Call for Submissions - Compilation Album

April 21, 2006 11:38 AM

Metafilter Compilation Album
Call for Cover Art Submissions
Music Submission Deadline & Details
posted by cortex to MetaFilter Music at 11:38 AM (63 comments total)

1. Art Submissions are open!
2. Music submission deadline: Monday, May 1st, 11:59PM Pacific Standard Time
3. Mefi-themed music, or music from mefites?

(Want to pre-order? See here. Not familiar with the Metafilter Compilation Album project? See here.)

1. Art submissions are open!

We're looking for cover art for the Mefi Comp Album—if you have an idea for a good cover, submit it (or write) to interrobang at interrobang atta gmail dotta com.


Final submitted art should be 300 DPI, full bleed, at standard jewel case cover dimensions. If you are submitting a lower res mockup for consideration, be prepared to provide a high quality master image if interrobang selects your piece.

The album is not yet titled; please don't include title text on submissions at this point—interrobang will handle that and coordinate with you as necessary if your submission is selected.

interrobang will be the Art Editor for the whole of the album packaging process; aside from selecting from cover art submissions, he'll be working on his own contributions for inside, cd-face, and back cover art; whether and how he will incorporate user-submitted art for those portions is at his discretion, and will depend on the final insert/booklet format we go with for the CD. If you have a question relating to album art, please contact him at the email listed above.

2. Music submission deadline: Monday, May 1st, 11:59PM.

I'm establishing an official deadline—musicians hoping to complete unfinished tracks for submission may now commence to panicking. This is a week and a half out, which is, by my experience, just enough time to do something really amazing if you just don't get any sleep in the interim.

I'll announce the selected contributors/contributions from the submissions later that week. Submitting artists need to be prepared to provide an uncompressed audio file of their selected track promptly so that we can get to mastering ASAP. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me:

joshjosh atta gmail dotta com

3. Mefi-themed music, or music from mefites?

We're looking for general music submissions for this initial volume. We're not looking for metafilter-themed tracks. If you have a really awesome track that happens to be about Metafilter, submit it; but if you have better tracks about other subjects, please submit those—I want to hear your very best stuff.

Thanks once again for everyone who has so far contributed, and to those who intend to, and especially to those who have pre-ordered. This is shaping up to be something fantastic.
posted by cortex at 11:41 AM on April 21, 2006

Is the MetaFilter logo, color, etc fair game for use in the cover art?
posted by If I Had An Anus at 12:08 PM on April 21, 2006

2. Music submission deadline: Monday, May 1st, 11:59PM.

Better tell people your time zone.
posted by gleuschk at 12:09 PM on April 21, 2006

Is the MetaFilter logo, color, etc fair game for use in the cover art?

I've e-mailed Matt about this (and not heard back so far), but I'm hoping to use it on the back.
posted by interrobang at 12:10 PM on April 21, 2006

Submitting artists need to be prepared to provide an uncompressed audio file of their selected track promptly so that we can get to mastering ASAP.

But for the May 1st deadline I can email an MP3, right, then snail-mail a CD if accepted, right?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 12:24 PM on April 21, 2006

Better tell people your time zone.

Ha! Good point.

Deadline is 11:59 PM Pacific. I'll see if I can get the announcement up there amended.

But for the May 1st deadline I can email an MP3, right, then snail-mail a CD if accepted, right?

Absolutely. I want your mp3s to consider by the deadline; we'll want your original master within a week or so after the deadline, if you're selected.
posted by cortex at 12:35 PM on April 21, 2006

Just how high rez IS quonsar's pants-fish?
posted by shnoz-gobblin at 12:37 PM on April 21, 2006

Thanks.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 12:39 PM on April 21, 2006

Google image search for "pants fish":


posted by hangashore at 12:42 PM on April 21, 2006

Is the MetaFilter logo, color, etc fair game for use in the cover art?

Yeah, sure, I don't mind.

I'm also working on resurrecting a simple music.metafilter.com
posted by mathowie (staff) at 1:11 PM on April 21, 2006

Are multiple art submissions kosher?
posted by brundlefly at 1:12 PM on April 21, 2006

I'm also working on resurrecting a simple music.metafilter.com

I <3 Matthew Haughey
posted by cortex at 1:13 PM on April 21, 2006

also, the less you use the center tag, the faster development goes on music.metafilter.com.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 1:14 PM on April 21, 2006

Also, why not just make up a tag for flickr and have people upload artwork there?

something like tag it mefiCDart and then everyone can see all the submissions easily.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 1:15 PM on April 21, 2006

Are multiple art submissions kosher?

If "multiple" means "a few", sure.

If they're distinct ideas, sure.

If you have multiple variations of one central idea, it's probably better to submit just the core/best variation and add some explanation for interrobang to consider; if he likes your idea, he'll no doubt work with you on the ideas.
posted by cortex at 1:16 PM on April 21, 2006

also, the less you use the center tag, the faster development goes on music.metafilter.com.

