Honda goes social with the Sounds of Civic songwriting contest

It seems all automakers are tapping the social-media networks these days. From the Ford Mustang Mayhem package to the Toyota Prius plural campaign, conventional wisdom is there's nothing a few thousand Facebook fans can't handle.

The latest automaker to hop the train is Honda, which is sponsoring a creative songwriting competition called the Sounds of Civic to mark the debut of the 2012 Honda Civic. The company is encouraging Facebook fans to submit and vote for original songs inspired by the 2012 Civic.

“We've seen a high crossover between Civic fans and music lovers. And with the launch of the 2012 Honda Civic, we saw a perfect opportunity to give our amazing fans a little bit of both,” said Steve Center, vice president of national marketing operations for Honda. “We know our talented fans will show off their skills and submit some great Civic-inspired tunes on our Facebook page.”

The first round of voting begins on June 6. The top eight finalists will each get $2,500 in music gear from Sam Ash Music Stores. The final winner will get a 2012 Honda Civic and will get to perform his or her song live at a 2011 Honda Civic tour date in Los Angeles.

Honda got the ball rolling with some established artists, including Maria Zouroudis, Julia Dales, Greg Holden, Madi Diaz and L.A. hip-hopper Free Will.

Go to Honda's Facebook page before June 5 to check out the submissions so far, then warm up your guitar strings and send in one of your own. The final votes will be counted on July 17.

By Jake Lingeman