Re: [ARSCLIST] Community Radio

[Tom Fine <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I wasn't talking about internet-only at all. I was talking about using modern technology to make 
equipment investment minimal.

Net-only is very easy, just do a podcast. But, as I've said before, beware of ASCAP/BMI rules. And, 
even if you load up a podcast file of 192K MP3 (which becomes a rather large file when you get up to 
30-60 minutes), the quality is still sub-par from a good-quality FM broadcast (but better than 
over-processed headache inducing garbage found on most FM frequencies in most places today).

The thing that interested me about community radio is that it would be nice to have a real-deal 
FM-quality signal (albeit low power with limited range) with something aside from what Evergreen and 
Clearchannel decide is good content. I'd also love to open it up to some of the local high school 
kids and older folks who are into music -- see if exposure to different tastes and styles broadens 
everyone involved.

But, given the PITA factor, I'll just revert back to my norm -- staying happy with 1000+ LPs, 
hundreds of tapes and several thousand CD's. Music is becoming less and less a shared experience 
anyway, with the iPod revolution and decline of music-based radio. Back in high school, many years 
ago, I tried to gin up interest for a school radio station to go over the cable TV system (we 
already had a TV studio, so it wouldn't be a big deal to piggyback onto that infrastructure). Could 
not get enough commitments to make it feasible, and got outright hostility from the union AV and 
library staff. Oh well. At that time, my friend, who was in a serious Deadhead phase, told me, 
"dude, I feel your pain a little but I gotta tell ya -- the best radio station in the world is your 
own turntable, man." Since this guy introduced me to MANY still-loved musicians and music genres, I 
listened to his words even if we looked like a 60's refugee and was a bit bleary-eyed (he now works 
for the UN, so go figure). He was right, of course.

Somewhat relevant to all of this, and worth reading, is Chris Anderson's "The Long Tail". It started 
with this article:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.10/tail.html
and was expanded to a book:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401302378/sr=8-1/qid=1152787909/tomslinx
and Anderson has a related blog:
http://www.thelongtail.com/

I don't buy it all, hook line and sinker, but there are a lot of interesting facts and predictions. 
Bottom line is, there might be hope for our oft lament: languishing out of print copyrighted 
commercial music. Under the Long Tail theory, the Big Music mega-glomerates will wake up to the fact 
that there is demand for this stuff, though small compared to their "mainstream" offerings, and will 
make it available in some cheap/efficient manner (ie iTunes). As I've said numerous times, my fear 
is that the quality level will be leagues worse than the master media and even worse than the 
original release media.

Anyway, a little veered from the Community Radio topic, but it started there! ;)

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Angie Dickinson Mickle" <angie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 5:41 AM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Community Radio


> Having been a radio DJ some years ago, I've actually looked into starting an internet-only 
> station, though with original music and content. (I miss "playing radio" as we used to call it.  I 
> don't miss all the sales and management politics that went with it.)
>
> When I actually get around to doing this, I plan to use servers from this company. 
> http://www.radiostreamer.com  Their DRS 2006 automation software is quite good also and have 
> considered it just for home use.
>
> For those interested in using commercial content, this site offers a licensing service for 
> internet radio station. http://www.loudcity.net/Home/tabid/35/Default.aspx  For the hobbiest, it 
> seems pretty reasonable.  The site also may have answers to some of the licensing questions that 
> have been tossed around in this thread. I'm sure there are other services like this also.
>
> I also worried about the quality of internet streaming.  Even commercial talk stations like WGN 
> have problems with that whishing sound.  Then I heard what a well encoded stream can sound like. 
> I listen to this one often.  http://www.sawstudio-media.com/radio/radio.htm  He uses the DRS 
> servers and his own automation software.
>
> Just sharing some links with everyone.
>
> Angie Dickinson Mickle
> Avocado Productions
> Arvada, CO
> www.avocadoproductions.com
>
>
> --
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