Behind the scenes: How is the Campus Compilation created?

You know it, you love it – the Campus Compilation of Deutsche POP. Every year, we gather the best music tracks from our students worldwide and unite them on an album. For many, having a track on the compilation marks their first commercial release, a significant achievement for aspiring musicians and music producers, and certainly worth a place on the resume! At the moment, we are diligently working on the production of the upcoming edition. But how is the Campus Compilation actually created? What steps are involved, and who does what? In our series 'Behind the Scenes,' we take a closer look at pop projects, events, and other things. From registration to your Spotify playlist, this time we explain to you in simple steps how one of our biggest POP projects, the Campus Compilation, works.

Step 1: First things first - Internal Organization

The compilation is organized by the marketing team of Deutsche POP. One person takes on the complete coordination and project organization. Initially, we agree on the prize for the winner. A spot on the compilation is, of course, already a great success, but for an extra dose of motivation, we annually raffle a prize for the winner of the music and design parts. Additionally, we bring in an international jury on board. We have a large network of experts (sound engineers, producers, renowned musicians, designers, photographers, etc.) who can best assess the quality of the tracks and designs. The framework is in place, now let's get down to the nitty-gritty!

Step 2: We want you - Planning and Kickoff

First and foremost, the word needs to reach all interested parties. We beat the drum for publicity, sending out emails, issuing announcements at locations, posting on our social media channels and website to ensure that everyone learns about the competition – now you can officially apply!

We are not just looking for your best tracks, but also your artworks. The good news: Everyone can participate; you don't have to be a design or music student. For example, if you study in the fashion field but make music in your free time, you can submit your track.

Step 3: Show us what you've got - Submission Phase

Unofficially, students and graduates can submit their tracks and design proposals for the next compilation throughout the year. However, the official submission phase has a deadline. If your submission comes in after that, the track or design will automatically be considered an application for the following compilation. We carefully organize all submissions in a folder, including names and any additional information provided by you.

Step 4: The Jury Voting

We receive a lot of submissions for our compilation every year! However, a CD can only accommodate a maximum of 15 tracks, so we need to narrow it down. This is where our expert jury comes into play. We upload all submissions to a secret SoundCloud playlist and create an evaluation Excel list. Criteria for evaluation include factors like hit factor, composition, and technical execution. The jury must then go through the playlist, select their favorite 12-15 tracks, and evaluate them based on the criteria. In the end, we enter all jury ratings into a master Excel list to determine the overall winner – the track with the most points from the jury. Note: This is not about the personal taste of the jury but rather the objective quality of the track.

We follow the same process with the jury for the submitted artworks. Aspects such as feasibility and composition play a significant role here. Once the winner is determined, he/she and our marketing team's designer coordinate further steps and exchange final data (logo, layouts, color schemes, texts, etc.), allowing the final cover artwork to be created. Often, students seek advice and support from design instructors at their campus during this stage.