tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2551284195483138782024-03-12T18:28:09.295-07:00Net Radio Blog...dispatches from the new frontier.
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-42586241498360809122016-04-01T20:05:00.000-07:002016-04-06T23:52:49.445-07:00Rebuffering: Misplaced Anger<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ANeon_Trees_At_Tainted_Blue_Studios.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;" title="By R1vers (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Neon Trees At Tainted Blue Studios" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYScrUOX1WYcljFRg0bDR9FScmVG5GBo3L4uScAQVZiiRKZEqtURUe0YmutVcFO3zQNUk6P2NExGN3m67ggjszKUH-q9GuYZSagStLgceMVUdS70O_pNOjXlEUOx2ttgyqTOTPrDn1yBg/s1600/Neon_Trees_At_Tainted_Blue_Studios.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The following comment recently appeared under <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-war-on-american-internet-radio.html">The War on American Internet Radio Continues</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Simple solution for Radionomy: shut up and pay. From 2007 to 2013, I did a radio show for an Internet station. We paid the requested royalties because it was simply the right thing to do. As for the idea that these small webcasters provide independent labels with their only way of promoting their artists, that is flat-out false, especially in this day and age. I have never listened to Radionomy or any other service that rips off musicians, yet typically purchase 140-150 new releases each calendar year (very few of these are on major labels). The notion that artists should give away their recordings or play free gigs for "exposure" is moronic. The musicians I know aren't interested in becoming stars. They just want to be paid for their work. So pay 'em, for goodness sake.</i></blockquote>
Since the commenter (who posted anonymously) raises several points that I often encounter in online discussions, I think a systematic, fully-developed response serves the public interest.<br />
<br />
<i>Simple solution for Radionomy: shut up and pay.</i><br />
<br />
This is the same "simple solution" that some float for health care, homelessness, university tuition, world hunger, and every other created crisis of our time. I don't know what Radionomy's books look like. (No-one seems to.) But the issue here – and across Net radio – is pricing start-up webcasting out of existence. Since no-one has argued that Radionomy, or anyone else, shouldn't pay a fair revenue share to content creators, the commenter's objection is off-topic.<br />
<br />
<i>From 2007 to 2013, I did a radio show for an Internet station. We paid the requested royalties because it was simply the right thing to do.</i><br />
<br />
Again, no-one believes Net radio stations shouldn't be licensed. In fact, many small webcasters go into the field precisely to support artists they admire. Paying liability is part of their dream: helping musicians live off their art and produce more of it. The issue is the word <i>requested</i>. Copyright owners are not the only interests in play – this is also a cultural matter – and anyway, creators are far down the corporate food chain. You want an earful of abuse and exploitation? Bring up the very corporations bringing this suit to a roomful of artists. The implication that royalty rates have been inflated for their benefit is fatuous at best.<br />
<br />
<i>As for the idea that these small webcasters provide independent labels with their only way of promoting their artists, that is flat-out false, especially in this day and age.</i><br />
<br />
In a recent <a href="http://www.salon.com/2001/03/14/payola_2/">Salon magazine article</a> detailing the full-body header that Big Music has taken into monopolised senility, Eric Boehlert comes straight to the point:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Radio is an entity unique to the music industry. It’s an independent force that, much to the industry’s chagrin, represents <i>the one tried-and-true way record companies know to sell their product</i>. (Emphasis NRB.)</blockquote>
He goes on to explain how trust-friendly legislation stripped American broadcast radio of its ability to promote new artists. The most powerful alternative those artists have is the up-and-coming medium of small webcasting.<br />
<br />
Webcasting hasn't yet had time to land its full punch, but it's far and away the most welcoming mass-media outlet for independent artists. Thousands of hobby and cottage-business stations already exist, and (outside the US) their numbers are growing. Niche formats, streamed to rabid, globally-distributed listenerships, are the medium's bread and butter.<br />
<br />
If the law can be persuaded for once to promote individual enterprise over corporate laziness (see <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/capitalism-gone-awry-how-legislation-killed-the-music-industry-and-radio">Capitalism gone awry: How legislation killed the music industry and radio</a>), Net radio will revolutionise the market in favour of artists. Until now, they have always had to overcome tremendous odds to reach ears – and therefore wallets. This has caused many deserving talents, who should have enjoyed robust careers and enriched our lives, to languish in obscurity.<br />
<br />
Finally, did Anonymous miss the part about Radionomy being a sister firm of the world's largest record company? Does he imagine that corporations habitually dump money on unpaying propositions? Obviously, the moguls at Vivendi think there's something to this "Internet" thing.<br />
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<i>I have never listened to Radionomy or any other service that rips off musicians, yet typically purchase 140-150 new releases each calendar year (very few of these are on major labels).</i><br />
<br />
It's hard to keep a straight face on this one. To begin with, there's no compelling evidence that Radionomy exploits artists more dramatically than Big Music itself. Most performers (some well-established; see Janis Ian's <a href="http://www.janisian.com/reading/internet.php">in-depth, well-informed essay</a> on music marketing in the Internet Age) viscerally distrust the promoters and distributors they've worked with.<br />
