Yellowknife (Dec 22/03) - If you're a NWT musician, the Recording Artists' Association of the Northwest Territories wants your songs.

RAANT has found the funding to go ahead with their compilation CD project to produce a sampler of the best music the NWT has to offer.

"The purpose of the CD is to promote NWT music in Canada and beyond," said Al Bee, the CD's producer.

He also said that on this project he's really more of a collector than a producer.

"I just collect (the songs), help select them and maybe do some light mastering," he said.

He aims to have about 24 tracks on the CD, which will be distributed free at trade shows and other marketing opportunities.

Guy Langlois, Dave Ritchie and Steve Smith founded RAANT in May of this year, modelling it after the Recording Arts Industry -- Yukon Association (RAIYA), which has been successful in promoting Yukon's music scene.

One of RAANT's key aims is to support the marketing of NWT recording artists in Canada and abroad.

The CD compilation committee is made up of Bee, Langlois and Leela Gilday.

RAANT asks that submitting songwriters have lived in the NWT for at least two years and that the album, recorded between Jan. 2000 and Apr. 2004, be of mostly original material. They also ask for all copyright and contact information.

CDs, cassettes or DAT can be mailed to RAANT CD Submissions, P.O. Box 1042, Yellowknife NT, X1A 2N7.