Philpop and Himig Handog ink deal, aim for int’l music market

Two of the most prominent songwriting institutions in the Philippines are teaming for a project that is committed to empowering the future generation of recording stars and music industry professionals.

PhilPop Musicfest Foundation and Himig Handog have launched the PhilPop Himig Handog Songwriting Festival, an initiative that integrates strategic innovations to the mentorship program with an utmost goal to bring export-ready Pinoy music to the forefront of the global music market.

With #MusicBreakingBorders2.0 as its theme, PhilPop and Himig Handog are determined to pull their joint resources and network in their bid to promote homegrown music in a scale that’s never done before: making a dent in the international music scene and tearing down the barriers that separate us from the rest of the world.

Combining the elements of a digital music camp with songwriting competition, the PhilPop Himig Handog Songwriting Festival will kick off with a two-month digital program carefully designed for aspiring participants to develop their skillset and learn more from world-class mentors in the field of songwriting, music arrangement and recording, branding, marketing, career development, and intellectual property.

From the pool of submissions, 25 will be prioritized as a sponsored fellow with 5 each from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, Metro Manila and overseas; 10 will be specifically handpicked by SMART; and another 30 will be selected from the roster of applicants.

The Digicamp series, which merges workshop-based training with intensive online lectures, will culminate in a collaborative session that encourages attendees to write and make music that serves as their festival entry. Participants will also get a special access to exclusive PhilPop DigiCamp Content, as well as training and development with established OPM songwriters and music professionals.

After the arduous songwriting sessions and submissions of final output, only 10 entries will advance to the final round, and will get a chance to be professionally produced and released as part of the competition catalog.

During the final culminating evening of the PhilPop Himig Handog Songwriting Festival, the Top 3 will win the following: PHP 1,000,000.00 (1^st place); PHP 500,000.00 (2^nd place); and PHP 200,000.00 (3^rd place).
The PhilPop Himig Handog Songwriting Festival is now accepting entries from 5 different clusters: Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, the National Capital Region, and for the first time ever, the overseas. For more details on how to join, feel free to register online via PhilPop’s official website.

Here’s a step-by-step procedure on how to submit the requirements online:

PhilPop Himig Handog Songwriting Festival is an initiative of Himig Handog and PhilPop Music Foundation. This year’s game-changing event remains unwavering in its obligation to come up with innovative approaches in music-making and songwriting that are at par with international standards. The event is co-presented by Maynilad, Smart Communications, Inc., and TuneCore.