Chinese Whispers is a Global Community Encouraging Collaborative Songwriting

By Dana Sedgwick

Truth be told, I did not realize the childhood game I played called “Telephone” went by any other name (fine, I’ve heard it called “Operator” but that’s very similar).

You all remember it…  one person whispers a message to another, which is passed through a line of people until the last player announces the message to the entire group. Errors (purposeful or unintended) often accumulate in the retellings, so that the ending statement can differ significantly, and often amusingly, from the original.

Turns out “Telephone” is also called “Chinese Whispers.”

Ok… not here to debate why that name may or may not be offensive (though a quick Google search would surely illuminate that argument). I do find it a little odd that a new Sydney-based music platform would borrow that name in particular, but as for the concept… it makes perfect sense.

Chinese Whispers Music is an online music community that unites three songwriters from around the globe to collaborate and create music together by passing their songs around the circle for reinterpretation. The idea is definitely intriguing. Given the global scope, a song’s beginning may inspire completely different end points depending on what cultural and personal influences are at play.

While the company’s namesake is often invoked as a metaphor for cumulative error, especially the inaccuracies of gossip or more generally, for the unreliability of human recollection, this music platform supports the opposite argument… that the cumulative input of many can be valuable because of their diversity and potential error.

And hey, weren’t we always surprised and delighted every time “Banana Pancakes” somehow became “Koala Hammocks” in a great round of telephone?

Founder and Director, Tim Hodgkinson, wanted to create a system in which musicians, producers, and writers, who would otherwise be restricted by time and space, could have the opportunity to collaborate and write songs.

“I was sitting in my studio working on a piece of music. I didn’t know where to take it, so I came up with the concept of sharing the creative process with others from around the world. The frustration for me was that I have so many little ideas on hard drives, on my phone, in my head. I just wanted to give them the chance they deserve rather than sitting there not doing anything. Curiosity and not wasting those little ideas has driven me for the past 10 years to create this system.”

Due to the limitations/complications surrounding copyrights and licensing agreements, I’m not sure if this kind of platform could function in the commercial world. But as a niche community for songwriters to hone their craft and find new inspiration, this platform may flourish.

Recently, The Chinese Whispers team released a Call to Action to all the songwriters, musicians & producers to come on board and test the site. The final round of beta testing will commence on July 29th with finished tracks uploaded to the website and featured on their online radio on August 12th.

You can join the community at www.chinesewhispersmusic.com.