Ouch! I'll try. I just get these...urges...

Also, why not just make up a tag for flickr and have people upload artwork there?

That's not a bad idea. interrobang!
posted by cortex at 1:17 PM on April 21, 2006

Gotcha. Thanks!
posted by brundlefly at 1:18 PM on April 21, 2006

Also, why not just make up a tag for flickr and have people upload artwork there?

That's fine with me; just let me know what it is so I can see them.
posted by interrobang at 1:24 PM on April 21, 2006

I thought flickr was not allowing artwork to be posted-I know people do it, but didn't I hear flickr was taking art down?

(or am I confusing them with someone else? Gaah.)
posted by konolia at 1:29 PM on April 21, 2006

I post art to flickr all the time. I'd heard about them taking art down, but meh, let's try it anyway.

...although, posting them for everyone to see might take some of the fun and surprise out of it....
posted by interrobang at 2:05 PM on April 21, 2006

although, posting them for everyone to see might take some of the fun and surprise out of it

This is why appointed you Art Editor: so I don't have to make that sort of decision. :)
posted by cortex at 2:09 PM on April 21, 2006

Well, fine, then. Send them to me.
posted by interrobang at 2:11 PM on April 21, 2006

Also, why not just make up a tag for flickr and have people upload artwork there?

That's fine with me; just let me know what it is so I can see them.

Yeah, tags arent trustworthy.

You could setup a Group, but if thats not something you dont know how to do already, I wouldnt bother.
posted by vacapinta at 3:03 PM on April 21, 2006

cortex, when you talk about mastering I take it you mean mastering the CD template. Or do you mean mastering the music?
posted by bouncebounce at 3:25 PM on April 21, 2006

I mean mastering the music, yes. After I announce the selections, we'll collect uncompressed stereo masters (WAV or AIFF files) and forward those to turtlegirl, who is doing the mastering job on the album.
posted by cortex at 3:32 PM on April 21, 2006

Will we get an indication of the money raised at various points? Not necessarily in the form of a big thermometer.
posted by vacapinta at 4:43 PM on April 21, 2006

Will we get an indication of the money raised at various points?

Yes, I'm curious about this too.
posted by melissa may at 4:59 PM on April 21, 2006

Absolutely. I'm planning on setting up a page/site as the static home of the project, and I'll post news and pre-order/donation updates regularly. (Instead of posting centered-text updates to MeTa until Matt kills me.)
posted by cortex at 5:59 PM on April 21, 2006

In the meantime: jessamyn update.
posted by cortex at 6:06 PM on April 21, 2006

Seems to me like this would be a lot easier if someone figured out the name of the album first. Without any idea what the names of the songs are, what they sound like, what the name of the album is, or who the artists are, there's not a whole lot to go on here.
posted by designbot at 6:07 PM on April 21, 2006

Seems to me like this would be a lot easier if someone figured out the name of the album first. Without any idea what the names of the songs are, what they sound like, what the name of the album is, or who the artists are, there's not a whole lot to go on here.

I'll second that emotion.
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 6:22 PM on April 21, 2006

"The Blue Album"

(future volumes: "The Green Album", "The Grey Album, no, not THAT one" and "The Other Shade of Green Album"
posted by wendell at 6:30 PM on April 21, 2006

Thats why its a pre-order. Its mainly faith-based. If you really need more information, then just wait.
posted by vacapinta at 6:30 PM on April 21, 2006

other potential titles:

"FPP: F***ing Perfect Performances"

"Ponies"

"This Is Why We CAN Have Nice Things"
posted by wendell at 6:37 PM on April 21, 2006

and I almost forgot...
"Something You Need a CD Player to Hear"
posted by wendell at 6:39 PM on April 21, 2006

"[this is good]"
posted by brundlefly at 7:19 PM on April 21, 2006

Todd-Lokken' Beats
posted by emelenjr at 8:18 PM on April 21, 2006

Thats why its a pre-order. Its mainly faith-based. If you really need more information, then just wait.

Um, the information is for developing a design, not for making a buying decision. This is the thread about the artwork.
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 8:41 PM on April 21, 2006

What's the album called?

"We have albums."

Well, not really. Working title is "Metafilter Compilation Album, Volume 1", but I imagine we'll come up with something a bit punchier at some point. Officially christening it is, at this point, a touch cart before horse, and so you have my sympathies from a design perspective but you'll have to work without a name.

What's the album like?

At this point, the jury is still out. I've heard a lot of great stuff, and so I can in short tell you this: it will be eclectic. The stuff that has stuck in my head over this last week has included garage rock, folkpop, electronica, hiphop, jazz, ambient, electropop, and some stuff that is decidedly miscellaneous. And submissions continue to come in; if anything, it will likely become more varied as excellent tracks from as-yet-unrepresented genres and subgenres appear.