<br />
As for his own buying habits, I'll see Anonymous' bid and raise him this: 100% of my new music purchases come from Net radio. As in <i>all</i>. Some of those tracks are by artists established in their own countries but unknown in mine. The rest I bought from Bandcamp or the artist's website. If not for Net radio, I would never have heard them, and so I would never have bought them.<br />
<br />
Anonymous doesn't reveal what drives his 150-odd annual music purchases; does he just buy willy-nilly, sound unheard? Is it the title that attracts him? The name of the group? Where does he even learn about these tracks, or groups, or whatever it is that gets his money, since radio apparently isn't in the equation?<br />
<br />
And who are these "other services that rip artists off"? He seems to imply that all small webcasters fall into that category; possibly he believes broadcast radio pays a larger share of its revenue. If so, I'd like to give Marvin Glass, director of <a href="https://www.streamlicensing.com/">Streamlicensing.com</a>, a moment with him.<br />
<br />
<i>The notion that artists should give away their recordings or play free gigs for "exposure" is moronic.</i><br />
<br />
"Exposure" is another word no-one has read on Net Radio Blog. Not that <a href="http://theoatmeal.com/comics/exposure">the exposure con</a> isn't real; as a freelance writer I bang my head against it daily. And we writers don't even make a dime beyond one-time purchase of our rights. By contrast, musicians get liability per listener per performance, amounting to a perpetual revenue stream worth much more than recording sales.<br />
<br />
That said, exposure is a thing. Artists must be heard/seen/read to make money. If it's true that profiteers have spun that into a racket, it's also true that exposure is vital to us. That's why music promoters provide thousands of recordings to radio stations – including small independent Internet radio stations – free of charge.<br />
<br />
But Anonymous is right that exposure alone isn't sufficient; you can't pay your rent with "exposure". And no-one in the Net radio community – least of all me – has suggested otherwise.<br />
<br />
<i>The musicians I know aren't interested in becoming stars. They just want to be paid for their work. So pay 'em, for goodness sake.</i><br />
<br />
You know who else doesn't want to be a star? Small webcasters. They'd like to pay their expenses (or not; many are hobbyists, happy to operate at a loss, within reason). A few would like to make a living. The notion that Net radio producers are running off with bags of unearned money is frankly surrealistic. They are in fact the precise equivalent of independent musicians: doing what they do because they have to, because they've got the sickness, because they have vision and passion and something to contribute. Any attempt to cast them as exploiters – of anyone – is extremely specious.<br />
<br />
Artists and small webcasters are two subsets of a common interest. To characterise their relationship as adversarial flies in the face of political reality and common sense.<br />
<br />
Robin<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>(Photo of Neon Trees performing for a webcast courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and a generous photographer.)</i></div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-16211296530673160582016-03-01T16:55:00.001-08:002016-05-01T21:51:34.662-07:00The War on American Internet Radio Continues<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPFtJszwt-gu2hvC-JbxogoZ9ERACst3Q5dvTn7l6IkUIA0jLvonOjajII4z99NoB0SYHUaEg21PV0MAiR6n2Y7AwB8b0VLQy-f_9UdGLent3mqTcSQfvg2MsfttdIYMqJ0FcDfFEMdk/s1600/radionomy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPFtJszwt-gu2hvC-JbxogoZ9ERACst3Q5dvTn7l6IkUIA0jLvonOjajII4z99NoB0SYHUaEg21PV0MAiR6n2Y7AwB8b0VLQy-f_9UdGLent3mqTcSQfvg2MsfttdIYMqJ0FcDfFEMdk/s1600/radionomy.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>
<b><i>Updated 5 April 2016</i></b><br />
<br />
Characterising its 50,000 small radio producers as "pirates", a coalition of US corporate record labels are taking European Net radio provider <a href="https://www.radionomy.com/">Radionomy</a> to court over what they contend are unpaid royalties.<br />
<br />
Radionomy, whose member stations operate worldwide, supports a vast number of operations devoted to niche music genres. The Radionomy business model entails running paid advertisements for large multinational corporations such as Walmart and GEICO in heavy rotation and applying proceeds to the liability incurred by member stations. In return, those stations must deliver minimum <a href="http://www.radioactivity.fm/articles/aggregate_tuning_hours.html">ATH</a> to Radionomy's sponsors; those that fail are unceremoniously deleted.<br />
<br />
Radionomy is owned by digital mass-media company <a href="http://www.vivendi.com/">Vivendi</a>, which also owns Net radio pioneer <a href="https://www.shoutcast.com/">Shoutcast</a> and <a href="http://www.universalmusic.com/">Universal Music Group</a>, the world's largest record company.<br />
<br />
Following the<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/rebuffering-kissing-american-dreams.html"> January 2016 CRB decision</a> that eliminated the US small webcasting music license, American small businesses and hobby stations flocked to Radionomy in a bid to stay on-stream. Of particular note were refugees from the <a href="http://www.radioworld.com/article/rip-live365/278025">collapse of Live365</a>, which left an estimated 6,000 American stations without access.<br />
<br />
The current action by corporate music interests in the US follows a <a href="http://forum.streamlicensing.com/index.php?topic=312.0">2015 Sony offensive</a> to remove small stations, including Radionomy members, from Net radio aggregator <a href="http://tunein.com/">TuneIn</a>.<br />
<br />
In other news, virtually all Radionomy stations suddenly went silent today at about 2100 GMT. The company's website was also down, as were those of member stations. No word on the origin of the apparently worldwide outage, or whether or not it is related to the American action. As of this writing (0050 GMT), the stations remain offline.<br />
