RPM Challenge Over

With the end of February comes the end of the RPM Challenge. I have not looked to see the final number of bands or artists who completed the challenge, but if it was like the last two years it will have been around one thousand. That's preety neat - 1,000 groups cramming for nothing but the satisfaction of completing. I finished the challenge with the help of one of two bands, but only ONE album; truth be told I was ambitious and signed up for two albums - one for each band.

Now comes the question: you want to hear songs from the RPM Challenge, but have no place to start - no band name, no genre, etc to go by to find cool-to-you music. What do you do?! This is precisely why I founded Hounds to the Music. Ideally, by next February you will be able to use our web application service to find cool-to-you music from the RPM Challenge and everywhere else on the internet.

Life lessons found in the RPM challenge (T-minus 2 days)

I've been "preparing" for the RPM challenge by pulling out old, familiar, favorite albums and listening to new music on sites like Reverbnation. Not like I don't have enough to do anyway, but working on the challenge is something of a "must" for me. I'm not sure why I'm so excited to start (in two days) nor am I sure why it is a must to participate this year, other than I really did miss it last year.

There is a wonderful sense of accomplishment associated with writing a song and telling yourself, "it is okay". It is okay for someone else to hear this song. It is okay for other people to not like it or for it to not be everyone's favorite. It is okay if it isn't one of my favorites. It is okay if it isn't as developed, complex, or musically mature as songs I typically listen to. It is okay...(insert any excuse here). There is also a fabulous sense of accomplishment when you finish - even though you finish tired and grumpy without any desire to even look at your instrument(s) for a while.

This challenge is really a terrific life lesson (when used as intended) which teaches to enjoy the process. I've always struggled with "enjoying the process" in school, work, life, etc. I tend to focus on getting to the final outcome...only to realize that that is just part of the "bigger" process. However, for some reason I do enjoy the RPM challenge process. Perhaps because the only potentially negative outcome is that I don't finish - I feel disappointment in myself for not following through to the end. There are no other negative consequences - not everyone will dig my tunes...okay; there will be someone out there who does though...okay; and I will, more or less, like the tunes - I'm satisfying a need (to write music), following through on a task, making something, and having a lot of fun enjoying the entire process.

Two days and counting...not listening to my own advice about enjoying the process - I have two days to enjoy!