New Challenge idea from micayetoca

I've received an interesting suggestion for the Challenges that I think warrants a thread of its own, as it's something that is a little more involved, and we might want to figure out how to put into place. I think it's a pretty cool idea. The suggestion is from micayetoca, and I'll reprint the relevant portions of his mail here, cause I think this is something that could and should be discussed among all interested parties here at MeFiMu. He writes: "How about opening a "requests" challenge, where any MefiMusician can sign up and say "I'm willing to take requests this month", collect people's requests for a month and then each musician that gets requests chooses which one he'll do? I know it has different levels and it requires a more active participation, but perhaps it could work. Whaddaya think?" So, indeed, MeFi Musicians, whaddaya think?
posted by flapjax at midnite (30 comments total)

Perhaps a good idea would be that each person that wants to make requests posts a list with, say, 10 mefites and 10 songs (one per mefite, of course), which would yield a lot more options than if each person requests one song from one mefite (because in that case we would be under the risk of having cortex and chococat receive 547 requests while others don't receive any at all).

And just so that I can't be accused of throwing the stone and then hiding: I'd love to get requests under this challenge.
posted by micayetoca at 7:49 AM on October 30, 2008

I can't quite wrap my head around coordinating this, but I'd certainly take requests; it'd be neat. Kind of a songs-to-wear-pants-to-type setup would be interesting, too.
posted by uncleozzy at 8:25 AM on October 30, 2008

Independent of the specifics, I think this is a very fun idea.
posted by cortex at 8:26 AM on October 30, 2008

I like the idea. I just hope someday I'll have enough time to spend on the challenges.
posted by chimaera at 8:41 AM on October 30, 2008

I think this would be cool. Echoing what everything else everyone else has said.
posted by Corduroy at 10:27 AM on October 30, 2008

I'm in.
posted by The White Hat at 11:03 AM on October 30, 2008

What about something like this: there'd be a permanent link at the top of the Music page. It would be a single line, say, right under the line that says this:

Updated for October Musicians looking for inspiration should check out our Monthly Music Challenges

It would say something like this:

Got a cover request for a MeFi Musician? Requests taken here!

The link would go to a permanent page, a thread that never closes. People could make their requests there, exactly like posting a comment: "I'd like to hear sleepy pete do "Unchain My Heart" and snsranch do "Why Don't We Do It In The Road".

And then sleepy pete and snsranch could do them, if they wanted, at anytime possible and convenient for them. Maybe within a month, but maybe not. Whenever they had the time. think this sort of setup could be a cool permanent feature at MeFiMu.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:37 PM on October 30, 2008

Sounds cool.
I like that take on it, flapjax. I've got several requests/Mefites in my head already.

But then what if the musician isn't into doing that particular song? Does it just hang there all sad and unproduced, indefinately?
Would the population-at-large think that that particular musician is bitchy or mean or a stick in the mud...even though that musician could have a political reason; a taste preference; some sort of throat problem; oily, painful farts; angry feelings or may possibly be in a reclusive, kind of Syd Barret or Brian Wilson phase?
posted by chococat at 7:52 PM on October 30, 2008

I'd be willing to take requests, but my turnaround time for a song isn't all that quick. I'd also don't want people to think I'm mean for not wanting to cover songs that I think are stupid.
posted by mexican at 8:23 PM on October 30, 2008

Would the population-at-large think that that particular musician is bitchy or mean or a stick in the mud...

I'd also don't want people to think I'm mean

I think pretty much anyone and everyone who'd make requests would be aware that there's a very real possibility that the cover might not materialize. And that that would be for any number of reasons: time availability, the musician feeling that the song just isn't right for him/her, whatever.

Also... I think it could be a given with something like this that anyone, not just the particular requestee, would be welcome to jump on a suggestion. In fact, it'd be real interesting if more than one musician covered the same song.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:27 PM on October 30, 2008

In fact, it'd be real interesting if more than one musician covered the same song.

Except that that negates the requesty, specificy part of the whole idea, i.e. "I want to hear Extreme's More Than Words in the style of flapjax."
Or else I'm misunderstanding this whole shebang.
posted by chococat at 10:07 PM on October 30, 2008

Well, I dunno I'd say it negates the whole thing, chococat. I mean, to take your example, if I complied with the request and submitted my cover of "More Than Words" then the requester would be happy or whatever, but if someone else decides to do it, too, I don't see what problem that could be to anyone. If the requester was dead set on hearing the flapjax and only the flapjax cover, well, no one is obligated to listen to anything they don't want to! But they might also be pleasantly surprised (or whatever) to hear someone else's take on the song as well. I guess for me, the more music here the merrier!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 10:22 PM on October 30, 2008

One other thing I just thought of, that might help to assuage this "what if people think I'm a jerk for not doing their request" fear: if the permanent link is indeed like any other MeFi thread, the musician who got the cover request could also post replies in the thread. Things like: "Wow, that might be groovy, but I won't be able to get on it until another 2 months or so... I'll drop you some MeFiMail when I post it!" Or... "Hmmm, I appreciate your considering me, but that song just isn't right for my voice." Or... "Are you KIDDING? No way in HELL would I cover that tune! Why, I'd shoot my grandmother before I covered that tune!"

