How to get a SoundCloud classical channel that doesn’t suck
SoundCloud has a variety of “Explore” channels. These are basically very long playlists of whatever has been recently posted. They include Folk, Rock, Deep House, Trip Hop, and a bunch of other genres about which I know nothing. The service also has a “classical” channel. The problem is that most of the content on the […]
An Unwelcome Guest at the NAB Radio Show
This was the first year that I’ve actually attended the National Association of Broadcasters’ annual radio convention. Though I have been to two as a protester: the first in San Francisco in 2000 to let the industry know people were unhappy with their evisceration of LPFM, and again in Seattle in 2002 to culture-jam the […]
Podcasting News: CBS Loses to Podcast Troll in Texas Court
On Monday the so-called podcast patent troll, Personal Audio, won in court against CBS. A Marshall, Texas jury found that the television network had infringed on Personal Audio’s podcasting patent, rejecting CBS’s argument that the patent was not valid to begin with. The jury awarded damages of $1.3 million to Personal Audio. The Electronic Frontier […]
The Problem(s) of Community Radio
A station I used to work at is in a financial crisis. I don’t use that phrase capriciously. Membership has plummeted, the personal people meter rankings indicate that, statistically, no one is listening and the volunteer nature of the programmers is caught up in petty discourse defending the value of their shows and lamenting the […]
The “dirtiest song on the radio.” How would you decide?
Over the last few days we’ve been tweeting and pondering the “dirtiest song on the radio” question. The conundrum has been reprompted by a Wall Street Journal post on the history of Aerosmith’s song “Walk This Way,” titled “The Dirtiest Song on the Radio” (it was christened this by David Johansen of the New York […]
I Am What I Play: the YouTube trailer
Here’s an update to a documentary-in-progress that we’ve been keeping an eye on. Roger King of Toronto writes to let us know that he has released a YouTube trailer for his doc on the glory days of the rock deejay “I Am What I Play.” Voila!: “They Played What They Wanted to Play,” the trailer says […]
Cascade Media Convergence Hits Portland This Weekend
The Cascade Media Convergence is a regional gathering of community media organizations, media makers, journalists and artists happening this weekend, September 19 – 21, at the University of Oregon’s Turnbull Center in downtown Portland. The purpose of the event to help create ties between media activists in the Northwest and stimulate discussion and action around […]
8tracks: the hot forum discussions
I am an 8tracks.com discussion forums lurker. Here are the hottest conversations, and the offbeat ones. The One Song That You Could Listen to Forever. This forum has generated no less than 2.3 thousand views. Among the faves: “Feel Good” by The Gorillaz; Handsome Family’s “Far from Any Road,” “One Night With You,” by Thieves […]
College Radio Watch: Will College Radio Make You Cool?, LPFM Action, and More News
I was amused reading The Noisey Guide to Being Cool in College, as college radio gets a mention. Although the piece warns against revealing experimental music taste too soon (you might be seen as a hipster) in order to create a better first impression on campus, it does recommend getting a college radio show. While […]
Plenty of College Radio Stations in the Latest LPFM East Coast MX Groups
All this week we’ve been dissecting the FCC’s newly released list of competing groups (MX groups) for low power FM (LPFM) licenses in the Midwest and Eastern states. Amid the 111 MX groups there are a number of colleges, high schools, school districts, and academies hoping to get on the air with new LPFM stations. […]