Since the Eurovision Song Contest began in 1956 and until semi-finals were introduced in 2004, a total of 917 entries were submitted, comprising songs and artists which represented thirty-eight countries. The contest, organised by the European Broadcasting Union (also known as EBU), is held annually between members of the Union, with participating broadcasters from different countries submitting songs to the event and casting votes to determine the most popular in the competition. From an original seven participating countries in the first edition, over twenty entries were submitted into the competition in the early 2000s, before the contest started expanding more rapidly in 2004.