MELODIFESTIVALEN 2024. Until September 15, 2023, at 11:59 AM CEST, you can submit songs for the Swedish Eurovision selection Melodifestivalen 2024. In this article we summarize everything you need to know regarding how to submit songs as well as the selection’s rules.
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• Prerequisites regarding the 2024 selection
Song submission for selecting the entries
You can only submit your songs via the program’s digital platform at bidrag.melodifestivalen.se.
Please read the competition’s rules before you start submitting any songs. These are important since the rules also includes information regarding copyright issues (item B7 to B18) and other terms (the C section). We also recommend you to not wait to the last minute uploading the song(s).
For a summary about the rules, please read our FAQ in this article.
The selection process
According to the rules, Melodifestivalen will continuing the system where the viewers will decide the Grand Final line-up by selecting 12 songs from some heats and a semi-final. However, this time the selection has got some changes.
Before the competition begins, 30 songs will be selected of which 15 will be chosen by a jury and the remaining 15 songs will be selected by staff at Melodifestivalen, here referred as SVT. The jury will only choose songs from the submitted ones while SVT’s team can choose their songs from either the songs which the jury didn’t choose and/or so-called invitations from specific song writers and/or artists.
In the contest, SVT will divide the 30 songs in five heats of six songs per heat. In each heat, the public will vote for their favourite acts and choose two finalists and two semi-finalists. Among the ten chosen semi-finalists (from all the five heats), the public will choose two of these songs which will also qualify to the Grand Final.
In the Grand Final, the public and some international juries will cast their votes and choose the winning song among 12 options. The winning song will represent Sweden in the Eurovision 2024, which will take place in Malmö on May 7, 9, and 11. Since Sweden is the host nation for the next year’s Eurovision, the Melodifestivalen 2024 winner will be a so called pre-qualified finalist in the Eurovision 2024.
• FAQ
Who can submit songs to the Melodifestivalen selection?
SVT allows everyone submitting songs to Melodifestivalen 2024, which includes both professionally songwriters as wells as newcomers. However, the concept of ”everyone is allowed submitting songs” doesn’t apply for persons who are employed at or a client for Sveriges Television between August 2, 2023, and March 30, 2024.
It is also important to know that SVT has the right to block every submitted song from being released, this applies at least until November 25, 2023. Songs selected to the contest cannot be released until a later date, most likely in February or the beginning of March 2024.
All artists and songwriters participating in Melodifestivalen must respect the marketing policy at SVT and Melodifestivalen.
Am I needed to be a Swedish citizen to submitting song(s) to Melodifestivalen?
SVT has a rule that says that at least one person in a songwriting team must hold a Swedish citizenship and/or has registered in the population register in Sweden. At least one of these two criteria’s must have happened at latest on August 26, 2023.
Please note that this rule only applies to songwriters and not to the specific artist or members of a music group.
Is there a rule regarding a gender balance in the songwriting teams?
No, there are no such rule. However, SVT has a policy that says that at least one half of the song line-up shall consist of songs completely (or partly) written by female songwriters. However, it shall be interpreted as written, i.e., that it is a wish and not a rule from SVT to all songwriting teams.
Which are the requirements for the songs?
For SVT to approve a submitted song to the competition, the entry must meet the following requirements:
1. The song must be your own original work which has never been public to the public.
— Due to the Eurovision Song Contest rules, Melodifestivalen songs cannot be public released before September 1, 2023. For more information, see the heading Why can’t I release my song before September 1, 2023?.
— You cannot submit any cover songs and/or plagiarism.
—Before the competition, SVT does not allow any submitted song, completely or partly, published on any digital or analog platform. Examples of such situations are concerts, clips in social media and other channels, etcetera. For more information, see next the heading Why can’t I release my song before September 1, 2023?.
— The Melodifestivalen songs usually released for the public either when they are non-qualifying from their heat or if the song does qualify to the Semi-final round. However, all finalist songs in the heats are usually ”quarantined” and usually not allowed to release until the last heat have broadcasted. If this rule will still apply, it means that the public’s selected Grand Final entries will release in their entirety form just one week before the Grand Final.
