First, I should tell you that this project is part of my thesis as a masters student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. 

At its most basic level, this project is intended to foster collaboration over any distance.  Anyone with an internet connection and the desire to participate is able to collaborate with anyone else, regardless of geographical location.  This project is also intended to explore the idea of this kind of collaboration as a distribution vehicle for music. 

I have posted several files of songs that I recorded.  In the zip files are the original multi-track audio files.  You can put these audio files in any audio editing application you choose in order to mix, remix, re-create, and re-write all of this material however you see fit.  The files are presented in multiple formats that are ready to go (Pro Tools and Garage Band) as well as standard .wav audio files, so you aren’t limited to these particular applications.  If anyone wants to submit versions in other specific formats (Digital Performer, Cubase, etc), I will be happy to post them.  I want to make this as friendly to as many people as possible.  Anyone who wants access, gets access. 

Feel free to edit, delete and otherwise change these tracks in any way you want.  When you’re done with your “mix”, email it back to veraellenremix@gmail.com in mp3 format, and it will be posted on the project blog.  At this point, anyone will be able to listen to, and comment on, the work that you do.  (I will only delete comments that are defamatory and patently offensive).  In essence, there is no moderation.  I will ask for the purposes of this project, that you rate the track on a scale of 1-5 on 5 different criteria.  Other than that, feel free to discuss any aspect of the tracks you wish. 

This project is also intended to be a method of garnering interest in new music.  I feel that if you give people the opportunity to get involved in the process of music making, they’ll be more interested in the music that is produced.  I believe this is a way, that hasn’t been fully explored, in which bands and musicians could get people interested in their music. 

While there have been several artists that have made their tracks available for remix, (Nine Inch Nails, Barenaked Ladies, Cursive, etc), there is a key difference.  Each of these artists has either simply sent the files out to allow end users to mix, and hasn’t given any opportunity for resubmission, or simply allowed submission, and then hand-picked a few mixes for public display.  This project, however, allows every submission to be heard and discussed by the community at large.  It is my hope that this will create a creative environment in which people can discuss their work, and if desired, begin collaboration outside this project.