I think I can say that anyone who is not nursing some sort of wildy constraining musical grudge will find a few things on this album which will delight them, and many other things that they will enjoy. And there will definitely be some toe-tapping.

So be warned if you are loathe to tap your toe.
posted by cortex at 8:53 PM on April 21, 2006

I MISS TAPES!
posted by furtive at 8:25 AM on April 22, 2006

PERHAPS YOU SHOULD EAT SOME.
posted by cortex at 8:26 AM on April 22, 2006

"Sergeant Haughey's Lonely Snarks Club Band"
posted by flashboy at 10:00 AM on April 22, 2006

The plastic disc it's OK to like.
posted by emelenjr at 11:45 AM on April 22, 2006

I've only received two art submissions so far. Get crackin', people!
posted by interrobang at 11:47 AM on April 22, 2006

Seeing as how this album will be out before the next GNR album, how about we fire one across Axl's bow and call it Chinese Democracy?
posted by emelenjr at 3:34 PM on April 22, 2006

"Metafilter Compilation Album, Volume 1: Yes, It Vibrates"
posted by zoinks at 5:38 PM on April 22, 2006

A cover idea. (Song titles may be fictional.)
posted by JHarris at 8:53 PM on April 22, 2006

JHarris, the word I'm looking for is prescient—similar ideas have been bouncing around in our Art Director's head the last few days.
posted by cortex at 10:09 PM on April 22, 2006

Yeah, so I've been told.

Here's another idea, along similar lines but less web-pagey.
posted by JHarris at 12:49 AM on April 23, 2006

Frankly, I think this graphic needs to make it in there somewhere. If that doesn't sum up MetaFilter, I don't know what does.
posted by chrismear at 2:26 AM on April 23, 2006

Title: Young, gifted and blue/green
posted by godawful at 3:39 AM on April 23, 2006

Random, but the other day I thought about the lyrics for New Order's Temptation while reading a MeFi post:

Oh you've got green eyes
Oh you've got blue eyes
Oh you've got grey eyes
And I've never met anyone quite like you before
posted by shortfuse at 6:57 AM on April 23, 2006

JRunning with the devil
posted by jewzilla at 8:20 AM on April 23, 2006

In what form do you want the submission? Other than mailing a CD, What's the best way to send a .WAV file (if that is indeed the form you want)?
posted by sourwookie at 9:01 AM on April 23, 2006

In what form do you want the submission?

For now, mp3 emailed to (or link to said mp3) is fine for the submission/consideration phase. If that is for whatever reason difficult/prohibitive, contact me and we'll work something out.

If one of your tracks is selected, we'll request an uncompressed WAV or AIFF file from you later on—please have that ready.

Other than mailing a CD, What's the best way to send a .WAV file (if that is indeed the form you want)?

I'm planning to set up a ftp solution, so that contributors may simply upload their uncompressed stereo masters to a central location. This is Plan A.

As uncompressed audio gets up into the tens of megabytes, emailing may be tricky—limits on attachment size, etc—but we'll look into it. This is Plan B.

Mailing a CD is Plan C. It'll work well enough, but it's a bit slow, so if you'll need to do this in the end, let me know; I'll probably ask you to fire off a disc to me sooner rather than later if I'm considering using your track, so we don't get held up waiting for CDs to show up when all else is settled.
posted by cortex at 9:18 AM on April 23, 2006

jewzilla wins
posted by bouncebounce at 5:00 AM on April 24, 2006

Opinions:

- The cover should definitely reference the distinctive look of MeFi.

- As a potential contributor, I would definitely want the profits to go to charity. Ideally one organization, something fairly non-political and humanitarian that everyone can feel good about.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 8:27 PM on April 24, 2006

website launched; music submissions closed
posted by cortex at 8:09 AM on May 2, 2006

interrobang's followup MeTa thread on art submissions including info on the deadline extension.
posted by shortfuse at 8:45 AM on May 2, 2006

Album title: [more inside]

Although actually, I think MetaFilter referencing is a little too meta for my liking. But then I've never been a fan of in-jokes.
posted by ajp at 4:06 AM on May 3, 2006

In the liner notes, real names or MeFi names? Room for additional non-MeFite bandmates' names?

I'm hoping for real names, or at least "real name (MeFi name)", just because "John, Paul, George and weretable and the undead chairs" is going to look weird.
posted by emelenjr at 5:08 AM on May 3, 2006

I'm favoring "song title - username" as the primary listing for the back of the CD, though ultimately it's interrobang's call.

As for the liners within, yeah, I can't imagine not including real names and bandmates names.
posted by cortex at 7:55 AM on May 3, 2006

The back will have usernames, real band names and real names will be inside.
posted by interrobang at 12:57 PM on May 3, 2006