Can human artists outperform AI? Six days. One song. You decide.
A songwriting competition where traditional artists go head-to-head with AI-assisted creators. Write, record, and release a song — then let the crowd pick a winner. No tech skills needed. Just bring your talent.
THE VOTES ARE COUNTED — WE HAVE WINNERS
Music City Make-A-Thon 2026 has wrapped. Fan voting is closed and the results are official — see who won the Championship and the Remote category.
CHAMPIONS
Championship
Fan Favourite
Supported by industry leaders
HUMANS VS AI
This isn't just a tech event. It's a creative showdown. Can a songwriter with a guitar beat an AI-powered production team? There's only one way to find out.
Pure talent. No AI.
- Your voice, your instruments, your DAW
- Write and record the way you always have
- Prove that craft and creativity still win
Artist + AI, working together.
- Use AI tools from our sponsor partners
- Build custom tech to supercharge your process
- Show what's possible when artists embrace new tools
Same deadline. Same judges. Same stage. The only difference is the tools. At the end of the week, the crowd votes on the music — not the method.
WHO SHOULD JOIN?
Solo artists, duos, bands, and full creative teams of up to 10 are all welcome. You don't need tech skills — if you make music, you belong here.
Singer-Songwriters
Bring the hooks, lyrics, and point of view.
Producers & Engineers
Shape the sonics and get the song across the finish line.
Instrumentalists
Session players and performers who bring the track to life.
Developers & Technologists
Build software, automations, and tools for the band.
AV & Visual Artists
Create live visuals, stage design, and performance moments.
Music Operators
Managers, marketers, and organizers who mobilize fans.
THE FORMAT
A songwriting competition where every artist or team races to finish an original song — then performs live in Nashville or submits a recording remotely.
Humans, Hybrid & Remote
Humans tracks are for traditional artists using their own creative process — no AI required. Hybrid tracks are for AI-assisted creators. Plus a Remote Open track for anyone competing from anywhere ($10/person).
Solo or Squad
Enter as a solo artist, a duo, a full band, or a team of up to 10. Humans-track teams are just musicians being musicians. Hybrid teams can add developers and builders.
Song-Seed to Stage
Six days to write, record, and release an original song. Use whatever workflow you already know — your DAW, your instruments, your process.
Votes + Live Finals
Earn fan votes and judge scores to reach the Final Four concert. The best song wins — whether it was made with a guitar and a mic or an AI pipeline.
THE WEEK
Six days. Three phases. From first idea to live stage.
Song-to-Stage Sprint
Teams write, build, record, and ship a release-ready song with their creative and technical crew.
Voting & Selection
Fan votes and judge scores determine which in-person teams advance to the live finals. Remote Open submissions are voted on the same day — a separate winner is crowned for the virtual track.
Final Four Concert
Winning teams perform the song they built during the week and compete for top honors.
YOUR SUPPORT
Workshops, mentors, and hands-on support from our partners - here to help you build something great.
Remote Intro Workshop
Jeff (Co-founder)Introduction to AI-assisted composition with Staccato - hands-on walkthrough of the platform.
Getting Your Music Distribution-Ready
RoEx TeamWorkshop on mixing and mastering for release, plus direct mentoring during the event.
How to Use Humanable
Humanable TeamIn-person session at Houston Station for human-track teams - learn the certification workflow.
Everything You Need to Know About IP
Paul McGrady (Co-founder & IP Attorney)Intellectual property deep-dive at Houston Station - protecting your work in the age of AI.
Creative Talk / Workshop
Vltra VioletCreative session exploring the intersection of art, music, and technology.
Jake Handy
Senior Product Manager at Vobile / Pex
Virtual, 1hr/day
Jonathan Wyner
Head of Artistic Technology Initiatives at Berklee College of Music
Virtual, 1hr/day
Marissa DeVito
Music Industry Consultant
Virtual, 1hr/day
Rithik Kundu
General Partner at Joker Deck
Virtual, 2hr/day
Live session musicians on demand - Musiversal product support available for every team throughout the week.
