Las Cruces love song contest launches

Musicians, turn your amps to 11 and set your mixers to stun; Visit Las Cruces (VLC) wants to hear you turn your Las Cruces moments into a melody for its Love Song for Las Cruces contest.

“Write and perform an original anthem for Las Cruces, become a local legend and win $1,000,” the City of Las Cruces said in a news release about the contest. The winning song “will also be featured in VLC’s commercials, campaigns and other promotional materials.

Entry deadline is Friday, March 31.

NMCO Studio, routinely contracted by VLC for commercial video productions, proposed the first-of-its-kind contest to connect with the community and to give musicians a unique opportunity, the city said.

“Visit Las Cruces and NMCO Studio are constantly working together to produce videos and other promotional materials that highlight our city’s diverse culture, vibrant history, amazing food and many other sought-after attractions, and it would be ideal to have a song just as vibrant to go along with these marketing assets,” said VLC Director Rochelle Miller-Hernandez. “With the support and creativity of NMCO Studio, this will soon become a reality.”

“It just felt like a lot of the stock music that was available to us was uninspired and didn’t quite articulate the feel of this area,” said NMCO Studio Chief Creative Officer Christina Ballew. “We know that we have a very talented hub of artists. Let’s give our musicians a bit of spotlight too!”

The contest is open to all musicians, in or outside the City of Las Cruces, the news release said. Submissions need not be production quality or professionally mastered. The winning entry will be mastered for commercial use. Musicians are encouraged to record themselves in the writing and production process and share their behind-the-scenes song development using the hashtag #VLClovesong or tagging Visit Las Cruces on Facebook and Instagram.

The news release reminded potential wining songwriters that Las Cruces “is home to New Mexico State University, is the second largest (city) in the state and is in a region with deep ties to agriculture, boasting world-famous chile and a long and rich history of wine and pecan production. With 320 annual days of sunshine, Las Cruces weather is ideal for an abundance of outdoor recreation, year-round festival celebrations, and the downtown Las Cruces Farmers and Crafts Market, which spans across seven city blocks year-round.

“Nestled in southern New Mexico's Mesilla Valley between the Rio Grande and the Organ Mountains, offers convenient access to White Sands National Park and multiple national monuments and state parks and has close connections to space tourism as the gateway Spaceport America.”

Musicians can submit their MP3 or MP4 and written lyrics online.

For details, rules and how to submit, visit www.NMCOstudio.com/lovesonglc.