Artist Cup - 64 Artists

• The competition is played by 64 artists.
• Each artist has a manager responsible for registration and strategy.
• The manager picks a list of 8 songs from the artist, used throughout the whole campaign.

The manager sets 8 songs for the artist, in order of use (Song 1 through Song 8). The submitted order is final - it determines which song plays in each match of the campaign.

• The 64 artists are split into 16 groups of 4.
• Each artist faces the other three group members - 3 matches per artist.
• Scoring: win = 3 points, draw = 1 point, loss = 0 points.
• The 1st and 2nd place finishers in each group advance to the round of 32.

The song used in each match depends on the artist's match number in the competition - songs can't repeat.

Each matchup pairs one song from each artist. Fans vote for their favorite song. Votes are converted into goals on the scoreboard (per the edition's settings - e.g. 2 votes = 1 goal).

• Group stage: whoever has more goals wins. A tied score = 1 point for each artist.
• Knockout stage: there's no draw - if the goal score ties, whoever has more total votes wins (a "penalty shootout" tiebreak).

In case of a tie in the group table, the order of tiebreakers is:

1. Most points
2. Head-to-head (only for a tie between two artists)
3. Goal difference
4. Most goals scored
5. Number of wins
6. Coin toss

• Round of 32 (32 artists): 1st of Group A × 2nd of Group B, 1st of Group B × 2nd of Group A, and so on.
• Round of 16: the round-of-32 winners advance.
• Quarterfinals: the eight remaining artists play four matches.
• Semifinals: the four remaining artists play two matches.
• Final: the semifinal winners play for the title.
• 3rd Place Match: the semifinal losers play for third place.

A knockout match never ends in a draw. The tiebreak goes, in order:

1. Goal score - whoever has more goals wins.
2. Tied on goals: whoever has more total votes wins (penalty shootout).
3. Tied on votes too: the song with more Global 100 points wins.

The songs submitted at the start of the competition apply to the whole campaign. Not allowed:

• Swapping songs
• Changing the order
• Substitutions

The manager acts as the artist's coach. They need to decide:

• Front-load the biggest hits in the group stage to secure qualification.
• Save strong songs for the decisive phases.
• Balance the lineup with the whole campaign in mind.

A song used early can secure a spot, but a song saved for the final can be decisive in winning the title. That's why the song order matters as much as the picks themselves.