<br />
The Shoutcast station database also appears to be inoperative on its website, though Shoutcast stations in the NRB playlist are still up and the database is still accessible for streaming through the Internet Radio Box mobile application.<br />
<br />
<b>Update 2016 Mar 1</b>: At 0351 GMT, Radionomy released a statement attributing the network-wide blackout to an unspecified "major Internet issue", and announced that it was working to have service back up soon.<br />
<br />
<b>Update 2016 Mar 2:</b> Radionomy seems to be mostly back "up" as of ca. 1600 GMT.<br />
<br />
<b>Update 2016 April 5</b>: Word has come from Radionomy that residents of Italy are no longer permitted to produce Radionomy stations. This comes after a protracted take-down campaign by Italian music industry authorities.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.radionomy.com/"><b>An easy way to help:</b> <b>Stream Radionomy stations</b></a>. Boot up a good station and run it as background music. Maybe have a playlist of several, and remain at least 10 minutes (<i>including adverts!</i>) on each one. This accomplishes two important things: it delivers ATH to Radionomy's advertisers, strengthening their interest in supporting Radionomy, and it demonstrates citizen support; authorities generally insist that Net radio is only a grey-market (or in this case, black-market) medium, frequented by a handful of hipsters. By upping Radionomy's carefully-accounted numbers -- especially in the United States -- we imply that there could be political blowback to anyone who harms it. <br />
<br />
<br />
Relevant links:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2016/03/02/major-labels-sue-internet-radio-platform-radionomy-for-copyright-infringement/">Major Labels Sue Internet Radio Platform Radionomy for Copyright Infringement</a>: "Another major threat to small and medium sized internet radio stations has surfaced."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://torrentfreak.com/record-labels-sue-winamp-owner-over-pirate-internet-radio-160301/">Record Labels Sue Radionomy Over Diy ‘Pirate’ Internet Radio</a>: "'Defendants operate an online music service through which users can listen to music stations, or create stations, that Defendants stream to listeners worldwide,' the complaint reads."<br />
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<a href="http://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/sony-music-sues-universal-sister-company-radionomy/">Sony Music Sues Universal Sister Company Radionomy</a>: "Sony is claiming the maximum US statutory damages amount of $150,000 per infringed track."<br />
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<a href="https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/105259/radionomy-shuts-down-following-record-label-lawsuit/">Record Labels Sue Radionomy</a>: "The company sent out a press release earlier today announcing its new iOS and Android mobile apps along with smart TV apps for Roku and Samsung TVs which indicates this move came out of nowhere."</div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-22037278680267503542015-12-31T16:23:00.000-08:002016-04-28T06:59:04.167-07:00Updates on the American Webcasting Crisis<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSbFeJ_VGtZVYxjWK20ojEGL_n6EgU0_y1HOQK3znP0ERtSwbDEJjvZYJKGmhysuoC8ShOxJfGDkAFagUscwTCj9MlbZxNw_w6xybFsgZf_OjeryF3GWXUauSHYE9HYL3zh3Om2LTLAg/s1600/keepcalmnetradio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSbFeJ_VGtZVYxjWK20ojEGL_n6EgU0_y1HOQK3znP0ERtSwbDEJjvZYJKGmhysuoC8ShOxJfGDkAFagUscwTCj9MlbZxNw_w6xybFsgZf_OjeryF3GWXUauSHYE9HYL3zh3Om2LTLAg/s1600/keepcalmnetradio.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<i>(The following are updates to our Rebuffering column <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/rebuffering-kissing-american-dreams.html" target="_blank">Kissing American Dreams Good-bye</a>. This is a running document, cataloguing developments as we become aware of them.)</i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<i><b>(Updated 28 April 2016)</b></i><br />
<br />
o An online petition to the US Congress now exists <a href="http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/opposition-to-copyright-royalty-boards-decision-on-hr-1733.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
o Another petition is <a href="https://www.change.org/p/u-s-house-of-representatives-u-s-senate-save-net-radio-we-need-your-help-to-petition-congress-100-000-stations-will-perish" target="_blank">here</a>. (Sign both!)<br />
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o The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/internetradiobroadcasting/" target="_blank">Internet Radio Broadcasting</a> Facebook page is Information Central on this and other matters affecting Net radio.<br />
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o Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Save-Internet-Radio-742604289204489/" target="_blank">Save Internet Radio</a> has also gone live. (Don't forget <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NetRadioBlogDispatchesFromTheNewFrontier/" target="_blank">Net Radio Blog's own Facebook page</a>, too!)<br />
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o A new website addressing activism on this issue has appeared at <a href="http://savenetradio.info/">savenetradio.info</a>.<br />
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o Full text of the CRB's decision is <a href="http://www.loc.gov/crb/web-iv/web-iv-determination.pdf">here</a>.<br />
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o As of 18 January 2016, Streamlicensing LLC has posted <a href="https://www.streamlicensing.com/directory/index.cgi?action=page&page=pricing" target="_blank">new rates</a> for a monthly music license. An example: a station with the mid-range audience reach of 10,000 ATH (Aggregated Tuning Hours) and revenue of less than $20 US per month (typical of the great majority of American Net radio stations), will pay $109.32 US per month in licensing. Previously, the same station paid under $30.<br />
<br />
