Internet, satellite and cable music royalty payments up 17% in 2011
This is certainly an indicator of strong growth for internet radio and streaming services. Music royalties agency SoundExchange announced Tuesday that it ended the year collecting $292 million in royalty payments, up 17% from 2010. These royalties are paid by internet, satellite and cable TV music-only services for the right to play sound recordings, and […]
A podcasting renaissance? When was its dark age?
Yesterday I declared that Todd Glass coming out of the closet on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast is a podcasting milestone. Just after posting that piece I read writer and comedian Gaby Dunn’s article “Hustlin’: Inside the Podcast Renaissance” at Good magazine. When I first saw the title, I thought to myself, “Renaissance?” Using that word […]
No SOPA, radio
Comedians used to play a gag on their friends. They’d tell some completely pointless story about one polar bear talking to the other (or maybe it was two elephants). Finally, one would say “no soap, radio.” Both comics would laugh hysterically, hoping that others in the crowd would start laughing too, even if they didn’t […]
WTF podcast is platform for comedian’s coming out, marks a milestone in podcasting
It used to be when a politician, celebrity or someone in the entertainment business had a big announcement to make that person would make an appearance with the likes of Barbara Walters or Larry King. A comedian or someone a little less famous in the mainstream might take it to Howard Stern or another syndicated […]
January 18th Protest Marks One Year Anniversary of KUSF Shutdown
Radio Survivor readers are familiar with the twists and turns related to the January 18, 2011 shutdown of University of San Francisco’s college radio station KUSF and the resulting year of protests. On that date, at 10am, music turned to static as the KUSF transmitter was shut down in preparation for transferring control of the […]
East Village Radio’s five Martin Luther King Jr songs
East Village Radio has come up with five interesting selections in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. They are: 1. David Bowie, Leon Takes Us Outside. “Wednesday, Martin Luther King Day, afternoon, in view of nothing, 20, 0, 1, Late winter, Martin Luther King Day.” 2. Rage Against the Machine, Renegades of Funk. “Like Chief […]
They can take the radio out of Clear Channel (but that won’t take Clear Channel out of radio)
Friday the 900 lb. gorilla of commercial radio announced that it is changing its name to Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, striking the word “radio” from its name. Even though the company still owns 850 terrestrial broadcast stations–down from its post-1996 height of 1200–Clear Channel is trying to emphasize its belated focus on the internet, […]
L.A. Theater Works tackles autism
L.A. Theater Works has a new edge pushing radio production out. It is titled Lucy, written by Damien Atkins. Is autism a disability “or an evolutionary adaptation?” the show’s summary blurb asks. Lucy, 13-years of age, has the malady. She has moved in with her “estranged, misanthropic mother.” This is new and difficult, because thus […]
Modern Industry! Fishbone’s radio love song
The other day I got a chance to see Lev Anderson and Chris Melzter’s wonderful documentary Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone at the Roxy Theater in San Francisco (trailer here). The film is a must see for anyone who wants to understand the post-disco music scene of the 1980s, with its eclectic mix of […]
DoJ to Supreme Court: radio is where the “vile and lewd” stuff is
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Fox vs. Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday. That’s the case reviewing the First Amendment constitutionality of the FCC’s sanctions against Fox for broadcasting Cher and Nicole Richie’s famous “fleeting expletive” potty talk comments during the 2002 and 2003 Billboard Music Awards. Also attached to the case are Commission […]