Welcome to the home of the Loop It or Lose It (LIOLI) Challenge.

As the tools for desktop music production have become more powerful, flexible, and affordable musicians the world over have begun creating music in their homes. Thanks to the ease of use from applications like Garageband, Logic Express, and Logic Pro by Apple musicians can create and release their own works to the world.

One of the best places to find this new breed of artist is MacJams.com, where thousands of musicians gather to exchange ideas, collaborate, and post their work for free download.

MacJams.com is rife with inspired and creative music makers. One topic of discussion explored by members has been the suitability of loops in creating music. Loops are small portions of pre-recorded royalty free music that musicians can use when constructing a song. Because a collection of loops are provided in the basic install of applications like Garageband it isn't unusual to occasionally hear the same bass line or drum kit backing in songs created by different artists who utilize those applications.

The LIOLI Challenge was introduced at MacJams.com to explore just how different songs can be even when the same loop is used in each. In each round a different loop is identified for the challenge. Artists then have two weeks to create a completely original song that features that loop in some manner. Participants are encouraged to be as creative as possible with regard to how they incorporate the loop into their work.

The results of the LIOLI Challenge have surprised everyone involved. The songs submitted each round are incredibly diverse, representing many different styles and genres. Check out the lists of songs from earlier rounds to hear these great submissions for yourself (and download your favorites for free).

LIOLI has become a recurring event at MacJams.com. Everyone is invited to join in - you don't have to be a seasoned musician to play along. Even if you've never tried creating music before this is a great way to get your feet wet. Check out the participation rules and watch this web site or the forums at MacJams.com for the announcement of the next round of the challenge.

- chikoppi