o Streamlicensing LLC's Marvin Glass has issued a Call to Action to all of his clients, and anyone else who supports American Net radio. Read it <a href="http://www.streamlicensing.com/xstream/knowledgebase.php?action=displayarticle&id=57">here</a>.<br />
<br />
o <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Save-Internet-Radio-742604289204489/">Save Internet Radio</a> now has several ready-made <b>public service announcements</b> to educate listeners and encourage them to act on behalf of American Net radio. If you're a producer, download them <a href="http://ezradio.info/saveinternetradio/saveinternetradioPSA.html">here</a> and stream them in regular rotation.<br />
<br />
o Streamlicensing LLC has also issued a <b>public service announcement</b> that producers may download and stream, free of charge. Get it <a href="http://www.streamlicensing.com/xstream/knowledgebase.php?action=displayarticle&id=58">here</a>.<br />
<br />
o <a href="http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2016/03/11/webcasting-rates-undergoes-appeals-process/">US Government Officially Denies Small Webcaster Royalty Pleas</a><b>.</b> The news is in, and it isn't good.<br />
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o <b>Update 28 April 2016</b>: <a href="http://www.thembj.org/2016/04/small-radio-and-the-crb-live365/">Small Radio and the CRB: Live365</a>. All the talk is about Pandora. And that's the problem.<br />
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o <a href="http://rainnews.com/stardome-acquires-streamlicensing/">Stardome acquires StreamLicensing</a>. “I’ve watched [small businesses and hobbyists] close their stations by the hundreds over the last two weeks.”<br />
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o <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O98VNoIszQk&feature=youtu.be">Internet Radio 2016</a> Jowanna Lewis explains what's at stake and why ordinary people should care about it. (YouTube.)<br />
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o <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWNzjo--R7M">Save Internet Radio</a> JoyfulPerspective includes data in a short, well-produced video on the current crisis. (YouTube.)<br />
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o <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9wFzzxcKS4&feature=youtu.be">Don't Let It Go</a> JoyfulPerspective contrasts the honourable intent of the new law with its devastating effect. A fundamental though seldom-addressed aspect of the fiasco. (YouTube.)<br />
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o <a href="http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newbay/rw_20160302/index.php?startid=5#/2">Small Webcasters Are Squeezed By Music Rates</a> (Radio World). "Experts contacted for this story said the number [of stations wiped out by the CRB decision] could be in the hundreds or even thousands."<br />
<br />
o Now Big Music is gunning for Radionomy, the last refuge of small webcasting in America. Read about it <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-war-on-american-internet-radio.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
o Eminent radio personality <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bobby.ocean/posts/10205047082408359">Bobby Ocean calls out</a> the toxic effect of the CRB liability decision on American media and music. (This is a Facebook link; readers who don't have an account, or are not logged in, may have difficulty loading it.)<br />
<br />
o On Radio Survivor: <a href="http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2016/02/11/lpfm-watch-how-internet-radio-royalty-rates-affect-low-power-stations/" target="_blank">LPFM Watch: How Internet Radio Royalty Rates Affect Low-Power Stations</a>. While as broadcast stations they fall outside the purview of much of the CRB decision, it does impact LPFM negatively, and may affect their ability to stream their broadcasts.<br />
<br />
o Also on RS: <a href="http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2016/02/08/will-performance-royalties-create-a-new-class-of-radio-pirate/" target="_blank">Will Performance Royalties Create a New Class of Radio Pirate?</a> "Thousands of internet radio stations have gone silent in 2016, while thousands more may yet shut down, primarily because of new performance royalty fees that have skyrocketed for small and mid-sized internet radio stations. In this piece I explore how this challenge might encourage some webcasters to give up complying with the law and simply stop paying royalties altogether."<br />
<br />
o Vince Wylde of <i>The Vince Wylde Show</i> says it's <a href="http://www.vincewylde.com/time-to-pick-a-fight-the-riaa-time-to-end-the-music-blackout/" target="_blank">TIME TO PICK A FIGHT: The RIAA – Time To End The Music Blackout</a>.<br />
<br />
o Perhaps the most informative part of Radioworld's <a href="http://www.radioworld.com/article/rip-live365/278025" target="_blank">RIP Live365</a> is the comments after the short article. People really were listening and enjoying, and had been for years. Though still a fringe movement, Net radio was clearly up and coming in the States.<br />
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o In <a href="http://rainnews.com/kurt-hanson-bloody-sunday-decimates-internet-radio/" target="_blank">“Bloody Sunday” decimates Internet radio</a>, Kurt Hanson reports specific examples of the chilling effect of the CRB decision on American Net radio scene as of 1 February. In spite of a 15% spike in listenership for his own AccuRadio service, he says, "the net result of these decisions is that Internet radio is in the process of losing much of its depth and diversity."<br />
<br />
o Will the CRB decision help artists, or just big business? <a href="http://www.citizensforethics.org/blog/entry/will-the-music-industry-crank-up-its-lobbying-after-copyright-ruling" target="_blank">Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington</a> are sceptical.<br />
<br />
o How do the current changes in 2016 liability figures augur for SoundExchange profits, and therefore artist income and general development of the music industry? <a href="http://xappmedia.com/streaming-royalties-rise-what-soundexchange-data-tell/" target="_blank">Not well</a>, says XAPPmedia.<br />
