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Buzz Out Loud remix contest!

Jason Howell Former Associate Producer
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Jason Howell
3 min read
Can you hear that? It's a change.

When you hear the theme song for Buzz Out Loud, what are you reminded of? Your morning commute? A road trip? Staring blankly at your computer monitor at work? The gym?

For five years, the BOL theme has signaled the beginning and the end of the show as we know it. And in a few short weeks, things are about to change. Including that music.

I've wanted to run a remix contest for the Buzz Out Loud theme song for a while now, and with all of the upcoming changes to Buzz Out Loud (more details to come), it only seems right to do that now. So, the challenge is set! I'm asking you to help me and be a part of the next phase of Buzz Out Loud! The reward here is pretty awesome.

The Challenge:
Create a remix of the current Buzz Out Loud theme song!

The Rules:

  • I'm looking for a fresh take on the existing theme, so it should contain a thread of what we've all come to expect. Don't go so abstract that a real Buzz Out Loud fan would never even know it had anything to do with the show.
  • The theme should have a distinct beginning, middle and end. In other words, this will be used at the top and tail of every show, so make it work in both instances.
  • The theme should run no longer than 30 seconds.
  • We give you access to these sounds under the assumption that they will be used for this project only. You are not allowed to use these sounds for projects unrelated to Buzz Out Loud. Sorry folks, but that's kind of our signature, you know?

The Deadline:

E-mail your finished remix to buzz@cnet.com by 12 a.m. Pacific on Wednesday, May 12, 2010. The preferred submission format is an uncompressed stereo WAV or AIFF file, sent as an attachment. You can also post the file online and email a link so we can easily grab it from there. If you choose to submit MP3, please make sure it is 192kbps or greater and if you are selected, I will contact you for the uncompressed audio. Once again, that submission deadline is Wednesday, May 12, 2010, so any emails received on Thursday will not be considered.

The Sounds:
Here they are, in all of their Zipped glory. I'm sure most of you will simply make ring-tones out of these files (you're welcome), but I'm hoping at least a few of you will use them to make the next Buzz Out Loud theme song!

The Fine Print:
Creative Commons, people! Whatever you create should include a Creative Commons Attribution License. You can read all about it here. Basically, you give us free reign to use your remix on the show, given that we credit you for your awesome creation--which, of course, we will.

So, superstar DJs and basement composers. The gauntlet has been thrown. The Buzz Army is poised and ready to get crackin'! Leave your stamp on the future of Buzz Out Loud and make us proud!

UPDATE (04/29/10):

I've received some flak from a user based on a comment I made at the end of Episode 1216 about "club remixes" and how those wouldn't apply. My point is not that you shouldn't submit club-influenced music... but keep in mind that this theme would potentially be the intro and outro music for the show going forward, not played in the midst of a DJ set. I'm not at all against electronic music compositions by any means (I have spent a good amount of my own time writing house and club music! Believe me, I appreciate it.) I'm just looking for something that works as a theme for a show. It's a difficult distinction to put into words, but it should be pretty polished by the time you submit it. And more "song-ee", less "club track-ee"... Make sense at all? Have a listen to themes from other podcasts to see what I mean: The 404, TWiT, FourCast (which is a great example of an electronic-influenced theme).

REGARDLESS... I am really enjoying listening to all of your takes on the BOL theme, and no matter what, I plan on putting your hard work on display WITH FULL CREDIT for everyone to enjoy. I'm really enjoying listening to these submissions, and soon everyone else can too!