Scout--which provides music licensing, supervision and production for commercial advertising, TV and film--has issued current Music Design Lab challenges which have an upcoming deadline of September 5. The challenges are:

• Challenge #1: Sung Hip Hop Earworms 
• Challenge #2: Lost Jukebox Gems from the 1950s/60s

The Music Design Lab is free. Participants submit instrumentals, lyrics, hooks or complete songs. Scout then works with them to create finished tracks with involvement from clients.

Most up-and-coming musicians look for success in the music industry as we know it: radio, touring and Spotify. But in the age of Netflix Originals, Amazon Studios and YouTube ads, success often means creating the bold songs that ad agencies and music supervisors need for their projects. The Scout Music Design Lab bridges this gap with a new series of music production challenges for aspiring songwriters and producers with a focus on hard-to-find, on-trend and rare styles.

“Our clients are always looking for those few songs that really jump out. They’re hard to find unless the budget is there to license a known hit, which can often be 100k and up,” said Scout music supervisor and producer Joey Prather. “The Design Lab helps our clients get the music they need while ushering in the next generation of talented producers and writers.”

“There is a lot of talent out there,” said Prather. “But creating music for media clients requires a unique skillset and mindset. Accessing the opportunity to learn the skills is tough but worth it.”