FAWM Help Center / FAQ

DISCLAIMER: This FAQ was actually written for the FAWM challenge, and Burr (the maintainer of FAWM) found himself too busy (lazy?) to tailor it meticulously for the 50/90 challenge. Luckily, most of it still applies:

Tips From William Chin (of Historic 50/90 Fame):

For would be first timers, I'll share these bits:

I've done the challenge several times, sometimes reaching 50, sometimes falling short. For the years that I made 50 songs, I tried for one song a day. That way when the inevitable dry spells hit, I have enough momentum to get to the finish.

For the challenge, I like to think in terms of doing quick sketches as opposed to finished songs. In the early days of 50/90 most folks focused on lyrics.

Some may not reach the goal of 50 songs. What I suggest is to spend time on songwriting, preferably consistent time every day. This lead up time before the challenge can be good for collecting titles and ideas. For those with a commercial bent, looking up titles on the Harry Fox site can give an idea of how many copyrighted songs have the same or similar title.

I credit the challenge with developing my songwriting abilities more than anything, or anyone else. Before my first 50 song challenge, I had written about 12 songs in 10 years. Now I have a couple of hundred songs on my computer. Surprisingly, the percentage of what I consider "good" songs has remained about the same, comparing when I was writing one song a year, vs. trying to write one song a day.

Songwriters are uncommon, so know that you are special. Songwriters that can write on deadline instead of waiting for inspiration are rarer still. By developing that skill, when inspiration does come, it is amazing how much easier it is to complete a song.

Good luck to all. Cheers.

Basic Rules

What's going on here?
We're attempting to write 50 songs in the 90 days from July 4 to October 1.

What constitutes a "song"? Can I write instrumentals?
Pop songs, instrumentals, "sound art," whatever. The goal is to be challenged, build community, and have fun... by whatever musical means.

How long should my songs they be?
As a guideline, aim for 3 minutes or so.

I really can't start until July 4?
You must wait until July 4 (your local time) to start writing. If you have a lonesome hook or idea you've been wanting to work out for months, it's OK to finally structure a song around it. Or, if you're planning a concept album it's OK to start doing research.

What happens if I use a song I really wrote earlier?
Nothing. But you'd be a cheater. You're not a cheater, are you?

What do I get for "winning"?
50 new songs and the admiration of your songwriting peers.

Is it really free?
It is to you (but not to us). We suggest making a donation to FAWM for powering this year's project.

I don't think I can make it to 50 songs. Should I even try?
YES!! You'll surprise yourself. Besides, let's say you only write 2. That's still more than 0, right?

Well, do they have to be good songs?
That's the goal... some will be good, some maybe less so. If you're feeling iffy about a tune, just hammer it out ("fawm it") and move on, but don't give up. A salvageable line or melody may still come out of it.

Do I have to post lyrics and demos of my songs?
Nope. You're only required to post a title for each new song so we can track your progress. Notes, lyrics, MP3 demos, etc. are optional. A cool thing about FAWM is garnering feedback from fellow songwriters, but some may not be able to or even want to record/post demos of their songs, and that's fine.

What quality should my demos be?
Good enough for a rough idea of the song. Some people put a lot of effort into their demos, others just sketch them out. But the point here is to write 50 songs, not record them, so don't get too hung up on it.

If I post lyrics or demos, does FAWM own the copyright?
NO WAY! Check out the footer of every page, or review the Terms of Service. Your songs are yours.

What about collaborative songwriting?
This is also encouraged. Though, if you are in a band with several songwriters, see if you can collaborate on all of them.

Is there an age limit on participation?
You must be at least 15. You can be as old as you like.

Great! Where do I sign up?
Why, on the registration page of course!

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Website Features

Where are my important emails from FAWM (e.g., the one with my account password)?
It possibly got caught in your spam filter. Add "@fawm.org" emails to your whitelist and scan your spam folder for emails with subject lines like "FAWM.ORG :: Welcome to FAWM"

No dice. Still not getting 'em.
Some email providers (AOL, we're looking your direction) are notoriously bad at killing our automated messages without even putting them in your spam folder. Go to the contact page and fill out a "Technical Problems" report, and we'll look into it for you!

