A room and a coach
Every writing room is led by an accomplished coach with the time and setup to chase ideas down — no pitch brief, no client notes, just the song in front of you.
Cutting Edge Songwriters Camp
Invitation-only songwriters camp at the InterContinental New Orleans.
How it works
Built around the song
No panels to sit through, no showcase to win. You get a room, a group and the time to finish something you're proud to put your name on.
Time to actually write
Eight standing blocks across the week. Lyrics, tempo, key, and takes are captured as you go so the work doesn't disappear after the session ends.
Demos cut on site
Our producers track your song while it's still warm. Bring nothing but the work — the room is already set up.
Play it Saturday
One night, every group, the song as it was written. A room full of people who know what it took.
Your camp, in one place
From the first morning to the last song
This portal walks with you through the whole week. Check in, meet the people in your orbit, know exactly where to be, and keep every idea, lyric, take, and split sheet where you can find it — so nothing gets lost between Wednesday and Saturday.
1
Check in and confirm your spot
Open the invitation, confirm you're here for the full run, and step into the camp. Once you're in, your schedule, your group, your coach, and your song notes are all in one place.
- One-time code sign in — no passwords to lose
- Everything you need, nothing you don't
✦Cutting EdgeInvitation
You’re invited
A room is being
held for you.
Four days. One coach, three writers, one song you own a quarter of.
First question
Can you be in the room all four days?
Rooms are held for confirmed writers only. Say yes and your profile opens next.
Yes, I’ll be thereI can’t make it
What happens next
ConfirmToday
Build your profilePhoto · story · PRO
Meet your groupCoach + 3 writers · 25% each
2
Show up as yourself
Drop in your photo, your story, what you play, and your PRO. The people you write with this week will know who you are before the first session starts, and your credits are already on record when the song is done.
- Photo, bio, craft, and PRO in one profile
- Split agreement handled before the first write
✦My profileComplete
Writer · 2026
Sysia DaNae
Songwriter · New Orleans
In her words
“I’m a songwriter and artist who views storytelling as my primary instrument. Long before I step up to a mic, the story is already written.”
Craft
PopR&BSoulJazz
Instruments
VocalsTopline
Split agreementSigned
PROBMI · IPI on file
Works registered3
3
Know your room, know your people
Your schedule lives here — every block, every room, every start time. You'll see your coach, your co-writers, and the producers tracking demos, so the whole week stays clear and nobody's guessing where to be.
- Session-by-session schedule, updated live
- Coaches, writers, and producers in one view
✦My groupAlgiers A
Room A · Morning
Your room for the week.
Wed – Fri · 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM · Yamaha keyboard in room.
Four in a room
Weston McGowen
Coach · writes on the song
Charles McAllister
Songwriter · Hip-Hop, R&B
Sysia DaNae
Songwriter · Vocals
+125%
Fourth seat
Assigned by the camp desk
Splits
Even four-way credit — 25 / 25 / 25 / 25. Agreed before the first line, signed in-app, exported as a PDF split sheet the moment the demo is cut.
4
Catch every idea as it lands
Lyrics save themselves as you write. Tap the tempo, name the key, hit record the second the hook lands. Every take, every alternate line, and every voice memo stays with the song — the working record of how it was made, and proof of who made it.
- Key, tempo, lyrics, and clips in one living sheet
- Protected to your group and ready for registration
✦Song notesSaved
Algiers A · Morning
Meet Me on St. Charles
Takes
1:04
0:42
Hook idea · take 3
Meet Me on St. Charles
The week
Wednesday to Saturday: write, demo, play
Everyone in one room
Introductions, how the week runs, then groups head straight into the first write.
Writing blocks
Rooms all day. Ideas get chased down, hooks get earned, and a song starts to hold its shape.
Finish and track
Last lines land, arrangements settle, and our producers cut the demo in-house.
The Song Expo
Every room plays the song it wrote, live on the Broadside Stage, for the camp and invited guests.
Your corner
Led by accomplished writers and producers
Eight coaches, one to a room. They run the session, write on the song, and bring years of credits to the table with you.
Weston McGowen
Paul Sanchez
Leslie Smith
Natalie Price
Lou Hill
Remington Rafael
Sue Ford
Travis Marc
Presented with support from
Our partners
Alongside
The 34th Cutting Edge Music Business Conference
The camp runs inside the conference week — the panels, the showcases and the people who sign the songs, all in the same building.
cuttingedgenola.comNeed to know
Questions
An invitation-only writing camp in New Orleans, run alongside the 34th Cutting Edge Music Business Conference. Small rooms, real co-writes, a demo of the work, and a Saturday night showcase.
August 26–30, 2026 at the InterContinental New Orleans, 444 St Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130.
Invited writers, eight coaches and our producers, plus the camp desk.
No. Nothing here is judged or ranked. It's a week of writing with people you'll want to keep writing with.
Your private camp link is unique to you — don't forward it. You can also sign in with your email and we'll send a one-time code.
Check spam and promotions, then request a new one. The last few codes stay valid, so an older email still works.
Every writing room has a Yamaha keyboard with multi-instrument presets. Wednesday and Thursday are for structure, melody and topline — capture scratch vocals as a voice memo on your phone and let the demo wait for Friday. If the song works with one voice and one instrument, it will work anywhere.
Four people per group: one coach and three writers. The coach leads the room, but everyone in it is a songwriter on the song.
Eight writing sessions across the week. Welcome and orientation, the demo rounds and the Song Expo are not counted as sessions.
Your group takes a room for the block and writes. That's it — no deliverable beyond the song.
Every group is an even split across the four people in the room — 25/25/25/25 — coach included, since the coach writes too.
Our producers, during the demo rounds. You don't need to bring gear.
Saturday night on the Broadside Stage — every group performs the song they wrote that week for the whole camp and invited guests. A celebration, not a contest.
Email the camp desk at nola.nascompetition@gmail.com and we'll fix it.
Invitation only
Already invited?
Use your private camp link, or sign in with the email on your roster entry and we'll send a one-time code.