The Song Search winner!

In a contest where the fans voted against the judges' favorites every single week, and where come-from-behind victories were the norm, it's fitting that Salon's inaugural Song Search contest should reach a dramatic conclusion.

The Main Drag maintained a narrow lead over Bishop Allen for most of the final week of voting. But then a voting surge over the weekend pushed Bishop Allen to victory with a final tally of 47 percent of the 131,392 votes cast, compared with the Main Drag's 37.4 percent. Hallelujah the Hills hung on for the third-place consolation prize, beating out Masonic by the scant margin of 7.7 percent to 7.6 percent. Or so it seemed.

Unfortunately, late in the day, some disappointing information pertaining to Bishop Allen came to our attention. In what was surely an oversight, the band's "Like Castanets" had been available for purchase online as part of an EP, and thus contravened the Song Search "Terms and Conditions," which specify that "the track must not be sold anywhere on the World Wide Web for the duration of this contest." We loved their song and enjoyed having the band take part in the contest, but we are nonetheless obligated to heed the rules that we set, and disqualify "Like Castanets" from the competition.

What all of that means is that the tens of thousands of fans who supported the Main Drag have reason to celebrate, as we're proud to announce that "A Jagged Gorgeous Winter" is the $5,000 grand-prize winner! Hallelujah the Hills and Masonic each win $1,000 for their second- and third-place finishes. Congratulations to all!

Grand prize:

"A Jagged Gorgeous Winter," the Main Drag

Runners-up:

"Hallelujah the Hills," Hallelujah the Hills

"End of Summer," Masonic

The Song Search team would like to thank the five finalists as well as the hundreds of other artists who took the time to submit their songs. We'd also like to thank everyone who voted and hope they feel they've heard some great new music over the past few months. We think we uncovered some cool stuff, and if the vote totals are any indication, you did too.

Keep your eyes on this space -- we have a feeling Song Search may be more than just a one-shot deal.