Ain't nothin' goin' on but the rent.

November 4, 2007 6:15 AM

It's November 4th. Next MeFi Music Challenge(s) please!

This past month saw lots more activity on the Challenge, due in no small part, I reckon, to the fact that there were three themes this time around, as opposed to only one. This is a good thing. A very good thing. But seeing last month's challenge theme still up on the top of the Music page, now that the month is up, is not a good thing. And this sneaking suspicion that I have, that the November theme is not yet decided, and will only be decided very hurriedly at the last minute because it's already several days into the new month, is not a good thing.

I'm just saying, can this Challenge business be tightened up a little bit? Like, first of the month, let's be ready with new themes? As though it's something that's not just an afterthought on the back burner? Hmmmm?

posted by flapjax at midnite to MetaFilter Music at 6:15 AM (24 comments total)

can this Challenge business be tightened up a little bit? Like, first of the month, let's be ready with new themes?

Yeah that would be sort of nice, wouldn't it? If you (or someone) would like to get on the Cortex Reminder Wagon and make a note that the end of the month is coming up, we can be a little more on top of it. Usually we all talk about themes, cortex makes the final decisions and mathowie and/or I make the page edits. I remember having a discussion about the themes for November and then I don't know what happened. We'll try to change the page today, but time is sort of enormous long river around here and leeping track of things like months is hard. I think we can look into a way of automating it so that we don't have to have this discussion every month.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:31 AM on November 4, 2007

cortex came up with three new ones but I didn't remember to update it on Nov 1 or 2. I'll update it later today after I fully wake up.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 7:53 AM on November 4, 2007

Thanks, matt and jess!

And you too, cortex, for thinkin' 'em up.

Unless they're lousy, then I'll take back my thanks...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:04 AM on November 4, 2007

When I think about Music, I picture a bunch of people lounging in a little club together, playing songs and getting hammered and yammering and slapping each other on the back and maybe going home together later if the mood feels right.

But flapjax at midnite, the way you lecture the admins about how to run it and exhort people to listen! and post! to it feels more like a passionately determined but slightly aggrieved dog humping a leg. You mean well, I'm sure, but man -- no one wants to be told what to do by an angry humping dog.
posted by melissa may at 8:26 AM on November 4, 2007

Oh, I think you'll like 'em. We got "slapjax at midnite", and "flapjax fat midnite". And rounding it out, my personal favorite: "flapjax at midban".

Seriously, though, we'll have 'em up today.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:32 AM on November 4, 2007

all set!
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:48 AM on November 4, 2007

When I think about Music, I picture a bunch of people lounging in a little club together, playing songs and getting hammered and yammering and slapping each other on the back and maybe going home together later if the mood feels right.

Oh, yeah, melissa may, that's it, exactly! Why, it's just a regular yammerin', back-slappin' helluva party over there, and hey, the mood feels right every night... Talk about humpin', hoo yeah, over at MeFiMu it's a regular humpfest! But an angry one? Naah... anyway, this dog ain't angry. And contrary to your comment, I haven't gotten the feeling from the mods that they feel they're being lectured by me, much less, er... angrily humped.

And cortex, I dunno about those themes, man... I mean, I'm not one of those navel-gazing, confessional singer/songwriter types, y'know? Still, I'm a pro, and I'm gonna do my best with whatever you put out there...

And on preview, thanks for the "all set"! And I think the brand new challenge themes are fucking good.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:50 AM on November 4, 2007

And MefiMu seems to be getting a new air, recently, more people participating both with songs and comments and new songs from the old crowd (including me). hopefully it will continue that way.
posted by micayetoca at 10:23 AM on November 4, 2007

We got "slapjax at midnite"

A masturbation theme, then? Nice.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:00 PM on November 4, 2007

an angry humping dog

And now we have December's theme.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 1:15 PM on November 4, 2007

I think I might give this one a try.
posted by drezdn at 4:28 PM on November 4, 2007

Seeing as how MeFiMusic stays alive through musical contributions, it should be the same way with themes. I think folks should feel free to e-mail cortex with your ideas. I did once.
posted by snsranch at 4:30 PM on November 4, 2007

Seeing as how MeFiMusic stays alive through musical contributions, would it be possible to take one of the songs posted that week and have it appear in the sidebar of the main page?

Perhaps it could be automated somehow, so that everytime the No. 1 song in the "most favorited" list changes, that becomes the one sidebarred.

Would you guys be into that?
posted by micayetoca at 4:56 PM on November 4, 2007

(the logic behind my suggestion was that perhaps if one song was sidebarred that would "invite" more regular mefites who don't regularly check out Metafilter Music, then we would have more comments and then people would be collaborating more.)
posted by micayetoca at 4:59 PM on November 4, 2007

...would it be possible to take one of the songs posted that week and have it appear in the sidebar of the main page?

