Hello, this is the AIM 2025 discussions thread, where you can chat about the contest or ask questions.
Please note the contest has not started yet! This thread is just being posted now so it can be linked in the submissions thread when the time comes. I will link the submissions thread in a follow-up post.
The submissions thread is now LIVE! https://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/1544701
So excited for this event every year! I can't wait to listen to everyone's submissions.
Rawr! X3
@DunbFuckNamed289 @Creeperforce24 @DrSaturn2 Please continue your discussion here, not in the submissions thread. I'll quote the original question below:
At 4/19/25 02:53 PM, DunbFuckNamed289 wrote:i don't get it, like i gotta make a track that resembles an art piece? Like i look at an artpiece and go like "hmm, ah yes it's this genre of music". Seems complex. All i know is i can do the opposite, draw something relating to a track, not making a track related to a drawing
At 4/19/25 03:39 PM, Random-storykeeper wrote:@DunbFuckNamed289 @Creeperforce24 @DrSaturn2 Please continue your discussion here, not in the submissions thread. I'll quote the original question below:At 4/19/25 02:53 PM, DunbFuckNamed289 wrote:i don't get it, like i gotta make a track that resembles an art piece? Like i look at an artpiece and go like "hmm, ah yes it's this genre of music". Seems complex. All i know is i can do the opposite, draw something relating to a track, not making a track related to a drawing
How convenient! A discussion thread!
At 4/19/25 03:51 PM, Creeperforce24 wrote:At 4/19/25 03:39 PM, Random-storykeeper wrote:@DunbFuckNamed289 @Creeperforce24 @DrSaturn2 Please continue your discussion here, not in the submissions thread. I'll quote the original question below:At 4/19/25 02:53 PM, DunbFuckNamed289 wrote:i don't get it, like i gotta make a track that resembles an art piece? Like i look at an artpiece and go like "hmm, ah yes it's this genre of music". Seems complex. All i know is i can do the opposite, draw something relating to a track, not making a track related to a drawing
How convenient! A discussion thread!
thats cool!
AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!
so like, are the art pieces existing ones or can we make some ourselves?
At 4/20/25 12:23 PM, Noltrollroll wrote:so like, are the art pieces existing ones or can we make some ourselves?
The point of this contest is to create a piece of music based on a piece of art already uploaded on the Newgrounds Art Portal. This is a contest about making music based on art - it is not about creating art yourself.
At 4/20/25 02:17 PM, Random-storykeeper wrote:At 4/20/25 12:23 PM, Noltrollroll wrote:so like, are the art pieces existing ones or can we make some ourselves?
The point of this contest is to create a piece of music based on a piece of art already uploaded on the Newgrounds Art Portal. This is a contest about making music based on art - it is not about creating art yourself.
so if u upload art to the art portal urself, could u use that art to make a song then?
At 4/20/25 03:03 PM, Noltrollroll wrote:At 4/20/25 02:17 PM, Random-storykeeper wrote:At 4/20/25 12:23 PM, Noltrollroll wrote:so like, are the art pieces existing ones or can we make some ourselves?
The point of this contest is to create a piece of music based on a piece of art already uploaded on the Newgrounds Art Portal. This is a contest about making music based on art - it is not about creating art yourself.
so if u upload art to the art portal urself, could u use that art to make a song then?
No, you cannot use your own art as inspiration for the contest this year. There are many works of art in the portal; take time to find one you like and make music inspired by it.
At 4/20/25 03:38 PM, Random-storykeeper wrote:At 4/20/25 03:03 PM, Noltrollroll wrote:At 4/20/25 02:17 PM, Random-storykeeper wrote:At 4/20/25 12:23 PM, Noltrollroll wrote:so like, are the art pieces existing ones or can we make some ourselves?
The point of this contest is to create a piece of music based on a piece of art already uploaded on the Newgrounds Art Portal. This is a contest about making music based on art - it is not about creating art yourself.
so if u upload art to the art portal urself, could u use that art to make a song then?
