Create Your Own Song Adventure

As part of its re-launch, the NPR Music site has kicked off a new series, All Songs Considered's Project Song. "The challenge: Write and record a song — in two days. (We provide the studio and the inspiration.)"

Their first victim, Magnetic Fields mastermind Stephin Merritt, draws his attention to a photo of a man covered chin to shoes in plastic babies and the term "1974" as his muse for the track, which in the end, sounds pretty neat. Check it out on their site. The report follows Merritt through each step of the project, from the lyrics, to melodies, to laying down drum tracks (even if he doesn't really play drums).

The next Project Song is due Dec. 1, with Georgie James. We'd be tickled if they scored a rapper for the follow-up.

Another make-a-new-song experience making the rounds on the interwebs is one from prolific pop eccentric Sufjan Stevens. On the heels of his Christmas music boxed set from last year, the songwriter has started the Great Sufjan Song Xmas Xchange!, a contest to which people to submit original Christmas songs. And get this:

"The winner of this Contest will receive all rights in an original Sufjan Stevens' recording and musical composition. In exchange, the winner agrees to transfer to Sponsor all rights in his or her submitted recording and musical composition. This is not your ordinary corporate promotion -- we are actually giving you Sufjan’s recording and composition to use however you like - no strings attached!"

If we had our choice, we'd want "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." because it made our mom cry.

It's an interesting concept, equivocating the value of one song with the value of another from a reputable artist. On top of that, the ability to brandish a Sufjan song around -- license it to Target, add it to every jukebox on the planet, chop it and screw it into your own remix... with great power comes great responsibility... or sometimes great cash...