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o On Music 3.0, <a href="http://music3point0.blogspot.com/2016/02/small-webcasters-forced-to-shut-down.html" target="_blank">Bobby Owsinski says</a> of the ruling that "musicians and songwriters now make marginally more, but to what end? If there are fewer outlets for your music, there seems like no winner in this decision, but many with a lot to lose."<br />
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o In <a href="http://radio.about.com/od/createinternetradi1/fl/Tough-Month-for-Streaming-iTunes-Radio-and-Live365-Pull-Plugs.htm" target="_blank">Tough Month for Streaming</a>, Corey Deitz concludes: "Internet Radio is quickly becoming the domain of the corporations. The little guy is simply being pushed out."<br />
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o A case history: <a href="http://www.theaquarian.com/2016/01/20/shoreworld-new-royalty-rates-forces-blowupradio-com-to-shut-down-their-internet-radio-station-on-feb-1/" target="_blank">New Royalty Rates Forces BlowUpRadio.com To Shut Down Their Internet Radio Station On Feb. 1</a>.<br />
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o <i>Forbes</i> magazine writes about the debacle (not just Live365) in <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2016/01/30/pioneering-internet-radio-service-live365-is-closing-this-weekend/#4ca0667c66c5" target="_blank">Pioneering Internet Radio Service Live365 Is Closing Tomorrow</a>.<br />
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o Gospel enthusiasts represent a large chunk of Net radio producers and listeners in the US, and on the Gospel Synergy website, Fred Willis makes the case for activism in <a href="http://www.gospelsynergy.com/2014/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1230:why-is-gospel-music-oblivious-to-the-crb-ruling-and-its-devastating-effect&catid=28:latest&Itemid=35" target="_blank">Why is gospel music oblivious to the CRB ruling and its devastating effect?</a>.<br />
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o <a href="http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2016/01/26/35338/" target="_blank">It’s the 13th Hour for Small Webcasters</a>, says Radio Survivor. The latest edition of their podcast (#31) includes an interview with Paul Merrell of StreamLicensing.com on ways that company is confronting the challenge. Afterward, RS explores the efforts to date to resolve the stalemate between small internet stations and copyright authorities. Probably the most thorough and incisive exploration of the situation to date.<br />
<br />
o In <a href="http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/995-has-a-royalty-change-doomed-small-webcasters/" target="_blank">Has a Royalty Change Doomed Small Webcasters?</a>, Pitchfork.com's Marc Hogan addresses the importance of small webcasters to musicians and their public, and catalogues statements of support from the broadcasting and independent music communities. An example: "Having a diversity of webcasting platforms is very important to consumers, to artists and to culture at large. Our music ecosystem needs small and medium-sized webcasters." (Darius Van Arman, Secretly Group.)<br />
<br />
o Gary Wien makes a cogent, data-driven point about the losers here (spoiler: pretty much everybody but music industry executives) in <a href="http://www.newjerseystage.com/articles/getarticle.php?ID=6712" target="_blank">The Death of Internet Radio: Why Musicians Should Be Furious At The Music Industry</a>.<br />
<br />
o 'Way back in 2002, singer-songwriter Janis Ian blew the roof off the music industry with her still-definitive <a href="http://www.janisian.com/reading/internet.php" target="_blank">The Internet Debacle: An Alternative View</a>. The article is a bit dated technologically (back then the main issue was Napster), but her moral and commercial points remain entirely relevant. Sad comment on the state of American jurisprudence, perhaps, but an excellent resource for us. (Also a source of really choice comments on the music industry, from an unimpeachable source.)<br />
<br />
o See also Ian's <a href="http://www.janisian.com/reading/fallout.php" target="_blank">Fallout</a>, on the response to her first article.<br />
<br />
o Mouse House Radio has posted the <a href="http://www.mousehouseradio.com/blog/-if-you-want-to-help-now-is-the-time-and-this-is-how" target="_blank">call to arms</a> that Marvin Glass, director of Streamlicensing LLC, sent to affiliates on 23 January 2016.<br />
<br />
o TV Comedy writer Ken Levine explains the math in <a href="http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-little-guys-get-screwed-again.html" target="_blank">The little guys get screwed again</a>: "At a time when three or four horribly run, close-to-bankrupt conglomerates own 90% of terrestrial radio and have turned it into a cesspool of commercials, automated voice tracks, syndicated programs, and infomercials – the only real variety were these internet radio stations."<br />
<br />
o In <a href="http://www.radioparadise.com/rp_2.php#name=Music&file=byrne" target="_blank">An Open Letter to David Byrne</a>, <a href="http://www.radioparadise.com/" target="_blank">Radio Paradise's</a> Bill Goldsmith addresses SoundExchange board member David Byrne -- yes, <i>that</i> David Byrne, of the <i>Talking Heads</i> -- directly.<br />
<br />
o <a href="http://www.radiodiversity.org/">Radiodiversity.org</a> seeks to unite artists and Net radio producers in the effort to overturn the current CRB decision and replace it with a royalty schedule that supports further development of both the arts and Internet media.<br />
<br />
o Live365, a cornerstone of American Net radio that hosted hundreds of small stations, has announced that it's closing its doors on 31 January 2016. Story <a href="http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2016/01/20/live365-broadcasters-shutting-jan-31/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
