Top 2000 – and so the fun starts!

It is rappidly approaching: the broadcast of the “Top 2000” on the Dutch radio, and yes, of course there will be the annual party Top 2000 party on my blog! It will be the seventh time that I host the “Top 2000 Creative & Musical Blog Party” and I’m still as enthusiastic as I was the first time. Oh, and the really fun part? YOU ARE INVITED!

In the past years I have managed to infect many of you with the ‘Top 2000 virus’ and it is a fun disease to catch don ‘t you think? Not dangerous at all – though very contagious! I you are one of the infected ‘advanced players’ in the Top 2000 blog party, this oist will not contain much news except for the info about the additional Facebook group.

However, are you a new follower and do you have no idea what my ‘Top 2000 blog party’ is? Then this post is the perfect way to find out! Before I go on explaining I must warn you: once you get caught by the “Top 2000 virus” there’s no turning back… you risk getting ‘ill’ with it every year 🙂

And now… the info!

The Top 2000? What is it?
The “top 2000″ is a BIG, annual event in the Netherlands on radio and television. From Christmas right to the New Year, the Radio 2 team in the Netherlands presents the 2000 favorite songs of the listeners. 24 hours a day! You can listen to this musical marathon on the website or tune in on Radio 2.

Now you may think “Huh, a Dutch party… what have I got to do with that?”
Well, my ‘Top 2000 Creative Blog Party” is not at all ‘Dutchies only’… each year, more and more international crafters and artists join in. After all, music is an international inspiration and we are all able to enjoy the music and create something (anything) inspired by a song from the top2000 list.

How special my international blog party is, got proved by the fact that the Dutch media picked up my initiative and send a television crew from the digital television channel (Cultura 24) to film and interview me in 2011! You can view that video HERE on YouTube.

Date & time
The blog party starts at the same time that the radio will start broadcasting in the Netherlands, which is Friday, December 25 at 9.00 am CET (Central European Time.) The broadcasting starts with playing number 2000 and they work their way up to the number one, that will play on New Year’s Eve just before midnight. Now that’s something isn’t it – 24 hours, day and night: MUSIC!

Of course, living outside the Netherlands, you won’t be able to find “station 2″ on your radios. Therefore – as an ‘extra’ – I will link the radio broadcasting to my blog. You only have to tune in to my blog to hear the music play!

OK, got it… but what is “The Top 2000 Creative Blog Party?”

My blogparty brings together all art that is made inspired by the songs on the Top 2000 list. Joining the party is FREE and SIMPLE – you don’t even have to own a blog or online gallery to play along. Here’s how it is done:

‘RULES’ to keep in mind when you want to play along

• Pick a song (or more) from the top 2000 list and use the song as inspiration for your art. Interpret freely. You can create art in every form: scrap layouts, drawings, paintings, art journal pages, photos, postcards, ATC’s… whatever!
• E-mail a photo of your work to top2000party{at}maritspaperworld{dot}com (find the e-mail also on  the side menu – with the top 2000 blinkie)
  In your e-mail, please state:
  – Name of the artist
  – Song title
  – The number the song has in the top 2000 list****
  – Date of broadcasting**** (when you download the top 2000 list from the website, you can find the dates on the list)
  – Your name
  – Link to your website or blog (if you have one)
  ****Please don’t forget these as I don’t want to spend hours online scrolling through the list to find out which song you were inspired by and its number on the list!!!I will publish your art on my blog with your (linked) name on the date the song is playing on the radio.
• You can play as much or as little as you like but there is one additional rule: I publish no more then two pieces per artist per day. This means that the total submission is 2 (art pieces) x 7 (days) is 14 art pieces in total – spread over seven days. Mind you: that’s the total. You are free to submit just one piece. Or two. Or three… Oh well, you get the picture, right?!
• Following the list, new blogposts with the art for the next 24 hours go online at midnight (CET.) Art pieces that are submitted later will be add to the post during the day. A number at the top of each post will tell you how many art pieces are published in that day’s post, so you can keep track of new art that was add during the day.

Top 2000 Archives
Wanna know how a ‘Top 2000 Blog Party post’ looks like? Dive into the Top 2000 ARCHIVES to see all Top 2000 posts from former years.

Facebook group “Marit’s Top 2000 Blog Party”
There is a Facebook group as an addition to this blogparty but please TAKE NOTE… the real party is still on my blog! De Facebook group wants to be an addition to people who want to talk about the list or show extra work related to the list/music. However, not everyone has a Facebook account so the rules and the way this annual music party takes place stays the same… and like every year, it is all about the blogposts.

Sooooo – are you in for this top 2000 Musical blog party? Then hop on over to view the Top 2000 list  choose the songs that inspire you, create something with it and send in submissions.

Oh, and don’t forget to GRAB THAT FUNKY BLINKIE & SPREAD THE WORD.

I can’t wait to see what wonderful, music-inspired art I will find in my mailbox.

Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World!