FAWM in the Off-Season
Since FAWM is a February challenge, the website is in "hibernation" for most of the year. That means that the website is effectively offline, and wiped clean for the following year.
However, there are several ways to connect with FAWM and fawmers year-round.
Online groups and chats
A few "quasi-official" groups, chats, and sub-communities exist where fawmers stay in touch all year long. The main ones are:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fawmers
- You can also search for other local FAWM groups
- Slack: https://fawm.slack.com (invite required; see forums)
- Discord (invite required; see forums)
There are many other unofficial fawmer groups across the Interwebs. Some are local to a city/scene, others focused on particular genres/interests.
You are also welcome to create your own unofficial fawmer group or chat!
Tip
Some local FAWM scenes coordinate "FAWM Over Parties" (FOPs) to meet up and share their new songs in March or April. Keep an eye on the FAWM forums or the online groups/chats above for planning threads.
Social media
FAWM sometimes posts announcements, video projects, memes, and songwriting ideas throughout the year on social media channels. Currently, the most active are:
- Instagram: fawmchallenge
- YouTube: @fawmchallenge
- Bluesky: @fawmchallenge.bsky.social
- Mastodon: @[email protected]
There are also Facebook (fawmchallenge), TikTok (@fawmchallenge), and (@fawm), although these legacy accounts are basically dormant and left as-is for posterity.
Tip
You can try posting using the tags #fawm or #fawmchallenge on any social platform! Odds are good that you will be able to find and connect with fellow fawmers just about anywhere.
Fawmstock
Fawmstocks are multi-day "in real life" gatherings for fawmers.
In-person collaboration, real-time skirmishes, bonfire cookouts, song circles, and open mics are commonplace. Some Fawmstocks have been organized by FAWM staff (like @burr and @ericdistad), but many were independently organized by enthusiastic fawmers. These generally occur over a long weekend (2-4 days) during the summer at a retreat center.
In 2020 and 2022, FAWM moderator @ductapeguy also organized a "Virtual Fawmstock" of online meetups, fawmer-led workshops, and livestream open mics.
Info
There is no set or regular schedule for Fawmstocks. The FAWM groups/chats and social media channels above are the best way to stay up-to-date about plans for fawmstocks being organized in your area.
FAWM plans to compile a list of resources and best practices if you are interested in hosting Fawmstocks and similar fawmer gatherings. We will make them available on this help site once they are ready.
50/90 (50 songs in 90 days)
The 50/90 Challenge (known as the "50 Song Challenge" or "50 Songs in 90 Days" prior to FAWM's involvement) is an annual summer songwriting challenge.
The goal is to write 50 new songs in the 90 days from July 4 through October 1.
This began independently of FAWM, and actually predates it. It apparently started in 2000 as a personal project of David Robinson, who explained in 2001 how it came about:
"The original idea for the 50 Song Challenge came from Pat Pattison, who mentioned he had once written 50 songs with Josh Leo over the course of a summer. They were writing for a publisher, so the level of songs they came up with had to be obviously pretty high. I thought it was a neat little challenge, and decided to see if I could do it."
The challenge attracted participants across old Usenet and Yahoo groups. Songwriters from those communities discovered FAWM in 2007, and after finding kindred spirits, recruited fawmers to try the 50 song challenge that summer. They then asked those of us who run FAWM if the platform could be adapted for a "FAWM-powered" challenge in 2008.
Thus FAWM inherited the challenge, re-branded it "50/90," and has hosted it ever since. It has been variously organized by @burr (2008-2009), @ericdistad (2010-2021), or @burr with @beto (2022-2024), with the aid of the regular FAWM moderators as well.
Note
The FAWM team decided to take a "sabbatical" from hosting this in 2025, so 50/90 is currently on hiatus.
We know this is a disappointment for many (it is for us, too)!
We will use the extra time to rest, focus on a backlog of other FAWM-related projects, and reflect on what our "off-season" challenges should look like. We're happy to discuss this decision more... but please wait until after FAWM! 😅
Rocktober (cover songs)
Rocktober is a challenge to record cover songs (or cover an entire album) during the month of October. It was proposed by fawmer @jackdawfactories as a way to keep the momentum going after the first FAWM-powered 50/90 back in 2008.
While not an "official" FAWM event, Rocktober has been organized by various fawmers off and on for years in various forms.
The latest iteration is hosted by FAWM developer/moderator @beto at rocktober.club.
Song Fight!
Song Fight! is a weekly online songwriting contest that began in 2000. Each week someone provides a title, anyone can write a new song for that title, and email an MP3 by the deadline. The following week the songs are posted, listeners vote, and a "winner" is crowned.
While unaffiliated with FAWM, there is significant overlap between the two communities. In fact, the notion of a Skirmish (née "Song Skirmish") actually began in FAWM 2010 as a mini-challenge instigated by fawmer-songfighters (see History). Skirmishes were once weekly events during FAWM before evolving into having several per day throughout February...
Anyway, lots of fawmers keep up with each other year-round at songfight.org.