o In the Global Tribune's <a href="http://www.globaltribune.news/youre-gonna-miss-im-gone-recording-industry-needs-internet-radio/" target="_blank">‘You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone’: Why the recording industry needs internet radio</a>, indie music promoter Fred Willis makes a clear and cogent argument for Net radio's crucial role in the continuing development and diversification of the music business.<br />
<br />
o See also Fred's <a href="http://www.globaltribune.news/crb-ruling-inadvertent-resurgence-payola/" target="_blank">The CRB Ruling and the Inadvertent Resurgence of Payola</a>, also from the Global Tribune.<br />
<br />
o Streamlicensing LLC founder Marvin Glass responds to the crisis in <a href="http://www.radioworld.com/article/crb-ruling-is-%E2%80%9Ccrushingly-bad-news%E2%80%9D-for-microcasters/277856" target="_blank">CRB Ruling Is “Crushingly Bad News” for Microcasters</a>.<br />
<br />
o On the <i><a href="http://thisweekinradiotech.com/twirt-home/2016/1/12/twirt-286-music-licensing-and-ppm-grunge.html" target="_blank">This Week in Radio Tech</a></i> podcast, John Stephens of <a href="http://theroots.fm/">theroots.fm</a> talks about the dramatic rate of Net radio station closures precipitated by the CRB decision and his own outfit's struggle to remain on-stream. (Link to YouTube video version.) <br />
<br />
o <a href="http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2016/01/12/podcast-28-royalty-rates-are-going-through-the-roof/#comment-1379169" target="_blank">Radio Survivor Podcast #28 – Will 2016 Be the End of Indie Internet Radio?</a> In his cautious, responsible way, Paul Riismandel, author of the excellent Radio Survivor article linked below, discusses the ways that the CRB decision endangers the existence of Net radio in the US and how it endangers artists.<br />
<br />
o See also <a href="https://soundcloud.com/radio-survivor/29-the-royalty-rates-are-too-damn-high" target="_blank">Radio Survivor Podcast #29 – The Royalty Rates Are Too Damn High</a>.<br />
<br />
o In <a href="https://medium.com/@davidporter/my-take-on-the-new-royalty-rates-for-internet-radio-4333ead96b84#.9oxmoowzt" target="_blank">My take on the new royalty rates for internet radio</a>, David Porter of <a href="http://8tracks.com/" target="_blank">8tracks</a> acknowledges that the new rate structure eliminates competition to music streaming services by suppressing independent stations, and explains how this is accomplished.<br />
<br />
o <i>The New York Times</i> covers <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/08/arts/music/columbias-wkcr-goes-silent-online.html" target="_blank">the death of WKCR - Columbia University's simul-stream</a>, a vital part of its overall service<br />
<br />
o In <a href="http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/148955/joel-salkowitz-shutters-pulse-87-because-of-the-ne" target="_blank">Joel Salkowitz Shutters 'Pulse 87' Because Of The New Royalty Rate On Small Webcasters</a>, All Access Music Group talks to veteran small webcasters about the decision and its consequences.<br />
<br />
o <a href="http://www.radiomagonline.com/streaming/0023/rate-decision-affects-small-webcasters/37279" target="_blank">Rate Decision Affects Small Webcasters</a> (Radiomagonline.com) especially addresses the fate of Live365 producers.<br />
<br />
o <i>Radio & Internet News</i> offers a street-level view of the consequences small webcasters are facing in <a href="http://rainnews.com/mid-size-and-small-webcaster-reaction-to-new-crb-rates/" target="_blank">Mid-size and small webcaster reaction to new CRB rates</a>.<br />
<br />
o Paul Riismandel, of the <a href="http://www.radiosurvivor.com/" target="_blank">Radio Survivor</a> blog and podcast, has uploaded an excellent, well-researched, and thorough article on the CRB decision and its potential effect on American webcasters <a href="http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2016/01/05/why-american-independent-internet-radio-may-go-extinct-in-2016" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
o A 40-minute webinar from Triton Marketing, in which copyright attorney David Oxenford explains the provisions and ramifications of the new CRB ruling, can be found <a href="https://soundcloud.com/tdmarketing/the-new-streaming-music-rates-everything-you-need-to-know-a-qa-with-david-oxenford" target="_blank">here</a>. In the course of this audio stream, Oxenford directly addresses the impact on multiple categories of Internet media, including small webcasters.<br />
<br />
o <i>The Top 22's</i> Paul Marszalek speculates on the origins of this decision <a href="http://www.thetop22.com/news/2015/12/live-365-on-life-support-is-this-what-soundexchange-wanted/">here</a>, and its potential cost to American arts and entertainment <a href="http://www.thetop22.com/news/2015/12/new-streaming-rates-may-kill-the-little-guys-an-opportunity-for-pubradio/">here</a>.<br />
<br />
o A thorough review of the situation can be found <a href="http://rainnews.com/crb-small-webcasters-face-january-1-with-fear-anger-hope-and-strategies/">here</a>, from <i>Radio and Internet News</i>.
<br />
<br />
o Radio Swing Worldwide of Bellaire, Texas, announced on 30 December 2015 that it would soon go 404. As of 1 January 2016 it's still streaming... but not swing. Station owner Harold Levine, who runs a whole stable of Net radio stations, says he is trying to find a way to keep them live and on-format, in the face of liability expenses that have suddenly jumped to 10 times their former level. For more information, see the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RadioSwingWorldwide">Radio Swing Worldwide Facebook page</a>.
<br />
<br />
o Update on the above: Radio Swing Worldwide is in the process of pursuing nonprofit status, with an eye to gaining access to more affordable royalty rates.<br />
<br />
o As of 30 December, in anticipation of the loss of small-webcaster licences that will take effect 1 January 2016, American livestream platform Live365 has apparently closed its doors, threatening hundreds of American Net radio stations. (Story <a href="http://rainnews.com/live365-suffers-a-collision-of-misfortune-lays-off-most-employees-and-vacates-office/" target="_blank">here</a>.) Producers streaming on other servers have noticed a pronounced uptick in their analytics; there is speculation that this may be a result of Live365 station closures.
