Easy J-bug.
You seem to have made the assumption that I am expecting people to make records as a favour to me, that I want people to drop their committments and take part. I find this incredibly insulting. I have no expectations and only continued the challenge this year because people asked me to. It's stressful for me too and I have cancelled a LOT of projects I was very excited about*. The idea that I would berate people at the end of the challenge for not being up to scratch is ridiculous and it hurts me. Your accusations have left me genuinely upset. You talk like I am personally directing this challenge to a particular group of people who happen to be very busy right now, which is not the case. The open challenge is not directed at anybody, and if it was it would certainly not be directed at people too busy or stressed to do anything. Perhaps I should specify in big bold letters that it is not meant for people too busy to take part?
The reasons for this challenge, and its taking place in May are deeply personal to me. I'm not going to explain them because I shouldn't have to. I am not going to take part this year because I too am a full time student in the middle of finals. I too am under pressure to drop out. I, like many of your friends, have dropped out in the past for those very same reasons. I understand the stress and I understand where you're coming from. I appreciate that there are wildly talented and creative individuals that are too busy to take part in my dumb stupid challenge. Myself included. Y'know what?
Tough titties.
The challenge takes place in May. No compromise. It takes place in May because that is the challenge. The challenge is to make a record in May. Nobody is approaching busy students and holding them at gunpoint to make a record.
It began as a challenge I set myself. I liked the idea and found it curious enough that I shared it. People took the challenge and did something great. Some of them not even musicians. The people who took part did a wonderful thing, and their contributions stand as a testament to what they can achieve. I have a genuine admiration for those who did it, even the people who didn't complete it and share their work on the blog for the rest of us. People overcame so much to complete a record. People called up friends, regrouped old bands, learned new things, made the best of poor recording setups. People had a LOT of fun. So much fun that people requested it become an annual thing.
There's no set way to do things. There's no way music has to be. You don't need a studio, you don't even need a microphone. You don't need instruments and you don't need skill. You can do it. This challenge is about proving to yourself that you can.
You want to prove it to yourself but have finals? That's okay. You can prove it to yourself any time of the year. But this challenge is happening right now, and people who are able are already taking part. You want to do it in June instead? That's okay. You can do that. Nobody is telling you that you can't. You want that effort to be posted on a blog with the rest of the crop? Sure. I'll put it up there, it deserves to be heard. Is there going to be a month long extension? No.
*If you'd like to help lighten my load by taking care of/aiding the blog/archiving duties, I would be incredibly grateful, as I'm sure everyone else taking part would too.
Simon: It doesn't matter what the setup is or what the circumstances are, it always counts.
Edit: Whew, okay, power down. I'm always cranky if I miss my evening glass of milk.
KvP: We're good, we're okay. I know you meant nothing by it and only reacted because I acted like a dismissive dick. We're cool.
