Songs from Scratch Vol. 2: Rules and FAQ
Show off your own songwriting skills as part of Songs from Scratch. Record yourself, your friends and family, or your band's version of your song inspired by MPR's Songs from Scratch Vol. 2 project. Then upload your audio or video for others to see.
Upload the digital audio file or video to our Minnesota Music group on Gather.com.
Make sure your audio is clear enough to hear, and clean -- no adding swears.
Selected songs will be featured on the Songs from Scratch project page on Minnesota Public Radio's Web site, and others will be listed.
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If you have questions about this project, and recording audio, peruse our FAQ below. If all else fails, contact us.
SONGS FROM SCRATCH VOL. 2 FAQ
If you'd like to submit a song to MPR for our Songs from Scratch project, here are the answers to some frequently asked questions.
How long can my song be?
As long as you'd like it to be. But Gather's file upload limit is 100 mb, so if your audio or video file is bigger than that, you'll have to aim for a remix that tightens the work!
When is the deadline?
The deadline for submissions is Thursday, July 31, 2008.
Can I send my song through e-mail or snail mail?
Sorry, no. The only way to share your entry is in our group on Gather. We're using Gather to host the audio/video and to allow interaction and sharing (embedding) of your song.
How do I do this?
Steps:
1) Write a song inspired by "The Wizard of Oz," and use the four lines of lyrics written by Adam Levy.
2) Join our Minnesota Music group at Gather.com.
3) Publish your audio or video file to the group.
You can publish either audio or video up to 100 megabytes.
Audio formats: wav and mp3
Video formats: avi, mpg, mpeg, mov, wmv and asf
I'm having technical trouble. Who should I contact?
Use MPR's Web form to contact us. We can help you or direct you to the correct person who can assist you.
Do I really have to use the story idea or Levy's lyrics? I was thinking...
Yes. You really have to use the lyrics and the story idea. It is a critical part of the project. The rules we gave the bands are simple: Create a song inspired by "The Wizard of Oz" and use Adam Levy's lyrics in some way. Use your imagination to wrap a song together. Try it out and see what happens.
More importantly, you can also let us know what process you used and how you arrived at the finished song. Why did you work with the words the way you did? How did it turn out? When you upload your song, you can tell us about your experience in the caption field.
Where will my song appear?
It will be published on Gather.com, as long as it complies with Gather's Terms of Service. You'll be able to embed the file on your site or send it to friends.
MPR plans to feature some of the songs on the Web site as part of the project, but we're not required to. So make sure your audio file is clear, swear-free, and fully working.
Can I release my version of this song on my next album?
MPR grants permission for you to use the Songs from Scratch Vol. 2 song lyrics only for purposes of Songs from Scratch Vol. 2. Any other use of the lyrics requires a license.
Please contact the permissions coordinator at permissions@mpr.org or 651.290.1199 -- only if you have questions about rights to the music.
All other questions should be submitted through MPR's Web form.
