The Westport Library announces another first for VersoFest, its annual festival celebrating music, media, and creativity.
In a unique combination of technology and human creativity, Verso Studios, the Library's media hub, has created an introductory VersoFest jingle with four different versions emulating the styles of several major artists on the VersoFest 2026 lineup. One is inspired by Wyclef Jean with an R&B flavor, while The Thing's version takes on the style of garage rock; Susanna Hoffs' produces a melodic pop rock sound, and Ani DiFranco’s has a folksy vibe. Each jingle shares the same lyrics.
The lyrics and music were created in Verso Studios by Travis Bell, the studio’s in-house producer, in collaboration with Verso Advisory Board member Les Dinkin, Principal of DinkinEsh Presents, who conceptualized the creative project.
Bell and Dinkin leveraged the studio’s AI-based software tools to draft and refine an appropriate set of lyrics for the festival, followed by music generated through iterative prompts. The two deliberated over many preliminary versions before landing on the right fit for each artist's sound.
The jingles are available for listening on the Library’s SoundCloud. All jingles were created solely from prompts through AI tools. The artist’s recordings or inputs from their recordings were not utilized in any way.
"We believe this may be the first time that AI music tools have been used to create artist-specific jingles by any performance venue, let alone a public community library — another milestone for the Westport Library and Verso Studios," said Bell.
This new venture joins an accomplished list of groundbreaking firsts for the Library. In 2022, the Library produced and issued a vinyl album, Verso Records: Volume One, the first vinyl record ever recorded, produced, and released by a public library. At VersoFest 2025, the Library also set the new world record for loudest library in history.
This is the fifth year for VersoFest, the Library’s annual music and media conference and festival where knowledge is shared and inspiration is discovered — a forum for media creators, artists, and fans to converge. VersoFest includes concert performances; conversations with leading lights in music and media; workshops that provide creators with the opportunity to deconstruct, improve, and hone their craft; knowledge opportunities; art installations; and much, much more.
Past VersoFest guests include hip hop legend Chuck D; established hit-makers the Wallflowers, Spin Doctors, and the Smithereens; up-and-coming bands Sunflower Bean and the Lemon Twigs; the Roots lead emcee Black Thought; hardcore punk pioneer Henry Rollins; rockers Lez Zeppelin; famed producers Steve Lillywhite (U2, Dave Matthews Band) and Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex); Psychedelic Furs frontman Richard Butler; the Doors drummer John Densmore; Cramps drummer Miriam Linna; Alice Cooper Group bassist Dennis Dunaway; hip-hop originators Tony Crush and Grand Wizzard Theodore; David Letterman music director Paul Shaffer; SNL Beehive Queen Christine Ohlman; and a wide array of authors, photographers, artists, and thought leaders.
Click here to learn more and view the full lineup for VersoFest 2026.