<br />
<br />
o Please inform us of US Net radio stations posting 404 notices, withdrawing or pay-gating streams, or geo-locking American listeners out of their stream. Stations reported to date include:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://hdwebradio.com/island/" target="_blank">Island Classic Hits</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chicagosvarietystation.com/" target="_blank">Chicago's Variety Station</a><br />
<a href="http://smoothjazzchicago.net/" target="_blank">Smooth Jazz Chicago</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jazzradio.com/founder-letter">JAZZRADIO.com</a><br />
<a href="http://www.forevercool.us/" target="_blank">Forever Cool, Dimensions in Jazz</a><br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/08/arts/music/columbias-wkcr-goes-silent-online.html" target="_blank">WKCR (Columbia University)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/148955/joel-salkowitz-shutters-pulse-87-because-of-the-ne" target="_blank">Pulse87</a> (Now reorganised as a non-profit and <a href="http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/151673/pulse-87-new-york-back-online">back on-stream</a>!)<br />
<a href="http://www.gbrlive.com/GBRLive/Great_Big_Radio_-_Listen_LIVE.html">Great Big Radio</a> (now available via Belgian company <a href="http://listen.radionomy.com/GreatBigRadio" target="_blank">Radionomy</a>)<br />
<a href="http://www.countrygirlradio.com/">Country Girl Radio</a><br />
<a href="http://www.leadmetotherock.com/">Lead Me To The Rock Radio</a><br />
<a href="http://www.therenegaderoadhouse.co/">The Renegade Roadhouse</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/radio252">Radio252</a><br />
<a href="http://thirdwaveska.com/" target="_blank">ThirdWaveSka.com</a><br />
Rock'n'Roll Radio's <a href="http://radio.rocknrollzone.com/OnTheRocks.html" target="_blank">Classic On The Rocks</a><br />
Rock'n'Roll Radio's <a href="http://radio.rocknrollzone.com/OnlyTheOldies.html" target="_blank">Only The Oldies</a><br />
<a href="http://www.anda1anda2.com/" target="_blank">anda1anda2</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jazzcentralradio.com/news/2015/12/31/see-you-later-my-friends" target="_blank">Jazz Central Radio</a><br />
All of <a href="http://www.gospelsynergy.com/2014/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1229:live365-the-end-of-an-era-what-does-this-mean-for-internet-radio&catid=28:latest&Itemid=35" target="_blank">Live365's</a> 5,000-odd stations have gone silent as of 1 February 2016. Some have found a home elsewhere; many have simply folded.<br />
<a href="http://www.metromediaradio.net/the-sinatra-songbook-one-more-time/" target="_blank">Metromedia Radio</a> (now <a href="http://www.radionomy.com/en/radio/metromediaradio-/index" target="_blank">back on-stream</a> with Radionomy.)<br />
<a href="http://www.live365.com/stations/rascal11" target="_blank">Rascal11</a><br />
<a href="https://makewaltznotwar.com/author/domgrosso/" target="_blank">Waltz Radio</a><br />
<a href="http://radio.appalcast.com/" target="_blank">The Appalcast Rock Channel</a><br />
<a href="http://www.psychedelicjukebox.com/" target="_blank">Psychedelic Jukebox</a><br />
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thomas-gladysz/live365-is-dead-long-live_b_9081668.html?utm_hp_ref=entertainment&ir=Entertainment" target="_blank">RadioLulu</a><br />
<a href="http://www.theaquarian.com/2016/01/20/shoreworld-new-royalty-rates-forces-blowupradio-com-to-shut-down-their-internet-radio-station-on-feb-1/" target="_blank">BlowUpRadio</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/DJLexRadio/" target="_blank">DJ Lex Club 80's</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bluesintheburg.com/" target="_blank">Blues in the Burg</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bluegrassmix.com/">Blue Grass Mix</a><br />
<a href="http://pirateradio1.com/">Pirate Radio 1</a> (this venerable and well-established Net-only station recently just vanished; our enquiry has gone unanswered, but we assume it's due to the new liability rate.)
<br />
<br />
<i>Stations geo-blocking the US until further notice:</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.gotradio.com/" target="_blank">GotRadio</a> (all 48 channels)<br />
<a href="http://www.echannelhits.com/" target="_blank">The-E-Channel-Hits</a><br />
<a href="http://rickfreema2.wix.com/carolinaclassichits" target="_blank">Carolina Classic Hits</a><br />
<a href="http://americascountry.us/" target="_blank">America's Country</a><br />
<a href="http://star1079.com/">Star 107.9</a><br />
<a href="http://easy108.net/">Easy 108</a><br />
<a href="http://wildhits.radio.net/" target="_blank">Wild Hits</a><br />
<a href="http://crucialvelocity.ca/" target="_blank">Crucial Velocity Radio</a><br />
<a href="http://crucialvelocity.ca/" target="_blank">Blown</a><br />
Five of <a href="http://billandkatradio.com/" target="_blank">Bill and Kat Radio's</a> 7 streams<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/matt66608" target="_blank">Star104</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-86162323120099610932015-12-23T22:31:00.000-08:002016-01-26T21:26:38.399-08:00Rebuffering: What To Do<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AUnderwoodKeyboard.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;" title="By The original uploader was Infrogmation at English Wikipedia on en his/her summary, "typewriter keyboard, from nl wikipedia" (http://www.pdimages.com/X0022.html-ssi) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="UnderwoodKeyboard" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/UnderwoodKeyboard.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
I've been <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/rebuffering-kissing-american-dreams.html" target="_blank">asked</a> what Americans can do to respond to the crisis in Net radio in the United States. Here are some suggestions. (<i><b>This is a running document; new proposals will be added as we become aware of them.)</b></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<i><b>(Updated 26 January 2016)</b></i><br />
<br />
<div>
o Sign this <a href="http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/opposition-to-copyright-royalty-boards-decision-on-hr-1733.html" target="_blank">online petition</a>.</div>
<br />
o Sign <a href="https://www.change.org/p/u-s-house-of-representatives-u-s-senate-save-net-radio-we-need-your-help-to-petition-congress-100-000-stations-will-perish" target="_blank">this one</a> too.<br />
<br />
o Write your Congressional delegation - your representative and both senators. Letters hit harder than emails, and phone calls hit harder than letters. (Unfortunately those offices are closed for the holidays, so calls are probably sidelined till after the new rates take effect on 1 January 2016.)<br />
<br />
