Road to the Stars Music Contest:
Starting February 10, 2026 dBu Ranch Recorders in conjunction with All Things Music in Valley Center will be launching an all new music contest, “Road to the Stars.” Music students living within the Valley Center zip code (92082) will be given the opportunity to compete against each other for the chance to record a song at dBu Ranch Recorders under the guidance of Grammy winning music Producer/Engineer Dusk Bennett.
This contest’s objectives are to demonstrate to the winning participants the value of historic recording techniques, the importance of working as a team player in a fast paced musically collaborative situation, the skill of creating useful musical content within a commercial production environment, and ultimately the development of a deeper appreciation of music mastery.
The Process:
Each student (or ensemble/band) will be invited to submit one homemade musical recording for consideration per cycle. The quality of the recording is NOT important, only that the recording demonstrates that the student or ensemble can perform their song live without overdubbing.
Upon the close of submissions by midnight March 10th, the judges will review each project and select the semi-finalists who will be notified via email before March 16th. Each semi-finalist will be invited to perform their song live in front of an audience at All Things Music in Valley Center on March 26th at 6:30PM. At that competition a finalist will be selected by the judges and meet with Dusk Bennett to schedule rehearsals afterwards.
The Contest Rules:
Student (or ensemble/band) must have submitted any material for consideration prior to their 20th birthday and be able to competently perform that song in front of a live audience.
For copyright reasons original or public domain material is required.
Student (or ensemble/band) must be participating in or be enrolled in a music class or lessons at the time of the submission.
Submissions must be uploaded before midnight March 10th and submitted in mp3/mp4/AAC format. Submissions shall be uploaded to https://forms.gle/o996aiGeJ1S4E7j37
Selected students (or ensemble/band) MUST be present at the All Things Music Semi-Finals event on March 26 at 6:30PM in order to compete to win. Failure to attend will disqualify the student or ensemble for that contest cycle.
Winning student or ensemble will be granted up to 10 hours of session time at dBu Ranch Recorders to setup, track, and mix their single under the direction of Dusk Bennett. Mastering will be provided offsite by Warren Sokol of WRS Mastering.
The winning student or ensemble will record only the final submission. No substitutions are permitted. dBu Ranch Recorders will monitor the pre-production process with the student(s) and only schedule the session when they appear to be prepared to complete the session in one full day. (Onsite photography is encouraged)
Students under the age of 18 will need to provide their parents written consent to participate in the the contest and will need at least one parent or guardian available at the session.
Student(s) must make reasonable efforts to complete the recording process within 6 months of the semi-final event.
Upon completion of the project, the artist will retain all IP rights and the masters to the recording, but grants dBu Ranch Recorders and its related production entities the perpetual right to share, distribute, and/or broadcast completed content for promotional purposes as necessary and agrees to sign a General Release upon completion to such effect.
All contest participants agree to a General Release allowing dBu Ranch Recorders and its related production entities the right to use their content and likeness for promotional purposes and to further share, distribute, and/or broadcast such content in perpetuity.
Each submission is subject to a $20.00 fee.
Note: Students who are not selected are encouraged to reapply in subsequent rounds. Semi-finalists who do not win may receive a score card from the judges on what could be improved to assist subsequent submissions.