Calling all musicians
‘Love Song for Las Cruces’ contest gives local and national acts chance to be featured in advertising campaign
New Mexico is full of talented artists; it’s a characteristic current and past residents love about the state. NMCO Creative Studio and Visit Las Cruces are giving musicians a chance to show just how much love they have.
The collaboration is launching its pilot project, the “Love Song for Las Cruces” contest. Musicians are given the opportunity to submit their best song that exemplifies an appreciation for the state’s second-largest city.
Christina Ballew, co-founder and chief creative officer of NMCO, had somewhat of an epiphany while sifting through old Visit Las Cruces commercials.
“I was listening to the stock music, it had someone singing about waves crashing along the beach, and I was like, wait a minute, something’s not lining up here,” she said. “Maybe if we had something that was more focused on our region, our area and especially the things that are unique to Las Cruces and to New Mexico, I thought that would be a great solution for some of the commercial work we had to do.”
Musicians are asked to submit their original work to NMCO by March 31, and the grand prize includes $1,000 and for their song to be featured in Visit Las Cruces’ commercials, campaigns and other promotions. Guidelines include:
■ Songs must be submitted at nmcostudio.com/lovesonglc.
■ Songs must be between 1:30 and 4 minutes in length.
■ Submissions must be in MP3 or MP4 format; audio and video files of the performance are both accepted.
■ Submission must include a PDF of lyrics typed out.
The contest is open to everyone and is not limited to just Las Cruces locals, and not necessarily current New Mexico residents either. Visitors who have enjoyed their stay in Las Cruces can enter, and some former residents who have moved away still have the ability to capture the admiration for the city they once called home.
“We thought there were people who lived here, who were inspired by this place, but eventually moved away. We didn’t want to limit them from applying too,” said Ballew.
Submissions don’t have to be expertly produced. Visit Las Cruces will master the chosen song and get it ready for commercial use.
“The submissions we’ve had are just people recording themselves with their phone,” said Katrina Chandler, creative director at NMCO. “Or they have some sort of equipment on their computer … but it’s nothing that’s professionally done.”
Ballew added, “We’re actually very impressed with the quality of the submissions that we’re getting.”
There is no set timeline for when the winner is announced, but both Ballew and Chandler are aiming for a quick turnaround.
“I don’t think we have a firm timeline … because we’re not sure how many submissions, but the ¡mira! Festival is at the end of April, so we definitely want to have something figured out well before then,” said Chandler.
The ¡mira! Festival is a spring event in Las Cruces highlighting art, culture, cuisine, music and outdoor recreation, and will be headlined by country music artist Frank Ray.
“This is such a cool opportunity if you’re a musician,” Ballew said. “We’re already surprised at how quickly people are submitting.”
Musicians are encouraged to chronicle their process on social media by tagging Visit Las Cruces and using the hashtag #vlclovesong.