The website looks a little screwy sometimes. Is something wrong?
If you are browsing the internet with Firefox, Safari, or Internet Explorer 7, everything should be fine. However, if you use an older (e.g., IE6) or less common browser, you may run into some incompatibilities. We recommend installing Firefox for a good FAWM experience, as it's free and works on most computers:

I'm having other problems.
Then check out the forums, where the FAWM admins will try to address them.

When can I start posting songs?
Song posting is unlocked midnight at the end of July 4 on the international date line. That's 9pm in Tokyo, or 12 noon Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), 7am in New York, 3am in Anchorage, etc. You may post songs up until the same time on October 1 (i.e., as long as it's before October 1 somewhere in the world).

What do all the funny icons mean?

  • User donated $10 or more to FAWM, and totally rocks
  • User is in your watchlist
  • Song demo can be streamed from FAWM.ORG
  • Song demo video can be watched from FAWM.ORG
  • Song has no demo, but does have lyrics posted
  • Song demo is available at another website
  • Restricted: you must be logged in to view/hear this song
  • Private: this song is only available to the author

Does FAWM.ORG have and RSS Feed?
Yes! Point your RSS reader here: www.fawm.org/rss

What's my "watchlist?" How do I manage it?
If you're logged in, you can keep track of songs by artists in your watchlist. Just go to their artist profile and click the "Add" or "Remove" buttons in the sidebar (when logged in).

What are "zongs" (on the "songs" page)?
That's our term for Zero-comment sONGS. It's a way to quickly find and give feedback on songs that may otherwise slip through the cracks. You may also want to check the glossary for other "fawmisms."

I have MP3 demos. Does FAWM host them?
No, not the files themselves. To post your demos to the FAWM site they must first be hosted elsewhere. But there are several ways to get your demo heard on FAWM:

  1. Link directly to an MP3 file.
    If you host MP3s on your own website, paste in the web addresses in the "Demo URL" field when you post a new song to FAWM. They should be streamable through our player. For hosting, some fawmers use Google pages. We recommend 44.1 kHz sampling, encoded with a 128kbps bitrate.
  2. Link to a demo video at YouTube or MySpace.
    Paste in the URL of a YouTube or MySpace TV video page in the "Demo URL" field, and it will be displayed on FAWM.ORG with your song.
  3. Link to another site where your demo can be heard.
    Post a URL anywhere else on the web... MySpace (profile), ACIDplanet, PureVolume, DMusic, etc., or link to a file format other than MP3. Users can follow a link (or download a demo) from here and listen.

I have an account at Broadjam.com. How do I get them to host my FAWM demos?

  1. Log in to Broadjam. Under "Artist Profile," click the "Edit" button next to "Songs," and follow the instructions to "Add New Song."
  2. Once a song is uploaded, click the "Transmit" button on the "Edit Songs" page.
  3. Check the box next to the song you want to post (if you check multiple boxes, only the first one works).
  4. Broadjam will generate a link URL for this song. Copy and paste that link into the "Demo URL" field when posting a new song here at FAWM.

I direct-linked to MP3s on my server. Uhm, why do I sound like a chipmunk (or Barry White)?
Your file is probably sampled at a rate other than 44.1 kHz (most likely 48 kHz). Try resampling your file, and encoding it at 128kbps MP3 file. It will load faster and be compatible with our player.

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Tips & Etiquette

Any general advice?
Fawmers who start the challenge with a buddy or two they already know (in life or online) seem to be more successful at finishing. Try to talk some fellow songwriter friends into all doing it together. Add each other to your watchlists.

Is the "watchlist" feature is sort of like a friends network?
Sort of, but unlike a lot of website communities where the goal seems to be getting the "most friends" (MySpace, we're looking your direction), you'll probably want to keep your watchlist down to a reasonable size.

So s/he who is in the most watchlists doesn't win?
No, s/he who writes at least 50 songs in 90 days wins.

Why isn't anyone commenting on my songs?
There are a lot of people and even more songs on this site, and it's easy to get lost. Try commenting on songs by artists similar to you, or get to know folks in the forums. Being an active part of the community helps.

Can I post negative comments on songs?
Of course... but you'll be constructive, and not arbitrarily mean, right?

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Recording Demos

How do I make a demo recording of my song?
If you're new to home recording, feel free to ask questions in the forums and other fawmers can help you out. There's a lot of knowledge in the community. Also, fawmer Eric Distad also wrote a nice tutorial for total newbies here: http://distad.net/simple-recording/.