Platform support for participants throughout the event - hands-on help with AI-native music production.
Distribution support plus free distribution on the ONCE platform after participants create their song.
YOUR TOOLS
Hybrid-track teams get access to cutting-edge AI tools from our partners. Humans-track artists? You already have everything you need.
Competing in the Humans track?
You don't need any of the tools below. Bring your voice, your instrument, your DAW — whatever you already use to make music. The Humans track exists to prove that raw talent and craft can stand toe-to-toe with AI-assisted production. Show up and prove it.
Music Flamingo
NVIDIANVIDIA's multimodal music model for deep music understanding, reference-track analysis, and faster creative iteration. Hybrid teams can pair it with in-studio DGX Spark access for serious local AI compute, low-latency workflows, and private experimentation during the event.
VocalNet
Session LoopsReal-time vocal processing and synthesis powered by deep learning.
Voice Swap
Voice Swap AITransform your voice into any artist style with state-of-the-art voice conversion.
Staccato AI
StaccatoTurn raw ideas and prompts into MIDI sequences ready for your DAW.
Songscription
SongscriptionAutomatically transcribe any audio track into professional sheet music.
LANDR Studio Pro
LANDRMastering, distribution, plugins, samples, and collaboration tools in one platform. Participants can use LANDR to polish mixes, prep releases, and move faster from draft to finished track during the event.
RoEx
RoExAI-powered mixing and mastering that understands your sonic intent.
Veena Studio
VeenaAn interactive, browser-based DAW built for collaborative music creation.
Aiode
AiodeAI-native music production platform — create, arrange, and produce with intelligent tools that keep you in the creative driver's seat. All participants receive 1 month of Aiode Pro free.
Musiversal
MusiversalReal-time collaboration with world-class session musicians — available on demand throughout the week.
WHAT YOU'RE PLAYING FOR
The grand prize is fixed. Everything else is pulled live from confirmed sponsor, partner, and mentor profiles.
Winning Teams Only
Grand Prize Stack
Win your track and artist level, then go head-to-head at the Final Four Concert for these prizes.
Santa Cruz Guitar
Grand Prize — in-person finalists only
Six Month Aiode Pro Subscription
Aiode
Winner Social Spotlight
Aiode
Aiode Pro (Winner Prize)
Aiode
1-Year Bounce.fm Subscription
Bounce LLC - $1,500
Music Tectonics Conference Pass
Music Tectonics - $500
Musiversal Unlimited Subscriptions
Musiversal
VocalNet NFR Codes
Session Loops - $1,000
Lifetime Pro Licence
Staccato
Three-month Pro subscriptions
Staccato
For Every Participant
Perks & Subscriptions
LISTENTO Access
Every registered participant receives access to Audiomovers LISTENTO — professional-grade real-time audio streaming for remote collaboration during the event.
Audiomovers
2 Months of LANDR Studio Pro
2 months of LANDR Studio Pro for participants. Valid for the first 225 redemptions and expires January 1, 2027. Redemption details are available in the participant dashboard.
LANDR
Free 1-Month Platform Access
One month of free Recoupable platform access for every participant.
Recoupable
One-month Pro subscription
FREE one-month Pro subscription per participant. Use coupon code at checkout: 1FREE2026
Staccato
Products
Free Veena Subscriptions, and a chance to showcase your music through our social media
Veena
15 prizes live from partner profiles
GET INVOLVED
Whether you're a creator, industry expert, or forward-thinking brand, there's a place for you at the Make-A-Thon.
Artists & Teams
The competition is underway. Registered artists can access their dashboard, submit their final track, and view the full event schedule.
Judges & Mentors
Shape tomorrow's music industry by evaluating cutting-edge innovation.
Join the PanelSponsors & Partners
Gain visibility, access emerging talent, and support ethical AI in music.
Partner With UsTHE COMPETITION IS LIVE.
Six days. One song. Follow the artists, cast your votes, and see who takes it home. The stage is set — now the crowd decides.