The Many Shades of the Man in Black

In our previous discussions about user-generated content, we’ve noted that consumers do need to be incentivized to participate in these campaigns, but that “incentivize” isn’t necessarily a code word for “give them free stuff.” You may remember our coverage of One Frame of Fame, which is one of our favorite examples of rewarding consumers with inclusion and attention among a niche network of their peers.

Then again, every great idea can be improved upon, especially when it’s mashed-up with another engaging concept. We’ve regularly discussed the concept of Creative Competitions, in which artists push each other to new heights through a bit of friendly competition.

So, if we put on our mad scientist hat and combine the essence of creative competitions with the participatory engagement of One Frame of Fame, we’d presumably end up with one hell of a project, right? Something that’s worthy of, say, one of the most resonant musicians of the past 60 years?

Meet the Johnny Cash Project, which strives to create a crowdsourced music video for Cash’s final studio recording, “Ain’t No Grave.”  Like One Frame of Fame, participants are presented with a single frame of an archived Cash clip. However, instead of snapping a photo, users are encouraged to re-draw the image (using the project’s drawing tool) according to their own interpretation. Completed drawings are matched up to the applicable frame, and visitors can then vote for their favorite version of each image (tapping the idea of Creative Competitions). The final result, as shown above, is both a testament to Cash and an engaging way for fans to express their admiration. And, thankfully, it’s not cheapened by some gaudy incentive to participate.