The sound of music will fill the room at Citizen Vinyl on Saturday, Jan. 11, as Asheville hosts to its fourth NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition. Now in its 23rd year, the event — which was held at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City until it moved to Asheville in 2018 — attracts aspirants from coast to coast and around the globe. NewSong Music co-founder, Citizen Vinyl CEO and North Carolina native Gar Ragland culls the list down to eight finalists. In the first round, all eight will perform two songs each for a panel of judges; three contenders will be brought back for another song, and from those, a winner will be chosen. The 2024 grand prize is a fully funded six-song EP, recorded and mixed at Citizen Studios, plus 300 vinyl records pressed at Citizen Vinyl. Doors for the all-ages show open at 6 p.m. VIP tickets are $121.23 and include early entry at 5:30 p.m. with preferred seating, drinks, hors d’oeuvres, a meet-and-greet with the finalists and a digital recording of the night’s performances mixed by Ragland. General admission tickets are $36.36 per person, including concert-style seating at café tables and on bar stools. avl.mx/eeq. Photo of 2023 NewSong finalists with Gar Ragland (back center) by Aaron Stone
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Jan. 9, 2025, to include the year the event moved from New York City to Asheville.