2. The lyrics shall include speech and/or vocal interventions. How much is, however, not said.
—Swearing is accepted although these word(s) must be removed in the event the song will take part in the Eurovision Song Contest (where swearing is, with few exceptions, not accepted).
— Your song may disqualify if the song has a title and/or lyrics that may be offensive and thus may become problematic in the event of the Eurovision 2024 competition.
— The lyric of the song cannot contain any kind of commercial, religious, and political elements as well as such gesticulations.
3. The songs time limit are a minimum of two minutes but not longer than three minutes, counting in stage performance.
— In the demo stage you can submit both longer and shorter versions of the song, however, all selected songs must fit the time limit.
Why can’t I release my song before September 1, 2023?
According to the EBU’s regulations regarding the Eurovision Song Contest, an entry in the contest cannot be released and/or published on any public platform before September 1st of the previous year. In some cases, EBU has allowed songs which has broken this rule, but we strongly recommend every songwriter to check and verify that no demo versions of the song have been previously released, specifically if you have submitted the song to previously editions of Melodifestivalen and/or other editions of other countries national Eurovision selections.
What would happen to my song if it released or published after September 1st but before SVT’s publication date?
If a selected entry is releasing on a public platform before the deadline set by SVT itself, SVT will investigate the matter thoroughly regarding intent. SVT has, however, some approved publications:
— During the competition, SVT usually release song snippets and rehearsal clips. However, these clips may only be published in SVT’s own channels (or with their approval).
— SVT can invite accredited media before each broadcasting and allow them watching the so-called artist rehearsals. However, SVT does not allow any sound recording from the stage area during these types of rehearsals.
— Before each show, SVT often allows the public to join the Melodifestivalen party at the arena for dress rehearsals where the artists will perform their songs the day before and hours before each live broadcast in SVT. To be able to watch these shows as part of the public (not the artists and/or their delegations) you must have a valid ticket to the specific arena.
Can anyone compete as an artist in Melodifestivalen?
Firstly, all artists must be at least 16 years old, at latest in May 2024. There is no upper age limit.
When you are submitting a song to Melodifestivalen you will be able to suggest the artist to your song, even though it is SVT who decides which artist performing which song. SVT has also the right to disqualify songs and/or artists where the songwriter(s) and SVT cannot agree on which artist shall perform the song in the contest.
SVT has also the rights to decide that the demo singer will perform the song in the contest, however, their role in this case is not self-written for the purpose.
Are there any rules regarding the stage performances?
Yes, there are. SVT has so called ’extra rules’ which cannot be used in the Eurovision competition (as a kind of extended rules):
— Each stage performance can have up to eight persons which includes the singer(s), and eventual band members, dancers, and the using of choir singers live-on-stage. However, in the Eurovision Song Contest the stage performance may only contain six persons at the same time.
— SVT allows the using of so-called pre-recorded choirs in Melodifestivalen. However, you cannot use the lead singer(s) voice(s) as pre-recorded. He, she, or they must sing the song live-on-stage. In the Eurovision Song Contest the stage performance may only contain that both the lead voice(s) as wells as mostly of the choir song must be sang live-on-stage.
— Another extra rule is the use of playing an instrument live on stage instead of having it pre-recorded. This rule is not allowed in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Are there any language rules for the songs?
SVT allows artists to perform entries in Melodifestivalen in any language. You can submit the same song in different language versions. However, it is SVT that decides which language the artist will use. About 30 percent of the selected songs will be sung in Swedish.
What other things are important to know regarding these rules?
As mentioned earlier, we recommend all songwriters who want to submit songs to Melodifestivalen 2024 to read the regulations, including the parts relating to copyright and other terms (part B7 to B18 and the C-section).
You may know that it is SVT who own the rights to Melodifestivalen including the rules. They have the rights to adjust the regulations at any time, and they can also disqualify every person and/or song who breaks the rules.
During the autumn, SVT will make their decisions regarding the songs and until then you cannot publish any of the entries you submitted on any public platforms. This is at least even until November 25, 2023, and if the song selects to take part, then you cannot release the song until at least February and/or March 2024. The exact dates depend, however, when the heats, the semi-final and the Grand Final will take place in 2024.
Remember, if the song will not take part in Melodifestivalen 2024, then you can release it after November 25, 2023. However, if you release your song then you cannot submit it again.