What software do you recommend?
Here are some free / trial versions of audio software. Note that FAWM is not affiliated with these products, so we can't provide support or assume any responsibility if you choose to try them out:

  • Ableton Live (PC/Mac) - 30 day demo available
  • Acid xPress (PC Only) - Free loop-based multitracker
  • Ardour (Linux/Mac) - Freeware multitrack audio workstation
  • Audacity (PC/Mac/Linux) - Free multitrack audio editor
  • EnergyXT (PC Only) - Shareware / demo version
  • GarageBand (Mac Only) - Part of iLife
  • Kristal (PC Only) - Free basic multi-tracker
  • LMMS (Linux) - Free Acid-like loop application for Linux
  • Reaper (PC Only) - Audio multitrack editor (demo version)
  • Sound Studio (Mac Only) - Editing / podcasting tool

My recording setup is analog (tape). How do I make MP3s?
If you use a 4-track or boom-box, you can connect the stereo outputs or headphone jack to a computer's sound card and use some of the audio software above to digitize your tape demos and save them as MP3s.

Any tips on what MP3 settings to use?
To be compatible with our player, your best results will come from final tracks sampled at 44.1 kHz and encoded to MP3 at the 128kbps bitrate.

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Songwriting Resources

This is a collection of links, mostly to external websites that may be useful to you while fawming. They may help you find inspiration and/or overcome writer's block.

  • FAWM.ORG - February Album Writing Month. 14 Songs In 28 Days.
  • Wille-Hoopshank Songwriting Challenge Generator - Created by fawmers Tim Wille and Paul Turrell to assist in FAWM 2007.
  • Album Cover Generator - Use this to create a random band's album cover. Decide what they sound like, and write it! (See this forum.)
  • Oblique Strategies - A collection of ideas from the 3rd edition of Brian Eno/Peter Schmidt's book.
  • RhymeZone - Online rhyming dictionary. Very useful.
  • SongFight! - Each week they post a title, and you (along with a bunch of others) write a song to that title. Then vote on the winner.
  • RPM Challenge - Similar challenge concurrent with and inspired by FAWM. The goal is to record a 10-song album in February.
  • Album-A Day - Another similar challenge: to record a 20-minute album in only 24 hours (more focus on quantity).

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FAWM Glossary

Here's a brief reference of fawmisms for fawmlings (and fawmer veterans with failing memories). This is merely a list of the most common. A more exhaustive list (culled from a FAWM 2007 forum thread) is here.

  • afawmmodations (n.) allowances friends and families must make to a participating fawmer so he/she can continue to write and record songs without distraction.
  • alan turing (n.) song for which you think your vision might be greater than your songwriting ability [etymology: Burr's failed attempt at a song for the 2004 "tribute challenge" about Alan Turing].
  • fawmpulsive (adj.) the state of being consumed by FAWM, e.g., checking the forums or your song comments every five minutes, writing music (or about music) instead of caring for the duties of everyday life.
  • FAWM (n.) February Album Writing Month, e.g., this site / songwriting challenge.
  • fawm (v.) 1. to participate in the annual FAWM challenge. 2. to decide a song is "good enough" and move on to writing the next one [ex. "Man, I really just fawmed that one."].
  • fawm widow / -er (n.) significant other of a fawmer, thoroughly neglected for the month of February save for (possibly) the 14th.
  • fawmburger (n.) any meal (or handful of food) hastily prepared and eaten while fawming.
  • fawmer (n.) you, me or any FAWM participant.
  • fawmism (n.) colloquial vernacular used in the FAWM community.
  • fawmling (n.) newcomer to the FAWM challenge.
  • fawmpilation (n.) annual compilation CD of 14 FAWM songs.
  • FOP (n.) FAWM Over Party, e.g., informal regional gatherings of fawmers generally held in March or April.
  • founding fawmer (n.) Burr Settles, Eric Distad, Willis Fireball, or Matt Hopper [participants in the original FAWM 2004].
  • infawmnia (n.) inability to sleep due to songwriting anxiety and/or addiction to FAWM.ORG.
  • strangle disco (n.) music genre "invented" during FAWM 2007, often featuring Beethoven samples, disco or hip-hop beats, and wordplay [see strangledisco.com].
  • zong (n.) zero-comment song.
  • zong-busting, zonging (v.) to comment only on zongs.

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