix stems, a player in which the original version playable in, how the contest is going to be judged, how to submit a completed remix and the rules.

Judging Your Contest
We suggest that you judge the contest by selecting the best sounding remix yourself. Some remix contests choose the remix which gets the most plays or votes, while this is a great way of getting non-remixers to take part in your contest, these voting systems are usually open to abuse. The remix contest also can turn into more of a popularity contest as the person who has the most time to get friends, families and others to vote for their remix usually wins instead of the best remix.

When picking a winner take time to make your selection, as sometimes a great remix might be really good and grow on you overtime which you may not have picked had you rushed to choose.

Other Things To Think About When Running a Contest

• Add a few details about the band, some remixers may not have heard of you, but still be interested in your contest, similarly make sure they can check out the original version.
• Put down a way to contact you, some remixers may want to ask questions, make sure you can give them a quick response too.
• Promote your contest on forums and social networking sites to let people know your contest is running and also remember to submit to us here on Remix Comps for a free listing on our site.