750-plus new CDs and a brand new jukebox unveiled to the world

Holding a CD release party for more than 750 new albums is a serious undertaking. When the RPM Global Listening Party kicked off on March 28, 10 cities around the world united to unleash the prolific results of the 2008 RPM Challenge. Whether attending at The Illicit Still in Edinburgh, Scotland, The Ship Pub in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Bella Dubby in Lakewood, Ohio, or the Lowrider Room in Brooklyn, N.Y., listeners were exposed to fresh tracks laid down during a creative frenzy in February.

Participants all over the globe were able to tap into the festivities last Friday through the online virtual world of Second Life. Some 2,400 artists from more than 40 countries on six continents signed up for the challenge this year, all striving to write and record at least 10 songs or 35 minutes of original music in February. Close to 800 of those participants completed albums by March 1, and their music can now be heard on the RPM Jukebox at www.rpmchallenge.com. The jukebox also includes the results from 2007, when the RPM Challenge went global for the first time.  

In Portsmouth, the listening party began with a ceremony at The Music Hall. RPM organizers Dave Karlotski, Karen Marzloff and Chris Greiner took the stage to reflect on the challenge’s third installment, and Karlotski offered a brief tutorial on how to use the RPM Jukebox. Their presentation was followed by a 30-minute RPM documentary, directed by Trevor F Bartlett. In the spirit of the challenge, the film was divided into 10 segments, or tracks, and featured plenty of new RPM music.

The party then spread to five venues in downtown Portsmouth, with selected songs from RPM albums playing at The Press Room, The Coat of Arms, The Red Door, RiverRun Bookstore and The Music Hall. Each venue featured sets of specific genres, so that while fans in The Music Hall lobby cheered Jonathan Blakeslee’s indie folk song “Daylight Colors,” guests at RiverRun enjoyed the jazz stylings of Thom Keith’s “The Agitator,” and patrons of The Coat of Arms bobbed to the experimental beat of Wonkeye’s “Centrifugal Force.” Although the musical tones varied, a jovial mood of celebration prevailed at all locations.

We can only assume that the simultaneous listening parties that assembled in the regions of New York, Seattle, Cleveland, Dallas, San Francisco, Minnesota, Atlanta, St. John’s and Edinburgh were just as lively. Given a month to recoup after the mad weeks of Record Production Month, participants appeared ready for an all-inclusive celebration, embracing the global community that has been manufactured by the RPM Challenge. Musicians now have a full 10 months to explore the new jukebox and build up their strength before the 2009 RPM Challenge arrives next February.

If the global listening party on March 28 proved anything, it’s that music is a renewable resource. It bubbles up everywhere, coming to life in studios, basements, garages and attics across continents. We have barely begun to tap into the vast and inexhaustible reserves of our musical resources. The RPM Challenge is simply a catalyst that encourages artists to mine their own talents and realize what they can accomplish. But Record Production Month never really has to end.