Limelight Records, Elon University’s student-run record label, opened a contest to university students to produce a song. The winning producer will receive $50 and have their work shown off on the official Limelight Records album.
Eleven students submitted music for the contest. Limelight planned to choose the winner before Elon’s spring vacation but the results were still unknown as of March 26. The impressive competition made the decision process more difficult than the group had expected, according to Limelight executives.
Currently Limelight Records has seven Elon students signed as artists including TMare, who will open for Big Sean and 3LAU at the SUB Spring Show, Kidcasper, Josh Bonney, Lizzy Bassen, Dylan Rockwell, Myles-T and Sara Boike.
“Both Myles-T and Kidcasper, the three execs and myself will all vote on our favorite submissions to pick the winner,” said Dean Shapero, director of music marketing at Limelight Records. “Whoever is chosen will eventually have their beat used and made into a song released through Limelight, and then promoted by us.”
The hip-hop contest winner will also get the opportunity to produce tracks for Limelight’s two rappers: Myles-T and Kidcasper.
“Any hip-hop productions were fair game,” Limelight President Parker Ulry said. “We just wanted to see what the Elon student body would create. Limelight draws pretty heavily on crowdsourcing some of its content and we thought that a hip-hop production could be a fun thing for those students that like to produce.”
The contest was aimed at music technology students specifically, and anybody else who loves to make beats, Shapero said.
“The contest also serves another purpose in seeking out a way to reach the talented musicians at Elon,” Shapero said. “Music technology is a growing field, and this contest allowed Elon students passionate in it to have a way to channel their art in a way that could reward them.”
In 2011, senior Neima Abdulahi started Limelight as a provisional organization under the media board. Recently, the organization had the opportunity to meet with the board and is hoping to become an official organization later in April.
Limelight is made up of three executive members and a general body of 20 people. The organization is entirely made up of students working to help their peers with undiscovered talent, especially those involved in music technology.
“Limelight identifies Elon musical talent and helps them develop as artists by connecting them with others around campus,” Ulry said. “We connect them with music tech students to get their music professionally recorded, mixed and mastered.”
They then market and promote quality music from undiscovered Elon talent around campus through their own music blogs and the university’s radio station, WSOE 89.3.