Guitar player wanted - must know math and have wooden table

I came across an ad for a contest being run by a guitar company and decided to check out their website: http://godinguitars.com/playthisad_complete_rules.htm

@Contest Rules said:

- Entrants must create a new original video of a musical performance that was recorded specifically for this contest.
- The performance video must contain the chord progression from ONE of the three (3) Godin ‘Play This Ad’ advertisements. The entrant may arrange the chords in any order, but must utilize all the chords from the progression chosen - and JUST those chords!

Let's take a look at what we have to work with: http://godinguitars.com/playthisad_ads.htm

Of course mere pictures aren't good enough. We need a pdf of a picture. On a wooden table.

So, back to the rules: @Contest Rules said:

- A judging panel of industry professionals will deliberate to determine the winner
- Entrants will be evaluated according to the following judgement criteria:
- Performance
- Composition & Melody
- Originality/Creativity
- Technical Skill

- The entrant with the top score will be named the winner. In the event of a tie, the judging panel will deliberate to break the tie. The panel’s decision will be final.
- The winner will be notified by email. If the winner does not reply within 48 hours, or if the winner notification is returned as undeliverable, the prize will be forfeited and offered to the Entrant who received the next highest score, based on the judging criteria. This process will be repeated until a winner has been confirmed.

OK. It all seems pretty standard and straight forward. But then there is this: @Contest Rules said:

-The winner will need to answer a skill-testing question prior to the prize being awarded, as follows: (2 × 6) + (10 × 3) =

What "skill" are we testing here? Did I miss the story about spambots who can make videos of themself playing the guitar?

Extra Bonus: Your video must be uploaded to YouTube and you enter the contest by sending them a link to your YouTube video.

Lorne Kates

@El_Heffe said:

-The winner will need to answer a skill-testing question prior to the prize being awarded, as follows: (2 × 6) + (10 × 3) =
What "skill" are we testing here? Did I miss the story about spambots who can make videos of themself playing the guitar?

Legal requirement that stems from stupid anti-gambling laws. You can't have games of chance, only skill. So there's always a simple mathmatical question for the winner to prove their skills-- and thus it is a prize awarded for skill.

The laws are a joke, and are this easily subverted. Have been for decades. It's at the point where it becomes more of a challange to the contest running-- how blatent or how cute can you be? If you're McDonalds, and have to legally have people answer a skill testing question to receive their free sammich from the Monopoly game-- you give them a piece of paper to fill out. The piece of paper says "What is (1+5) / (2*3). Put the, answer, "1", here: ______".

Or if you're, say, the radio station Edge 102, you say "What is ((50 * 4) / 2) + 2".

RTapeLoadingError

@Lorne Kates said:

Legal requirement that stems from stupid anti-gambling laws. You can't have games of chance, only skill.

Isn't the part where the entrants create an original musical performance video considered skill based? I can't play the guitar so I wouldn't have a chance of winning by luck.

Weng

@RTapeLoadingError said:

Isn't the part where the entrants create an original musical performance video considered skill based? I can't play the guitar so I wouldn't have a chance of winning by luck.

Probably paranoia. God knows the government could arbitrarily decide that subjective rankings are not enough. Hell, I'd bet there's actually case law about it if gambling were legal

blakeyrat

What region/state/country/whatever has laws like this?

That's weird as hell. I've never encountered it in Washington State or nearby.

Lorne Kates

@Weng said:

@RTapeLoadingError said:
Isn't the part where the entrants create an original musical performance video considered skill based? I can't play the guitar so I wouldn't have a chance of winning by luck.
Probably paranoia. God knows the government could arbitrarily decide that subjective rankings are not enough. Hell, I'd bet there's actually case law about it if gambling were legal

It also stems from the "No Purchase Necessary" clause. A contest can't be restricted to only those who bought a product. Usually this comes in the form of mailing in a SASE to get a contest piece or whatever. More often than not, the cost of 2 stamps far exceeds the cost of "entering"-- two stamps is, like, $1.60? A small fries at McD is less than that.

So, in theory, even if the contest itself COULD be interpreted as a skill contest, it is still possible to enter it without any skill. And let's say the judges decided to break a tie by coin flip? OMG GAMBLING! But as long as the contest is a MIX of luck and skill, it is suddenly OK again.

It is "a hack of the Canada's legal code"

Lorne Kates

@blakeyrat said:

What region/state/country/whatever has laws like this?

Canada. Sorry.

Ben L.

@Lorne Kates said:

@blakeyrat said:
What region/state/country/whatever has laws like this?
Canada.

@Lorne Kates said:

Sorry.

Canada.

Lorne Kates:
Sorry.

@Ben L. said:

@Lorne Kates said:
@blakeyrat said:
What region/state/country/whatever has laws like this?
Canada.
@Lorne Kates said:
Sorry.
Canada.
Lorne Kates:
Sorry.

i am pirating canadian comics!