How to Run a Music Remix Project

I wanted to present this excellent article regarding setting up and running a remix collaboration or contest. This completely applies to Second Life.
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How to run a Remix Project
A Remix Project is a Great Way to Promote Yourself and Your Music
If you are interested in running remix projects, the following should help you get started and get the most out of your remix project.

Full article by AritstServer.com

Remix Projects

Even if you aren't creating electronic music, running a remix project or simply allowing others to remix your music is a great way to promote your music and yourself as a band/artist. You may feel that your music isn't 'remixable,' but chances are, it is, remixing works across all genres.

There are many ways a remix project can function, but the most common is as follows. You write a song and record it, then you take the separate tracks from the recording and save them as WAV files, or convert them to high bit rate mp3 files. Be sure to not include effects, you'll want to make these files 'dry.' You now have a 'sample pack' which you can zip up w/ a 'ReadMe' file inside that contains copyright info and any rules about the project. Next, you upload the zipped up samples to a Web site, then get ready to do some promotion. After a period of time, you can select a winner, or just let the project play out for years. After the remix project is over, you should keep it online with all the songs. This way the project can continue to serve as a promotional tool for not only you, but also the artists who participate.

Preparing a Song for a Remix Project

While it is possible for people to take a completed/mixed song, lift their own samples from it, and create a remix, this isn't really remixing, it's sampling. In order to 're-mix,' an artist/producer needs access to the raw elements that were used to create the song (or anything else being remixed). The following is some information to help you prepare those raw elements so the remix artists have quality material to work with.

...Planning Your Remix Project:

Before you start, you should have a plan or reason for your remix project. Is this a new release you are promoting? Maybe the launch of a new collective? Possibly you are looking to get B-sides created for a 12in release? Or, maybe you just want to dive in to the whole remix, mashup and sample scene. Whatever the reason, your project may not go anywhere unless you actively promote it and have a plan. Web promotion ideas and methods is a whole different discussion, so we'll leave that out for now.

Before you do the promotion, setup your Remix project page or site. Artists with upgraded accounts at ArtistServer.com can create these in the My Account area of the site, under Music Projects.

This would be a good time to work out the 'terms and conditions' for our project. Be sure to define how the remix artist can use their remix, for example: can they post it online or on P2P networks, can they put it on their own CD, what will the copyright or Creative Commons license be for the remixes. Are there any rules as to how the remixes should be titled (some artists want their name in the song title). Don't try to dictate too much control though, you'll find that having these people promoting their own remixes creates another wave of promotion for you, possibly bigger than the one you created. At ArtistServer, we provide a general set of terms and conditions for you to start with, feel free to modify them how you like.

Once you have your promotion plan, the sample packs, and maybe even some banner ads created for your project, you'll be ready to announce the project on forums, blogs, your site, places that allow news releases posted about independent music, and fliers in your local clubs and appropriate stores. You'll want to include a link to your remix project Web page, so be sure to create your project before printing fliers.

read more | digg story

SpaceJunky on CNN & SLNN + the AcidPlanet Remix Contest

"Real Life/ Second Life band SpaceJunky's involvement [in SL] has resulted in Sony Creative Software's AcidPlanet hosting a remix contest for SpaceJunky's song Gravitational Pull. This is the same remix contest that they have hosted for artists [such as] Madonna, Lenny Kravitz, Nine Inch Nails and Black Eyed Peas."

In the band's unique tradition of involving fans as much as possible, SpaceJunky is asking SL residents to participate in the contest. The winner will have his/her name credited next to the song's remix title. AcidPlanet is offering other prizes as well.

Contestants need to create a remix of Space Junky's song, "Gravitational Pull." According to the AcidPlanet website, contestants don't need to have the Acid software to make the remix, but they suggest doing so because the software is easy to use. Additonally, contestants will need to download loops from the song, which are available on the AcidPlanet website once interest has been registered. After creating the remix, upload the song.

The contest closes on July 11. SpaceJunky will pick their favorite remix as the winner. Other favorite remixes will be broadcast during in-world performances; dates will be announced after the winner is picked.

According to the band's publicist, Bella Dutton, SpaceJunky chose to bring the contest to Second Life because of the band's own success here.

"It would be a good thing for all of Second Life to participate in," Dutton said. "There are a lot of talented people here."

Questions can be addressed via IM or notecard to Bella Dutton. Dutton is also the contact for requests to join the Alphacrew of Space Junky group for the latest news and updates about the band. For more information on Space Junky, visit the band's official web site, spacejunky.com.
The news clip that attracted Sony's attention can be found on cnn.com by clicking this link.
To enter into the remix contest, visit Sony's AcidPlanet Web Site.

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From www.SLNN.com
Space Junky Shares Real Life Success with Second Life Residents
Delaynie Barbosa (June 11, 2008) writes an article on the group which is mostly promotional info.
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Check out the latest news on the SpaceJunky HERE
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On a sidenote, Second Life is becoming a great connection for collaborations and remixes of music. Remix contests are making their way into Second Life more and more.
The first ever music remix contest in SL happened to be the one I arranged, and we ended with an awesome listening party and approximately 10 very cool submissions. Although I like to claim that I created the first ever remix contest in Second Life, there were many many musicians collaborating looong before me.. and they met in Second Life. In fact... my "remix contest" dissolved from a contest when all the contestants agreed to just split the winnings and congratulate everyone. But that was just the simple beginnings. Since then, we've had very cool remix projects from musicians like Lovespirals, Herbie Hancock, and now SpaceJunky. Meanwhile others are doing the remixing, such as Moshang Zhao releasing his album Asian Variations.

Second Life is VERY VERY COOL! I cannot say this enough. Musicians, artistic people, creative people, are coming together in Second Life, and making music together...and in many variable methods. Some are jamming live across the world through ninjam technology, while others are passing compositions back and forth to create final polished works. All this, very cool stuff.

http://www.spacejunkyinsl.blogspot.com/