No, you cannot use your own art as inspiration for the contest this year. There are many works of art in the portal; take time to find one you like and make music inspired by it.
alr time to start digging the daily fp :)
Got permission from an artist here to use their art yayyy! They even gave me recommendations for which ones to use so I’ll see what I can work with :3
Rawr! X3
Oops, previously my song was too long, I have updated it to match with the required length.
It's all good; I hadn't checked it at that time but am looking (and listening) now!
At 4/24/25 07:05 PM, Aalasteir wrote:Oops, previously my song was too long, I have updated it to match with the required length.
https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/1421857
Got permission from ANOTHER artist now so I may make a second entry sooner or later :3
Rawr! X3
The artist doesn’t have to give you “permission” to use their piece as inspiration for the contest, right? I left a review on the art asking the artist if I had their blessing but never got a response.
I think I've lost my mind and I love it
At 4/25/25 12:46 AM, OVERSCORE wrote:The artist doesn’t have to give you “permission” to use their piece as inspiration for the contest, right? I left a review on the art asking the artist if I had their blessing but never got a response.
That's correct, though it's best to avoid using the actual art to promote the music if you don't have their permission, e.g. you post the track on YouTube and use it as a visualizer sort of thing. But just being musically inspired by the art and linking to it without the artist's explicit permission is fine.
At 4/25/25 12:46 AM, OVERSCORE wrote:The artist doesn’t have to give you “permission” to use their piece as inspiration for the contest, right? I left a review on the art asking the artist if I had their blessing but never got a response.
I just get permission from the artists as a “shield” so to speak just in case. That way, they know that I’ll be using their piece for something instead of just going ahead without them knowing. ^^
Rawr! X3
At 4/25/25 09:53 AM, Kiraichu wrote:At 4/25/25 12:46 AM, OVERSCORE wrote:The artist doesn’t have to give you “permission” to use their piece as inspiration for the contest, right? I left a review on the art asking the artist if I had their blessing but never got a response.
I just get permission from the artists as a “shield” so to speak just in case. That way, they know that I’ll be using their piece for something instead of just going ahead without them knowing. ^^
That’s good, though I do understand that some artists, especially art that was submitted years ago, are sometimes not active enough to see their messages. Ideally, you will at least try to reach out. However, if you don’t get a response, you can still make your track using the art as your inspiration.
At 4/25/25 11:26 AM, Random-storykeeper wrote:At 4/25/25 09:53 AM, Kiraichu wrote:At 4/25/25 12:46 AM, OVERSCORE wrote:The artist doesn’t have to give you “permission” to use their piece as inspiration for the contest, right? I left a review on the art asking the artist if I had their blessing but never got a response.
I just get permission from the artists as a “shield” so to speak just in case. That way, they know that I’ll be using their piece for something instead of just going ahead without them knowing. ^^
That’s good, though I do understand that some artists, especially art that was submitted years ago, are sometimes not active enough to see their messages. Ideally, you will at least try to reach out. However, if you don’t get a response, you can still make your track using the art as your inspiration.
Yeah, I do get that. The artists that I contacted still actively post on here at least so I was able to get an answer in only a couple days. It would be different if they were inactive, but in the case of the two I got permission from, they were still posting art frequently so I took a shot at it. :3
Rawr! X3
I wish I was scouted and I knew how to make music... I already picked an artwork and have a melody in my head, but oh well
"infinite lulz!!!!"
-placeholder456 (me)
At 4/25/25 12:22 PM, Kiraichu wrote:At 4/25/25 11:26 AM, Random-storykeeper wrote:At 4/25/25 09:53 AM, Kiraichu wrote:At 4/25/25 12:46 AM, OVERSCORE wrote:The artist doesn’t have to give you “permission” to use their piece as inspiration for the contest, right? I left a review on the art asking the artist if I had their blessing but never got a response.
I just get permission from the artists as a “shield” so to speak just in case. That way, they know that I’ll be using their piece for something instead of just going ahead without them knowing. ^^
That’s good, though I do understand that some artists, especially art that was submitted years ago, are sometimes not active enough to see their messages. Ideally, you will at least try to reach out. However, if you don’t get a response, you can still make your track using the art as your inspiration.
