Rules & Scoring

Nine Cubes offers a unique contest for music lovers to challenge each other. Fans of bands that feature deep song catalogs and setlists that are unique for each performance have long played various varieties of 'pick the setlist' games. Nine Cubes translates the basic 'call the song' guessing game into a skilled competition by incorporating game formats from daily fantasy sports.

What sets Nine Cubes apart from other 'call the song' games is the salary cap format and scoring system. Each song is treated like a sports player, and just like in daily fantasy sports is assigned a salary based on their past scoring statistics. Each "team" entered into a contest is subject to the same salary cap, regardless of entry fee. When you enter the contest, you must draft a "team" of songs, while keeping their combined salary under the total salary cap assigned to each entry.

This format creates two major elements that make the game fun and exciting. First of all, every song is available to each player. Unlike many games where once one player picks a song, other players can no longer select it, at Nine Cubes, each song is available to be picked in any lineup.

The salary cap also prevents players from simply filling out their team with the most likely to be played songs. Since the songs that score the most have higher salaries, the salary cap forces entries to include some songs with lower salaries to "afford" a combined team. Additionally, with bonus points for drafting songs that have not been recently played by the band, the incentive to pick lesser-played songs becomes magnified.

The scoring categories add another layer of depth to the game and combine with the salaries to create a wide variety of potentially successful strategies. Each song receives points for simply being played. In addition, songs are awarded bonus points for their placement in the setlist as well as a variety of other factors.

Once you have a handle on the basics of the salary cap/salary draft format and the scoring rules, putting a "team" together is a snap. Simply pick the event/contest you're interested in, and select the 9 songs you think are going to score the most points while staying under the cap. You can assemble a line-up in less than a minute and have action all night long while the band busts out your favorite tunes.

Once the show starts, your team starts racking up points as songs get played. You are competing against other players and their selections, not against "the house", and your scores are compared only to the other scores in your contest. Highest score wins, and in contests with larger player pools, prizes will be paid out to multiple positions based on high score.

The draft/salary format creates an intriguing battle of wits. Knowledge of the band's catalog, song performance rotation and placement patterns, and many other nuances of the band's live performances will provide competitors with the best chance to win. Like all the best games, this one is simple to learn and takes a lifetime to master.

The draft system is designed to make the game fun and exciting as well as challenging to master. It is based on a salary cap and song salary system.

Each entry into any contest is assigned a Salary Cap. The Salary Cap is not real money, rather is a fictional limitation on the "cost" or value of the songs you pick for your team. Every entry into a contest features the same salary cap regardless of entry fee. Each available song in the pool is assigned a salary. Like sports statistics, each song has past stats that predict the song's probable scoring. Songs are assigned salaries based on these statistics. In order to draft a team, all position slots must be filled, with the total salary remaining at or under the salary cap.

Each lineup features "positions" for songs and quantity requirements for each position within the drafted lineup. In many contests, they will feature two positions - Original Song and Cover Song. Other positions may be available in specific contests. Song positions will be noted in the draft pool, and all positional determinations are at the sole discretion of Nine Cubes.

When entering a contest, each player is presented with the entire pool of songs to choose from. All songs are available to all players, and every player in the contest can draft any song they choose regardless of the picks of other players.

Each band features a unique set of scoring criteria tailored to their song catalog and performance style. A baseline score is given to each song played, with bonus points based on specific criteria about the song's performance. Example criteria might be a bonus for the song being played to open a set, the song being played during the encore, or a song that the band hasn't played in a long time. Please view the scoring page associated with a specific contest for details on scoring criteria and point bonuses.

In the event that the same song is played multiple times, the "Song Played" score for that song will only be credited once no matter how many times the song is performed during the concert. The song will however be eligible to receive setlist placement bonus points for any slot it is performed in. For example, if Phish plays Tweezer Reprise as the show opener and then plays it again during the encore, it will only receive the "Song Played" score once, but would receive bonus points for the Set Opener placement as well as the bonus points for Encore placement.

Definitions for current scoring categories are as follows:

Please note that the show gap bonus scoring is cumulative, with 2 points awarded for each group of 25 shows since it has last been played. For example, a song that has not been played in 27 shows will receive the 2 point bonus, while a song not played in 110 shows will receive the bonus 4 times, for a total of 8 points.

Length Bonuses - For bands who jam it out, songs can rack up bonus points for being extended to certain lengths. The length of the entire song is counted towards the timing, and the specific time criteria varies by band.

Like the Show Gap Bonus, the Length Bonus is cumulative. A song that goes longer than 25 minutes will receive both the 17+ minute bonus and the 25+ minute bonus. In order to qualify for the length bonus, the song must be performed for 17 consecutive minutes. The band going into a different song "resets" the clock should they return to the original song later in the show.

Please note that recordings that feature track times are not applicable for Nine Cubes scoring purposes, as these track times typically include crowd noise/applause or banter from the musicians. Nine Cubes scoring is based solely on the length of the actual music/song, and is timed independently by our official scoring team.

For reference, the scoring format for Phish is as follows:

All scoring criteria is determined solely by Nine Cubes. Scoring decisions may not match setlist details created by other sources.

While there are some free-to-enter contests available, the majority of contests feature an entry fee. The entry fee will be deducted from your account balance upon entering the contest. At the conclusion of the contest, each winning player will be paid out their prize in accordance with the prize structure associated with the specific contest.

Nine Cubes features a variety of prize structures to satisfy players who enjoy all types of play styles. Head-to-Head games feature a one-on-one contest where the winner takes the entire prize pool. Larger league formats can feature a large prize to first place with decreasing payouts for decreasing placement position. Large contests can also feature a "flat payout" or "double-up" structure, where for example, 100 players would enter, with the top 50 scoring players each receiving an identical prize.

Please view the details for the specific contest to see the specific payout structure.

Due to the nature of the draft system, it is possible for two or more players to draft identical line-ups. It is also possible that in spite of having different line-ups, two or more players in a contest could amass the exact same score. In either case, the players would be determined to have tied. In the event of a tie, all prizes earned among the tied slots shall be added together and divided evenly among the tied players. For example, a contest features $10 to 1st place, $8 to 2nd place, $7 to 3rd place, and $6 to 4th place. If three players tie for the 2nd highest score, we would add the 2nd place, 3rd place, and 4th prizes together ($21 total) and divide evenly among the 3 players to award $7 to each player. The next highest scoring player would receive the 5th place prize.

To maximize the excitement during a live concert, a real-time scoring page is available. This allows players to watch their scores increase in real time as their songs get played.

Please be aware that the live scoring is for demonstration purposes only. After the event has concluded, the setlist and associated scoring will be double-checked for accuracy and altered if needed. Scores, player positioning, and the official scoring are subject to change during this time. While the live scoring will be accurate for the majority of contests, the live scoring page and results shown during live scoring are not binding. The contest and scores are finalized by Nine Cubes after the conclusion of the concert. After the contest has been finalized, prizes shall be awarded based on the player's final positions. At this time, results and scores are binding and cannot be altered.