The Power of Protest Music Contest

Posted on Oct 12, 2011

Flickr/Dani Canto (CC-BY-SA)

Celebrated guitarist and all-around musical force Ry Cooder with one of his chosen instruments in 2009.

It’s over! Thanks to all who entered—and check out the Truthdig newsletter for contest results:

Here at the Truthdig office, we’ve been listening a lot to Ry Cooder’s new album, “Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down.” With songs like “No Banker Left Behind,” which was inspired by a column by our own Robert Scheer, the album is refreshingly political, with roots in the tradition of protest music.

That, along with the Occupy Wall Street protests springing up across the land, got us thinking. From Woody Guthrie to Public Enemy, America has no shortage of political music, and we want to know your favorite protest song. Would you rather march to “Give Peace a Chance” or “Killing in the Name”? How about the “Vietnam Rag”?

Maybe you have a personal story that goes with yours, or maybe it’s an oldie but still relevant to what’s going on today. There are no wrong answers! Drop us a comment, a tweet or a Facebook post to let us know your super song and why.

We’ll publish our favorites at the end of the contest and one winner will get a copy of Ry Cooder’s new album on vinyl (including a CD, of course), courtesy of Nonesuch Records, along with his new book, “Los Angeles Stories,” courtesy of City Lights Publishers (click here to read an excerpt).

The contest ends October 28th! There are three ways to enter:

• Post a comment below

• Post a comment on our Facebook contest page at Facebook.com/Truthdig

• Submit your song on Twitter. To qualify, your Tweet must mention @Truthdig and include the hashtag #powerofprotest

And remember to sign up for our newsletter to see if you’ve won:

Full Rules: Power of Protest Music Contest

The sponsor of this promotion is Truthdig, located at 1158 26th Street, #443, Santa Monica, CA 90403 (“Sponsor”). The promotion begins on Oct. 11, 2011, and ends on Oct. 28, 2011. The prizes are one (1) copy of Ry Cooder’s new album on vinyl (including a CD), courtesy of Nonesuch Records, and one (1) copy of Ry Cooder’s new book, “Los Angeles Stories,” courtesy of City Lights Publishers.

To enter the promotion, the entrant must submit a favorite political song through Oct. 28 using one of the following methods:

• Post a comment here
• Post a comment on our Facebook contest page at Facebook.com/Truthdig
• Submit your entry on Twitter. To qualify, the tweet must mention @Truthdig and include the hashtag #powerofprotest.

Entry will apply to the drawing held at the Sponsor’s discretion and winners will be announced in the Truthdig newsletter. 

One winner will be selected from the entries chosen by the editor during the promotion. Sponsor will notify the winner via email. If a winner does not respond within fourteen (14) days, he or she will forfeit the Prize and another winner will be randomly chosen.

No purchase is necessary to enter or win. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Truthdig Power of Protest Music Giveaway is open only to entrants who are at least thirteen (13) years old at the time of entry. By participating in this promotion, entrants agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor from any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the promotion.

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