FAWM Help Center / FAQ

Basic Rules

What's going on here?
We're attempting to write 14 songs in the 28 days of February.

But it's leap year! There are 29 days in 2008!!
True. That's why we're encouraging 14½ songs (the extra ½ being a collaboration with someone new you've met through FAWM.ORG). But if you only add 14 songs, or go it all alone, you're still a "winner."

Isn't this crazy?
Maybe. Think of FAWM as a big, month-long, international songwriting workshop that requires an internet connection instead of a plane ticket and hefty registration fee. Other fawmers will become your friends and accountability partners; sources of feedback and musical growth.

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 February?
You must wait until February 1 (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 for FAWM. Or, if you're planning a concept album it's OK to start doing research. Just don't take any old song and say you wrote it in February.

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"?
14 new songs and the admiration of your songwriting peers.

That's it?
Actually, no. If you make it to 14 and donate to FAWM, This year CD Baby will set you up with free distribution of your new music ($35 value).

Is FAWM really free?
It is to you (but not to us). We suggest making a donation to help cover development and operating costs. Our 2008 goal is $5000. If you donate US$10 or more you get a nifty icon by your name, and for various additional amounts, we'll mail you cool FAWM swag like CDs and stickers, too.

I don't think I can make it to 14 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. FAWM will help you grow as a songwriter.

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 14 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 are the weekly "challenges"? Do I have to do them?
Challenges aren't compulsory. We all hit writer's block, and the challenge each week offers a theme or structure to work around. It's totally optional, but may help you toward the 14 song goal. It's also fun to see how other fawmers interpret the criteria. Some challenges we've done in the past:

  • Titled after a street name (2007)
  • Duet (2007)
  • Two-chorded song structure (2007)
  • Color (2007)
  • Dissonance (2006)
  • Song about a superhero (2006)
  • A key change (2006)
  • Lyrics in 30 words or less (2006)
  • Song about and ending (2005)
  • Non-literary narrative: list, personals ad, etc. (2005)
  • Lyrics in a foreign language (2005)
  • Music in an unusual time signature (2005)
  • Song with the word "shine" somewhere in it (2004)
  • A tribute song (2004)

Can I write a concept album?
Sure! It's even encouraged. Some fawmers have previously written albums around themes like (to name only a few):

  • A rock opera about a fictional politician - by The KB EP (2007)
  • Musical interpretation of Lord of the Rings - by Vikki Flawith (2007)
  • All the presidents in U.S. History - a triple-whammy by Christian Keifer, J. Matthew Gerken, and Jeff Pitcher (2006 - read this!)
  • Elements in the periodic table - by Apertome (2006)
  • Perspectives of historical women - by Ellen Cherry (2005)
  • "Signs of Life," street signs on the way to work - by J$ (2005)
  • The words "on fire" ("Matt Ladish Is on Fire," "My Heart Is on Fire," "The Hills Are on Fire," etc.) - by Blake Thomas (2005)

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 Feb 1 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 March 1 (i.e., as long as it's still February 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 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. We also understand that files hosted with BOXSTr (free) work with the FAWM player. We recommend 44.1 kHz sampling, encoded with a 128kbps bitrate.
  2. Link to demos from a free Broadjam.com account.
    As a service to fawmers, Broadjam.com is offering complimentary new memberships (a $25 value) where you can upload your demos. We've integrated with it so that your songs from Broadjam.com can be streamed from FAWM.ORG as well (details below).
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

How do I get a Broadjam.com account to host my FAWM demos?

  1. Go to Broadjam.com and sign up with the promo code "FAWM." This will give you a free 6-month "MoB" membership (up to 50 songs), and a 10% discount on higher levels.
  2. Log in to Broadjam. Under "Artist Profile," click the "Edit" button next to "Songs," and follow the instructions to "Add New Song."
  3. Once a song is uploaded, click the "Transmit" button on the "Edit Songs" page.
  4. Check the box next to the song you want to post (if you check multiple boxes, only the first one works).
  5. 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 14 songs in 28 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 weekly challenges - see the archive above, and be sure to check out this year's as well.
  • 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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