The RPM Challenge, a wide-reaching project that asks musicians the world over (and in every genre) to write an album in a month, starts up again Feb. 1 (that’s this Sunday). The concept — similar to the National Novel Writing Month — has grown immensely since the first Challenge in 2006, as more and more artists from around the globe have been participating each year. The RPM (which stands for “Record Production Month”) Web site has turned into its own supportive community, as artists share ideas on everything from writing (you are expected to write the album in a month, too — no cheating!) to recording. —-
Musicians are asked to write and record 10 songs or 35 minutes of original material, then send it to RPM HQ (the address is at the site). The songs (if you so choose) will be posted on the site’s “jukebox” for the world to hear and comment. Artists who sign up get their own page at rpmchallenge.com, where they can blog about their experience.
There are no fees and no prizes; it’s just a cool, interesting way to share music and ideas.
Below are more details about the project. Let us know if you participate and keep us posted. I will start a thread on the Music Town message boards where everyone can chime in. And check next week’s issue of CityBeat for a story about the Challenge and thoughts from some of last year’s local participants.
“The RPM Challenge is simple: record an album in 28 days, just because you can. That’s 10 songs or 35 minutes of original material, recorded during the month of February.
Such a simple challenge, with such electrifying results! Now in its fourth year, RPM (Record Production Month) is a volunteer-driven, grassroots creative challenge organized through the community site at www.rpmchallenge.com. It is not a contest and there are no winners or prizes or entry fees, just a fun challenge to independent musicians to set aside whatever obstacles are stopping them from making music, and get to work.
More than 5,000 groups from all seven continents have participated (yes, even Antarctica), and nearly 20,000 new songs have been uploaded into the free online jukebox at www.rpmchallenge.com. The event has been covered by NPR’s All Things Considered, by CNN and Slashdot and BoingBoing, and NPR’s All Songs Considered even spent a whole month featuring only RPM songs.
Here’s how the RPM Challenge works: Starting Feb. 1, all over the globe, amateurs and pros will be switching on synthesizers, firing up computers, tuning guitars and pressing “record.” During the month of February, creativity blossoms on the daily blogs and discussion boards, where musicians swap ideas, song fragments and insight into the creative process. The result is equally awesome for music fans: all RPM songs are collected in what we’re pretty sure is the world’s largest free jukebox, packed with personal, interesting and new music.
Then we celebrate! On Saturday, March 28, RPM participants in local communities get together to play a few tracks from each other’s CDs, meet each other, listen and cheer and have a really great time. No live performances – the listening parties are a deceptively simple and jubilant event. Last year, listening parties were held in Denver, St. Paul, Chicago, Seattle, Austin, St. John’s in Newfoundland, Portsmouth, N.H., and elsewhere. They can be one-coffee-shop events, or you can do what we do in Portsmouth and rent the 900-seat Music Hall, then take over the town and spread out to 6 simultaneous venues around town, all playing new local music and packed with local musicians who are both the stars and the audience at the same time.”
This article appears in Jan 21-27, 2009.
