Finish that song!

Yet another songwriting challenge? We already have FAWM, RPM, 50/90, Rocktober, Noisevember, NaSoAlMo...

... but this one is different. Finish That Song is about working on songs you started some other time, but haven't brought to a state where you would call them finished yet. It's about completing that set of lyrics that is still missing a verse, or setting those lyrics that you wrote two years ago to music, finally, or recording a demo for a song where you have concept of the music but no audio tracks on your harddisk yet, or converting that super-dirty one-take demo into a more polished production.

When does it run?

What's a challenge without a deadline? Finish That Song runs from June 5th, 2021, noon (GMT) to July 4th, 2021, noon (GMT).

How do I participate?

There's no central platform for this challenge, so I suggest you just use the hashtag #FinishThatSong on Mastodon and present your songs there. If you have a blog, you're welcome to talk about your progress there, but be sure to also tweet/toot the link with the hashtag #FinishThatSong.

Here's what I suggest:

  1. Pick some unfinished works that you want to commit to finishing.
  2. Optional, but probably helpful: Specify what defines "finished" for you. One person's "finished" is another's rough demo!
  3. Post the titles or a very short description (one line, maybe up to something 20 words) if you don't have a title yet.
  4. Talk about your progress during the month.
  5. If you want to, post finished stuff to some place where others can listen to it.

What are the rules?

  1. Original songs only. Do not post songs that were not written by you. Collaborating with fellow participants is not only allowed, but encouraged!
  2. Be supportive towards fellow participiants.
  3. Previously unreleased material only. This is about getting unfinished material ready for (or closer to) publishing, so as a rule, I suggest that you stick to stuff you haven't published yet.
  4. Have fun. This challenge isn't about making a fully-produced hit album in one month. It's about giving your own work the love it deserves. Go slow, take good care of yourself and uplift your fellow artists!

Can I win anything?

Yes! Fun, artistic growth, connections with fellow creatives, new ideas, finished songs and much more. Oh, you mean material stuff? Sorry, nope.

Who's behind this?

This is an idea of the_emergent aka @draco@sonomu.club.