MUSICPOOL
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CONTEST RULES:

BID POOL

The system for determining the points a song gets is fairly simple.  We use the Radio & Record Compilation chart as the official chart for our pool.  It is made up of several component R&R airplay charts:  Top 40, Rhythm-Crossover, Urban, Hot AC, and Alternative.  Points are determined by reversal of peak position (75 points for #1, 74 for #2...1 for #75), plus the number of weeks on the chart, plus bonuses.  One point bonuses are received for each week spent in the Top 40, and another one for each week in the Top 20.  Two points bonuses are given for each week in the Top 10 as well as the Top 5.  A three point bonus is given for every week your song logs at #1.

There are as many songs available for picking each week as there are poolsters.  They include the three highest charting undrafted and bulleted songs, the two (approximately) highest debuts on the top 75 part of the chart, and the highest and lowest bulleted "bubbling under" songs.  Every participant ends up getting exactly one song each week.  For those of you that have never been in a rotisserie league, the way that you "pick" your song may seem a bit complicated, but you'll soon get used to it.  The problem with a straight draft order (where you'd get 1st pick one week, 2nd the next, etc.) is that it leaves too much up to dumb luck.  Whomever happens to have the first pick the week that an obvious future Top 10 song comes out can't be stopped from getting it, while others will complain that "there's just nothing out there!" the week that they have the top pick.  These problems are avoided by using an "auction" system whereby you can theoretically "choose" whether you want to have a high or low pick each week by how much money you're willing to fork out for the song you want.  (Note: "money" is not actual money...there is no money or prizes or anything like that involved with this contest -- just bragging rights.)  You have $100 of play money to spend for each 11-week season.  So again, if you want to shell out a third of that or even more to make sure you get a certain song, that's up to you...  Don't see anything you like?  Spend light, and save up your dough for a future week.  The main page of this site has an entry form whereby you put in "silent" bids on the available songs that you're interested in.  Each 11-week season will actually take up to a full calendar year to finish.  The season ends 52 weeks after it starts or when there are no songs left on the chart, whichever comes first.  Each calendar year is comprised of four seasons as there are two weeks off in between seasons.

When bidding, simply type in the amount of money you're willing to risk for each song.  If you outbid everybody else on your top bid (remember, its a "silent" auction), you get that song. (You get your song for $1 more than the most anybody else trying for that song bid...instead of the max. amount that you were willing to risk.)  If not, we check to see if you bid enough to get your second choice, etc...

You will occassionally notice the weekly purchases being numerically out-of-order.  (Example: Scott Igoe: MICHELLE BRANCH - All You Wanted $20, Joel Bouyea: SENSE FIELD - Save Yourself $2, Dan Dibley: TWEET - Oops, Oh My! $11, etc.)   This has to do with the rule that allows you to get your song for $1 more than anyone trying for that song bid.  In the example above, Scott had the highest bid, so he got his song for $1 more than the competition...and Joel Bouyea had the 2nd highest bid, but got his song for just $2 because no one else bid more than a buck.  That's why his purchase is listed 2nd despite not being the 2nd highest purchase amount.

Obviously, sometimes, people end up with identical bids for a song.  "Tie records" are kept, and the person with the worse tie record wins the pick in these scenarios.  For example, if Dan (2-2) ties with Rick (0-1), Rick would win out...however, Dan's record would go to 2-3 and he would be likely to win his next tie.  In other words, records are constantly being brought back to .500 as those above .500 tend to lose, and those under .500 tend to win (except when they tie with each other, of course.)  In the event of even records, a coin flip (or, more accurately, a computer-generated random number) determines the winner....but again, the loser is likely to win the next time to make up for it.

The deadline to bid is 5pm each Wednesday.

Trading of songs (one-for-one or lopsided deals) is perfectly legal, but seems to be a dead art.  Please notify me right away if you do make a trade with someone.  Each season will have a trading deadline of the beginning of the next season.  In other words, you will always be able to trade in one season at a time...whenever a new season starts, you can no longer trade in the previous season.

HEAD-TO-HEAD POOL

On the bid form, just enter the number of points you think a song will get in the "points" box.  (You can pick and choose songs you want to compete on- leave any song you don't want to pick as an "x".) If, for example, four people end up picking a particular song, and you end up closer to the final point total than two people, but not as close as one other- your record would be 2-1 for that song.