Hello @musicforsteem,

I figured I would leave a comment here with my thoughts on judging retention as opposed to musicianship. I think this is an excellent idea for making the contest fun in the short run, but it is not going to incentivise musical ingenuity, and this will have a negative impact in the long run. If all that is judged is how many performances are posted (or how many comments are left), musical performances will no longer focus on the music, as much as earning tickets with as many performances as possible. First of all, this will have a negative impact on Steem because the performances being posted will not be attractive to outside communities. This will be because it will frustrate many of the musicians you are seeking to recruit (Those who perform professionally, or are studying to perform professionally). Competition is often something which shows skill in the musical world, and not judging musicianship is basically making their skills (and any professional quality they may strive for) worthless. One thing that is the same throughout the serious musical world (from the Russian piano competitions to America's Got Talent) is that the judges are looking at the skill of the performer. I think Steem is a perfect place for amateurs and professionals alike because even if not every performer wins, there is still great chance for a large audience to follow each performer with upvotes and praise. If it is just a lottery, there is no reason to try any harder than the bare minimum. That is not going to attract professionals at all. A music competition needs to be competitive.

I will also point out that I think it is a mistake to make commenting on other posts such a large aspect for competing performers. While I understand the hope that it will demonstrate commitment, I think regular submission to the contest demonstrates commitment enough. I think there should be separate focuses on trying to build an audience and recruit performers. I can tell you that many performers might be discouraged by such a time commitment being so incremental in a contest. While we all love Steem, this platform is not going to grow if we expect participants to be 100 percent in it. No musician is going to be able to earn any thing close to a full salary through Music for Steem, and requiring that much commitment is really going to scare them away.

I will end by saying that Emma and I really don't care about the change in rules. We are making these performances for fun, and will continue to do so. Neither of us really have the time to seriously compete in this new system anyway.