Yeah, I do get that. The artists that I contacted still actively post on here at least so I was able to get an answer in only a couple days. It would be different if they were inactive, but in the case of the two I got permission from, they were still posting art frequently so I took a shot at it. :3
The piece was posted recently enough… but good to know I can still make the piece inspired by it despite the lack of response.
I think I've lost my mind and I love it
At 4/25/25 01:06 PM, Placeholder456 wrote:I wish I was scouted and I knew how to make music... I already picked an artwork and have a melody in my head, but oh well
There's still a lot of time left in the compo to try and get scouted. You have until June 16 to work on an entry, and you can do this before you are scouted as long as you can get scouted before the end of the submissions period.
You can also check out this section in the Audio Portal FAQ for some tips on getting scouted.
At 4/25/25 02:01 PM, OVERSCORE wrote:At 4/25/25 12:22 PM, Kiraichu wrote:At 4/25/25 11:26 AM, Random-storykeeper wrote:At 4/25/25 09:53 AM, Kiraichu wrote:At 4/25/25 12:46 AM, OVERSCORE wrote:The artist doesn’t have to give you “permission” to use their piece as inspiration for the contest, right? I left a review on the art asking the artist if I had their blessing but never got a response.
I just get permission from the artists as a “shield” so to speak just in case. That way, they know that I’ll be using their piece for something instead of just going ahead without them knowing. ^^
That’s good, though I do understand that some artists, especially art that was submitted years ago, are sometimes not active enough to see their messages. Ideally, you will at least try to reach out. However, if you don’t get a response, you can still make your track using the art as your inspiration.
Yeah, I do get that. The artists that I contacted still actively post on here at least so I was able to get an answer in only a couple days. It would be different if they were inactive, but in the case of the two I got permission from, they were still posting art frequently so I took a shot at it. :3
The piece was posted recently enough… but good to know I can still make the piece inspired by it despite the lack of response.
Alright permission granted! I’m so ready this year!
I think I've lost my mind and I love it
Approved entries will be scored by the judges in the following four categories (10 points per category for a subtotal of 50 points and a grand total of 200 points max. per entry):
Composition/Structure: How well do the melodies and chord progressions flow from one to another? How is the track formed as a whole, in terms of its sections?
Production: How is the mixing of the track? Are the elements balanced or is one layer too overbearing?
Emotion/Atmosphere: How well does the track convey a sense of feeling or atmosphere? Is there anything that could be adjusted in the track to evoke the intended emotion/atmosphere more effectively?
Art Relevance: How inspired does the track feel from the art? Does the art feel incidentally picked or does it seem like the composer of the track took inspiration from this specific art?
small typo that I noticed in the submission thread. im guessing it should be a subtotal of 40 points with 40*5 = 200 max total points
At 4/27/25 01:23 PM, masterakuma99 wrote:small typo that I noticed in the submission thread. im guessing it should be a subtotal of 40 points with 40*5 = 200 max total points
Yes I accidentally messed up the math there. I suppose it could still work out since the totals per category would still be 50 points each when adding the 10 points up per the 5 judges. But it is still confusing. I’ll have it clarified at some point. Thank you.
I'm working on a track. Prolly only have one submission again this year. Really I should be compiling my next release but here I am doing this contest again lol
At 4/25/25 12:46 AM, OVERSCORE wrote:The artist doesn’t have to give you “permission” to use their piece as inspiration for the contest, right? I left a review on the art asking the artist if I had their blessing but never got a response.
I sure hope not! The artist I'm looking at is unscouted and was last online in 2019. Unscouted artwork is allowed, right?
If you read this, you get a virtual cookie
At 4/28/25 07:57 PM, Tangerine wrote:At 4/25/25 12:46 AM, OVERSCORE wrote:The artist doesn’t have to give you “permission” to use their piece as inspiration for the contest, right? I left a review on the art asking the artist if I had their blessing but never got a response.
I sure hope not! The artist I'm looking at is unscouted and was last online in 2019. Unscouted artwork is allowed, right?
Yes, as long as it fulfils all the other art rules.
