A Monthly Fanmix Challenge

Obsessions set to music. What could be better?

[fanmixing]

Fanmixing: The Rules

These are the rules/guidelines you should follow in order to participate! Simple stuff, just a few basic requirements.

Fanmixes should contain between 7-20 songs. These numbers are a little arbitrary, and we won't argue with a couple of songs more or less, but the point is that a mix should be a) more than a couple of random songs but also b) a finite list of well-curated songs. We're not looking for your 100+ song playlist, we're looking for something that a person could listen to in around an hour, give or take. A fanmix should resemble an album in length.

Fanmixes should be posted on a site or app where anyone can listen to the full songs, either without an account or with a free-to-create account. Spotify and YouTube are probably the easiest to use and access right now, but there may be others, and I'll try to create and post a list of possible sites as time goes on. You are also free to do things old school - create a ZIP file of mp3s and upload them somewhere for people to download!

Fanmixes should ideally contain at least one of the following: a cover graphic you created, and/or a track list with brief explanations for why you chose the songs. This is less a rule than a guideline, but the idea here is that you are making this more than just a collection of songs, but a piece of art you've put your own spin on. These don't have to be super complex - even just cropping a screenshot or listing a song name followed by the episode or moment it's inspired by is great!

Caveat to the above: if you create graphics, they should be made from art you create, art you have explicit permission to use, screenshots you've taken yourself, or art/pictures/graphics that are royalty free and/or under a creative commons license. Please do not just go to Pinterest or weheartit and take something that you don't have permission to use. I'll post a list of free resources at a later time!

Your Tumblr post should make clear the fandom, character, ship, etc the mix is about. This is for your benefit more than anything - let someone who doesn't know anything about your fandom go "wait, this has four of my very favorite songs, but I don't know the fandom, I should clearly check out the source!"

That's it! Any questions? Our ask box is open!

[fanmixing]

Fanmixing December Challenge Part 2: Cozy Winter Holiday

For December, we'll have two optional challenges, if you want to start playing right away!

Challenge 2: For those who haven't already made a fanmix but want to start playing - make a mix inspired by the photo above!

This photo is royalty-free; feel free to use it as your cover image, or edit it as needed, as long as it is not used for anything commercial.

There are three ways to participate:

Send the link through our Submissions page.

Make a new post with the fanmix and tag it with "fanmixing"

Reblog an existing post (or make a new post) and tag @fanmixing within the post.

All fandoms, ships, and characters accepted - as long as it's a fandom-related mix, we want it! We will reblog any mix we get through one of the three above methods at some point during the month.

(This is one person's project, despite the use of the royal 'we', so if I end up getting a lot of submissions, please be patient with me!)

If you have any questions, the ask box is open. Otherwise, we want your famixes - send away!

Reblogs are welcome and appreciated! The more music, the better!

[fanmixing]

Fanmixing December Challenge Part 1: In With the Old

For December, we'll have two optional challenges, if you want to start playing right away!

Challenge 1: Send us your existing fanmixes!

There are three ways to participate:

Send the link through our Submissions page.

Make a new post with the fanmix and tag it with "fanmixing"

Reblog an existing post (or make a new post) and tag @fanmixing within the post.

All fandoms, ships, and characters accepted - as long as it's a fandom-related mix, we want it! We will reblog any mix we get through one of the three above methods at some point during the month.

(This is one person's project, despite the use of the royal 'we', so if I end up getting a lot of submissions, please be patient with me!)

If you have any questions, the ask box is open. Otherwise, we want your famixes - send away!

Reblogs are welcome and appreciated! The more music, the better!

[fanmixing]

Would the December holiday party for existing fanmixes include accepting submissions? I have at least one existing annotated playlist that I could tack a graphic onto

Yes, absolutely! More info to come in another post last today, but the idea for December is to showcase existing fanmixes. I will be opening the submissions link for this blog, or if it's easier and/or the mix hasn't been posted on Tumblr yet, you can make a new post and tag "fanmixing" so I can see it.

[fanmixing]

Welcome to Fanmixing!

Fanmix (n): a compilation of songs inspired by a fannish source, such as a fandom, character, or ship (via fanlore). Obsession, set to music.

Fanmixes are an underrated fannish art form. Anyone can create them! All it takes is an appreciation for music, an ear for curation, and the ability to make any song or lyric fit your blorbo. And they are an excellent way to broaden your musical horizons!

This project aims to encourage more people to create fanmixes, and give the people who make fanmixes a way to reach a broader audience. The idea is simple:

At the beginning of each month, we will post some prompts to inspire you. These prompts may be words, themes, pictures, quotes, genres - anything! There will be multiple prompts of varying types to choose from.

If any of these prompts inspire you, make a fanmix (following a very loose set of rules), post it on Tumblr, and tag this blog. Any fandom, any character, any ship - it just has to be fandom-related and use at least one of the given prompts.

We will reblog anything that gets tagged and uses the prompts!

That's it! Our goal is simply to inspire people to make fanmixes, and to give them (and their creators) more love and visibility.

The official prompts will begin in January 2024, but follow us for a December holiday party of love for existing fanmixes.

We'd love it if you share this project to reach a wider audience! Let's make 2024 the year of fanmix joy on Tumblr, and let everyone share in the musical inspirations you have for your favorite fandoms.

If you have any questions, our ask box is open!