Yeah! micayetoca goes for it! Pushing the envelope! I think that's a great idea! Just a touch of visibility for MeFiMu on the blue (as per mica's suggestion) would be a fine way to further integrate the subsite. Let's make it more of a PROUD PART of the MetaFilter experience!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:06 PM on November 4, 2007

I think micayetoca's idea rules. I really do.
posted by ORthey at 6:30 PM on November 4, 2007

Well one of the reasons we try to put two or three songs in the podcast is to surface more of that stuff. The sidebar isn't very automated, we just add stuff when we see it, so I'd also suggest flagging more songs as "fantastic" which is the way stuff tends to get elevated to the sidebar in the first place. I listen to most of the stuff that comes through MeFiMu and the big sticking point for me is that it's timeshifted by sometimes enough that I can't track down the song on the front page and have to go digging. A decent search function and/or some way to link to the page with the track would be aces as far as extra metadata, I mean while we're wishing.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:45 PM on November 4, 2007

I realize this crowd isn't exactly representative of those who would benefit from this, but what do people think about weekly downloadable compilations of MeMu contributions? I don't have time to browse tunes like I used to and it would be much easier if I could just plop a big thwack o' music on my mp3 player to enjoy where and whenever I wanted - and if I'm spending a couple of minutes harvesting tunes every day, it wouldn't be a hassle to upload the week's haul to Senduit on a Sunday night.

Would contributors be opposed to this well-intended copyright infringement or the possible loss of listener response? Would matt resent losing eyeballs? Will there ever be a rainbow?
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:01 PM on November 4, 2007

Ok, flapjax, sorry, I think I had a humor breakdown here. When you said if you think the challenge is lousy you'll take back your thanks, I thought you meant it. You are going more for playful teasing. Apologies for assuming the worst. But it's in part because of how you raised this issue by suggesting that the mods have been pulling challenge ideas in last-minute ass fashion -- I just don't think that sort of thing is parve.

Anyway: I also think micayetoca's idea is great, and Alvy's too, and that there will be a rainbow, but not for another 6 months thanks to goddamn daylight savings. Mostly I wish there was a little ready-made lastfm-type widget where we could display the music we've listened to here on our user pages, but if I've ever seen such a thing I've forgot all about it. All told I'm pretty happy with that part of the site as it is.
posted by melissa may at 4:04 AM on November 5, 2007

I'd second the idea of a music only podcast pony, that would be more than wonderful.

If only we had someone with the combination of musical passion, technological knowledge and penchant for late night oat-based feasting, who fancied becoming a musical admin to run such a thing...
posted by algreer at 6:46 AM on November 5, 2007

I, as one of the guys who puts songs there, wouldn't oppose letting people download a podcast of the songs posted that week. Perhaps, given the recent opt-in trend, we can make it something that MeFi Musicians opt-in to.

I would encourage people to drop by and scribble a few lines when they like the songs. Perhaps there could be a clip a the beginning of the podcast.

Or perhaps that is too much work. I don't know. What does people say?
posted by micayetoca at 10:28 AM on November 5, 2007

I'm totally down with micayetoca and Alvy Ampersand. Those are great Ideas.

Having contributions from MeFiMusic played on the podcasts is really great, but the podcast is as much of a MeFi Niche thing as MeFiMusic is.

Having a periodic Music-centric podcast on the blue along with a Recent Most Favorited Song would really boost contributions and comments.

I know there are MeFites who are like, "Eh, music's not my thing." But MeFiMusic is a great ongoing musical experiment that everyone can enjoy and one doesn't have to be a musician or know tech terms to have fun with it.

Also, there are some really great and beautiful talents being exposed there that I wish more people could witness for themselves.
posted by snsranch at 4:13 PM on November 5, 2007

Hopefully I'll have something resembling a listenable programme of this week's tunes by this Sunday, provided I get over how much I hate my stupid voice, Audacity's occasional quirks, and the fact that "And that was Todas las mitades del mundo, by micayetoca," is a freaking bitch to pronounce when the only other language I speak is horribly mangled French. At the very least, my inevitable humiliation may inspire enough pity that someone competent'll put me out of my misery and give it a shot.

And I still haven't been able to get a firm commitment from the conjoined twin strippers to appear on the Morning Zoo segment.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:54 PM on November 6, 2007

Oops. Sorry mate, didn't mean to make it hard for you. If it helps, you could say "that was Every half of the world by micayetoca." If it was the handle that was giving you a hard time, it should be pronounced something like:
mi as in the word "me" in English
ca as in "cat"
ye as in "yes"
to as in "Tokyo"
ca as in "ca"

Or perhaps I could just record that for you.
posted by micayetoca at 8:59 PM on November 7, 2007