The RPM Challenge – Can You Make An Album In A Month?

RPM Challenge

The RPM Challenge – an annual event where you compete against procrastination to complete an album of music in one month – is on.

Here’s how it works:

  • Recording can only be done in the month of February – no prerecorded songs.
  • All material must be previously unreleased, and we encourage you to write the material during February too.
  • Participating bands get their own page on the site, which you can blog to as much as you want. You also get access to the band-only discussion board, where you can swap ideas, resources, etc., and the ability to e-mail and private message with the other participants.
  • All the completed albums may be put up in the jukebox on the website so people can check it out; conversely, if you’d rather not share your work with the public, then no one needs to hear it but us.
  • Write some instrumentals, split up the songwriting duties amongst band members, form an RPM side project, write songs on the piano or clarinet instead of your primary instrument, make that metal album you’ve always wanted to – buy a ukulele! Just do your best to make the best album you can. Be unafraid.

If any Synthtopia readers are taking part in the RPM Challenge, or if you just use it as inspiration to finish your album, leave a comment to let us know about it – or to just pimp your new album!

21 thoughts on “The RPM Challenge – Can You Make An Album In A Month?”

  1. Funnily enough this is exactly what I'm doing at the moment – I'm trying to finish my new cd…and it will be done in a month as I have a ballet that I've scored premiering at the beginning of March and I felt I should use any publicity generated by that to try and promote a cd…I've already started on it though, so I'd be inelligible for the competition…

  2. And I did it last month, but I used a ton of pre-recorded loops. This month will be much trickier to do anything, sadly… grab "GuNS oN!" here: http://shiryumusic.no.sapo.pt/ I have noticed that the last bonus track is bugged (flute soundfont instead of piano) and I must fix it ASAP. Where does the time fly…

  3. And I did it last month, but I used a ton of pre-recorded loops. This month will be much trickier to do anything, sadly… grab "GuNS oN!" here: http://shiryumusic.no.sapo.pt/ I have noticed that the last bonus track is bugged (flute soundfont instead of piano) and I must fix it ASAP. Where does the time fly…

  4. And I did it last month, but I used a ton of pre-recorded loops. This month will be much trickier to do anything, sadly… grab "GuNS oN!" here: http://shiryumusic.no.sapo.pt/ I have noticed that the last bonus track is bugged (flute soundfont instead of piano) and I must fix it ASAP. Where does the time fly…

  5. And I did it last month, but I used a ton of pre-recorded loops. This month will be much trickier to do anything, sadly… grab "GuNS oN!" here: http://shiryumusic.no.sapo.pt/ I have noticed that the last bonus track is bugged (flute soundfont instead of piano) and I must fix it ASAP. Where does the time fly…

  6. And I did it last month, but I used a ton of pre-recorded loops. This month will be much trickier to do anything, sadly… grab "GuNS oN!" here: http://shiryumusic.no.sapo.pt/ I have noticed that the last bonus track is bugged (flute soundfont instead of piano) and I must fix it ASAP. Where does the time fly…

  7. And I did it last month, but I used a ton of pre-recorded loops. This month will be much trickier to do anything, sadly… grab "GuNS oN!" here: http://shiryumusic.no.sapo.pt/ I have noticed that the last bonus track is bugged (flute soundfont instead of piano) and I must fix it ASAP. Where does the time fly…

  8. My band mates and I have done the RPM challenge for the past 4 years. This is our fifth go at it. We've found it to be a fun and rewarding experience. It gives us 1 month a year where we can devote more time to music and male bonding. This coming weekend is our annual "RPM kickoff weekend". We get together and jam / write all the material over the first weekend of February (Fri-Sat-Sun) and then we have the rest of the month to select the tracks that are worthy, do all the editing, overdubs, etc…. I highly recommend it. cheers.

  11. A artist in my city of Brisbane by the name of Hunz took the RPM challenge a few years back. The album he produced is probably one of the most original records to come out of Brisbane in a long time.

  15. I'd like to do it, but only as a way of procrastinating other work I really have to do. Besides, I don't really know why procrastination has such a bad name, it's a beautiful way of learning all kinds of things you've always wanted to learn (or did not even know existed) and getting a lot of work done all while not getting any work done on whatever project you're actually supposed to work on. 🙂

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