First of all, I should be clear. When I say “radio”, I mean music and speech, not necessarily broadcast via radio waves.
Since November of last year I have been occasionally putting together short (30-50 minute) radio shows comprised of music I want to share along with my nerdy voice telling the listening world why they should love this music (or at least why I love it).
From the point of view of traditional radio, there are some serious problems with my humble show:
- There is no mechanism for artist compensation
- I ramble and stumble over my words
- I am generally a fool
The first problem isn’t up to me to fix (beyond throwing some cash at the EFF to try to affect change in our copyright system). The second and third problems are beyond my ability to fix (I think).
What’s important, though, is that these two problems are from the point of view of traditional radio. You and I are not traditional radio.
To a small group of people, my rambling/stuttering-foolery is bearable - maybe even sometimes enjoyable. These are my friends and a few kindred passers-by.
My Taste and Rambling Do Not Scale
The music I chose, and even more so, the commentary I record, has limited appeal. It is unlikely that it would ever be downloaded regularly by more than a few hundred people, if that. However, that doesn’t matter.
The cost for me to record and distribute my show is negligible. The joy I get from choosing the music and sharing my thoughts is by far sufficient motivation to produce the show. The feedback get from the small group that do listen regularly makes it all the more rewarding.
The hardware and software to put together a show like I have are already in the hands of many, if not most, people on the web.
I am Not Alone
Fortunately, it’s not me alone that will comprise the future of radio. That is the key. There are others.
So far, I’ve been listening to these web radio shows:
- Adam Brault’s MathCaddy Radio - It takes a format similar to Acts of Volition Radio - music picks and commentary
- LUG Radio - Really geeky talk radio show by a bunch of Linux geeks from the UK. Laced with profanity and surprisingly funny
- ITConversations.com - Not quite a radio show in of itself, but a collection of audio interviews and conference presentations by information technology leaders. Highlights include Tim O’Reilly on the shift to web-as-application-platform and a recent episode of The Gillmore Gang with Brendan Eich from the Mozilla Foundation
Some of these might sound like audio punishment to you, but that is part of the beauty of downloadable internet radio: you will never hear these unless you want to. You will never stumble across one of these shows when you are flipping through stations in your car.
While I’m listing to music geeks and geek geeks, you can find (or produce) radio on the subjects that you are passionate about.
Small shows produced by enthusiasts with small audiences don’t show up in Billboard charts or Nielsen ratings, but they can be a far more rewarding experience for the listener and producer than traditional broadcast radio.
I spoke and wrote a bit about this subject back in 2002. Re-reading my post I think the points about audio making sense for some applications and text for others still holds up. Music, of course, is one of the greatest applications of audio.
Comments
Paul D - July 18, 2004 9:58 PM
The WWW along with design and publishing tools have made it possible for anyone to become their own publisher and gain sizable followings. The same thing is starting to happen for other media, like news (weblogs) video (homestarrunner.com e.g.) and radio (e.g. your radio show). Ultimately, there's tremendous opportunity for everyone who wants to to produce their own creative and cultural content. Culture can once again be based on the individual rather than centralized and mass-commercialized.
As you point out, the current copyright system is a problem, but it's not up to us to fix. If this sort of thing becomes widespread, changes to such laws (giving the individual more freedom) is likely to be unavoidable.
Kippy - July 19, 2004 12:19 AM
Why is the current copyright system a problem? Do you create copyrighted works to make a living? Or do you just want to use them free of charge? And why give money to the EFF? I don't see them being any help in you being able to get money to the artists (and publishers, after all, they did spend a lot of money to market this music). People are being extremely naive if they think music publishers sit around and just collect money.
And no, I don't work for the RIAA or in the music business. I am just pissed as hell about all this DRM shit that is a direct result of the mass disregard for copyrights and the stealing of others people's hard work and labor in the name is "fair use".
As for your other two points, I can't help you with those either.
CMax - July 19, 2004 7:15 AM
For me, today's wasteland of commercial radio is something I avoid very deliberatly. Anyone who takes "radio" out of the control of anal marketeers and puts it back into the careing hands of 'real' people is doing us all a great service.
Alan - July 19, 2004 8:37 AM
I do not think you are actually that unique or that your particular focus gives you limited appeal. It really is not far off college radio. I used to listen to a great show on Queens radio called <i>Hard Rock and Wrestling Talk</i> which was only that. I do not really like either but I was fascinated with the ability of the hosts to sustain the limited subject matter. Similarly on North Country Radio NPR every Thursday afternoon, the station manager plays only bluegrass for two hours on <i>String Fever</i>. Both college radio and public radio have hosts who are less than smooth and whose personality is as much a part of the show. As for the copyright problem, all it will take in Canada is for SOCAN to create a category at a reasonable rate. Since they have a rate for rollerskating and telephone waiting audio, internet radio rated by visitors or KB should be easy enough to put in place. Until it is put in place, we are in the glorious grey zone.
Stefan Hayden - July 21, 2004 10:09 AM
Hey. Just found your site and radio show. It's a great show. I love indie music but unlike most indie fans I'm too lazy to go and look for it. I love it when people shove it under my nose like this. thanks so much!
Ken Williams - July 21, 2004 4:44 PM
Thanks for those links, particularly LugRadio.
I'm hooked on streaming media, and listen to the web a lot. My fave's are here.
When you travel a lot, or live in a village of a few hundred souls it is hard to get good conversation about things that interest me. The web is filling that gap, fuller and fuller!
As far as music copyright rules are concerned, I had a long phone conversation with a woman from SOCAN who was friendly but the details of how to license music for my video project were complicated. Maybe they could make it simple for people to pay as they play or something, but in the meantime it is just too difficult to use commercial music unless you have a lawyer to figure it out. A very significant barrier to amateur's like me. One that frustrates and leaves me wishing for the end of all music rights. As I see it they only keep the powerful in power and as a newcomer I would just like people to enjoy my music free. That is satisfaction enough for me, but not for those in the cartel.
I have an obscure idea that music is not music until it hits MY ears. The song is in MY head, so I own everything I hear - and SOCAN can't charge money for what happens in my own mind can they?
Music wants to be free, however the music industry wants to get paid. And so I despise them and wish for the day when I can use any song I wish any way I wish.
Is that really so much to ask for?
Anyway, rock on! I enjoy your show and look forward to more.
Question: Since the April 1st when a Federal Court judge ruled that swapping songs on the Internet for personal use does not break the law - do you think I could get away with straight out putting mp3's on my web page? To share...
Ken Williams - July 22, 2004 3:20 PM
Charlie Rose discussed this issue with Lawrence Lessig, now I need to get his book.