That way folks could know where the musician is coming from.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:30 AM on October 31, 2008

I don't think there should be a rule about not doing songs suggested for someone else. I do kind of agree with chococat in that what makes this idea special is the 'requesty, specificy part of the whole idea'. But I also agree with flapjax about the more music the merrier.

Maybe there doesn't need to be any rule on this subject at all? Hopefully a lot of us will get requests instead of a ton for a few. I think that will alleviate the above issue (if it is one) the most.

I've got a couple request ideas already as well. Let's get this started!
posted by Corduroy at 2:37 AM on October 31, 2008

Like I said, I think it'd be neat to take non-cover requests, too. "I'd like to hear a second-wave ska song about penguins in love" and the like.
posted by uncleozzy at 6:08 AM on October 31, 2008

Really, kind of a cover-friendly Dare Bucket with flavors of user-targeted request-frosting, then.

"I'd like someone [Musicker x in particular] to [do a song like y|cover song z]."

If x is down with it, bonus! If w or t or m gives it a go, sweet. Keep the requestiness but don't enforce it, in other words, and see what comes of it.
posted by cortex at 6:41 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

Got a cover request for a MeFi Musician? Requests taken here!
The link would go to a permanent page, a thread that never closes. People could make their requests there...
posted by flapjax at midnite

That to me sounds like the way to go. Having it be a permanent feature of MefiMusic sounds awesome and I think that would work best.

As for the concern of coming across as an asshole for not obliging to do a specific cover: I understand the concern, and perhaps we could add something in the text that flapjax mention above that all requests are considered on a "best intention basis"; no obligations, no commitments.

However, by now I think we've all seen each other stop posting for a while, then come back, quit music, then relapse, try to collaborate, succeed, fail, etc. and I think most people that are already on the site realize of the spirit, and newcomers catch up pretty fast. We are not that big of a crowd, really. We all face similar issues (namely, the difficulty of combining marriages, jobs and otherwise busy lives with our best intention to devote as much time possible to music, which sometimes is very little), so I think no one would be offended or, put other way, let's include something in the text that prevents people from being offended.
posted by micayetoca at 6:42 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

Like I said, I think it'd be neat to take non-cover requests, too. "I'd like to hear a second-wave ska song about penguins in love" and the like.
posted by uncleozzy

I didn't understand it the first time you mentioned it, I thought you meant "a songs to wear pants to scheme" in an administrative way, but the idea of doing requests like that sounds good to me. The broader the possibilities, the easier it will be to comply and the more music there will be.
posted by micayetoca at 6:45 AM on October 31, 2008

I am totally into this, and I reckon I'll do pretty much any song asked. Warning: it will probably be folksy, banjo-heavy, and in my style of music that I can't seem to break out of no matter how I try.
posted by ORthey at 10:07 AM on October 31, 2008

I actually really want to hear Cortex do Smell Yo Dick, by Riskay. I think he'd KILL. Seriously.

Also, something I haven't quite grasped - are we meant to MeFimail folks individually, or post 'em here? Or either or?
posted by ORthey at 10:11 AM on October 31, 2008

I think posting them in a thread is probably the way to go. This one's a bit meta-discussy already; probably someone should kick off a new thread with the basic notion ("Put your requests here") and a link to the discussion here for reference, and we can just let that be the Big Request Thread for potential future header linking or whatever.
posted by cortex at 10:41 AM on October 31, 2008

Would you be into linking from it from the front page as sir flapjax suggested? (I, for one, think that would rock)
posted by micayetoca at 10:59 AM on October 31, 2008

Yeah, I don't see why we could toss up a note in the header by the challenge stuff.
posted by cortex at 11:02 AM on October 31, 2008

I went ahead and made a thread.
posted by Corduroy at 1:10 PM on October 31, 2008

I'm new but am totally down to receive requests. I'll be uploading my third song when I get home so check out my songs and request away. I'll do the same.
posted by dagosto at 1:37 PM on October 31, 2008

Just jumping in to say I'm willing to sit in the dunking booth as well. Sounds like fun!
posted by arcanecrowbar at 1:50 PM on October 31, 2008

Traditional requests $2
----Others $5
the Saints $10

I'd be up for something if the time allows. It sounds like an interesting idea and I'd like to see how it turns out at the very least.
posted by sleepy pete at 9:29 AM on November 1, 2008

This definitely sounds CHALLENGING! Ha! What a blast, I can't wait.
posted by snsranch at 4:46 PM on November 1, 2008

I'm in.
posted by davejay at 8:15 AM on November 2, 2008

Although technically I've already got one in the queue
posted by davejay at 8:17 AM on November 2, 2008