We've had a slightly crazy and fun idea, something fun the independent music community here could all get behind, it goes a little something like this…
Introducing - The Album Writing Club: A songwriting exposé by Lights And Lines.
In May this year we're laying down the challenge to independent musicians everywhere. Can you record an album, or an EP, in a month?
We see this as a community event and we’re creating a space where people can share thoughts, ideas, progress, challenges, successes etc. as they write and record their album. The idea is to work together, document progress and processes, learn from each other, and create some brand new beautiful music at the same time.
And to make it a little more interesting we're adding a 'Best in Show' award which comes with a very special prize. More on that later.
Mentors
To help guide you through The Album Writing Club we're gathering together a group of selected group of people we regard as of key influencers, mentors, and champions of the independent music scene. Alongside our Label Manager, Mike, this diverse team will be available at different points in the month to answer questions and offer opinions where required.
So far we're enlisting an independent radio station owner, a legendary reviewer of new independent releases, an established and award winning songwriter and blogger, and an independent Artist Manager working with some very cool bands and labels across the world.
At the end of the month we're going to ask this top team to rate their favourite entries, and combine the results with an audience vote to pick a winner...
What does the winner get?
We'd be lying if we said this is all about the competition... it's not really... but it's definitely an incentive for some to have something to aim for. So here's the deal.
We will talk about and share all of the entries with friends, fans, radio stations, and our friends in the press. And we'll pick one winner, a 'Best In Show' album created in May.
The winner will get their album released on CD through Lights And Lines, it'll be sent out to all of our subscribers and available for the general public to buy through our Bandcamp page. We'll market it like any other release, and we'll pay you fairly giving you the exact same deal as we give all of our artists. For more information on our deals, please ask.
This is cool, what do I do?
For now - nothing! We're working on several things in the background to make this happen so all you need to do is think about what you might want to do in May and watch this space for updates on how to register.
Maybe you want to start thinking about some initial ideas, or dust off some half written songs. Perhaps you want to collaborate with others or ask people to contribute to certain songs? Have a think, and we'll let you know what's coming next very soon!