o Write to the members of the Congressional committee charged with this legislation. Text of that bill, and a list of those members, are <a href="http://%28the%20following%20entries%20are%20updates%20to%20our%20rebuffering%20column%20kissing%20american%20dreams%20good-bye.%20this%20is%20a%20running%20document%2C%20cataloguing%20developments%20as%20we%20become%20aware%20of%20them.%29/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
o Those who run a Net radio station can stream PSAs asking listeners to write their own delegations. Station managers should also join Facebook's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/internetradiobroadcasting/" target="_blank">Internet Radio Broadcasting group</a>, to keep up with developments and responses.<br />
<br />
o See also this 23 January 2016 <a href="http://www.mousehouseradio.com/blog/-if-you-want-to-help-now-is-the-time-and-this-is-how" target="_blank">call to arms</a> by Marvin Glass, director of Streamlicensing LLC. (Posted on the Mouse House Radio webpage.)<br />
<br />
It's important to realise that this ruling passes into law on 1 January 2016. It can't be stopped. It can however be overturned later. Will, almost certainly... after the rest of the world has left the US even further in the dust than it already has, and Americans have lost out on a significant chunk of the future. This is not a preservation effort; it's a revival movement.<br />
<br />
I suggest that Americans who find this development unacceptable hit this point hard in any correspondence: that the Copyright Royalties Board has literally killed an entire medium in their country, while this new and futuristic industry continues to evolve and flourish overseas. An ironic twist indeed, for a people who were once famous for being early-adopters and -perfecters of new technologies.<br />
<br />
Best of luck to American webcasters, and to the IRLs who love their work.<br />
<br />
Robin<br />
<br />
<i>(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and a generous photographer.)</i></div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-40585089096484641202015-12-22T20:14:00.001-08:002016-01-06T00:18:00.079-08:00Rebuffering: Kissing American Dreams Good-bye<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ADetektor.fm-Studio.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;" title="By High-flying-birds (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Detektor.fm-Studio" height="150" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Detektor.fm-Studio.jpg/512px-Detektor.fm-Studio.jpg" width="230" /></a>
<i><b>(See our most recent updates on this story <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/updates-on-american-licence-crisis.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</b></i><br />
<br />
This month the Copyright Royalty Board, a panel of three appointed judges who decide the liability rates American radio stations must pay to broadcast music, handed down a pricing schedule that effectively eliminates <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/rebuffering-what-is-radio.html" target="_blank">Internet radio</a> in the United States.<br />
<br />
As the CRB's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Royalty_Board" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> entry reports, this panel defines itself solely as an advocate of big business; though a governmental body, it refuses to consider artists' needs, economic or cultural development, or national interest in its decisions. Instead it adjudicates on the basis of something it calls "market value". In this worldview, the rate the CRB judges fair for the largest commercial media corporation in the nation is the benchmark for all radio, regardless of revenue, service area, or listenership. Only registered non-profit organisations receive due consideration.<br />
<br />
The CRB's existing license structure was already below international standards; at bare minimum, American radio producers needed more pricing levels with shorter rate jumps between them to effect technical and commercial growth in their industry.<br />
<br />
But after New Year's Eve 2015 (a bit more than a week from this writing), all accommodation of aspiring start-ups and hobby stations – in other words, of Net radio itself – <i>vanishes completely</i>.<br />
<br />
Let's be perfectly clear: if this decision goes into effect as written, all individual American initiative in this rapidly developing medium is banned.<br />
<br />
The keyword here is "American". As delighted as I'm sure the record companies are to have "killed the Internet", we've seen this before. That time, the empowering new technology was a seminal, hobby-generated music sharing platform called Napster. This brand-new paradigm, invented by a college kid in his dorm room, so undercut Big Music's marginally-earned profits that they ordered it gone. In response, American judges could have monetised the new technology, as they did when the same interests called for a similar assault on radio in the 1920s. But the role of the judicial in the US has changed; now it jumps on command.<br />
<br />
And that's why no American today can download free music. Right?<br />
<br />
Yeah. No. Americans can still get any almost song they want, scot-free, from any of a hundred sites, on any computer connected to the Web.<br />
<br />
How is this possible? Well, look at that word "Web" again. It's short for something: <i>World Wide</i> Web. Other nations, other laws, other standards of enforcement. Napster-like free music servers flourish in virtually every nation of Eastern Europe and the Third World. Russia alone counts at least a dozen. And Americans can (and do) patronise them all.<br />
<br />
My point is that the CRB hasn't killed Net radio. It has only killed <i>American</i> Net radio.<br />
<br />
This new rate system, replacing not-enough with not-any, will have precisely one effect: to exclude the United States – its artists, entrepreneurs, technologists, and public – from advances and business opportunities developing in the rest of the world. We've already seen America go from leader to straggler in Net radio, thanks to abusive copyright legislation; as of 1 January, it forfeits its cut entirely.<br />
<br />
As an enthusiastic consumer of worldwide Net radio, I'd like to plant my flag firmly on the side of American producers, now staring down the barrel at oblivion. I want to hear American music, American voices, American perspectives, and American communities. I want to have American stations in my scan list, right alongside those in Canada, Mexico, France, Australia, Russia, the UK, and fifteen other nations.<br />
<br />
But sadly, if the CRB's ruling is allowed to stand, even American listeners will very soon have nothing to listen to but foreign Net radio. May I suggest that American readers express their considered dismay to their elected officials.<br />
<br />
Robin
<br />
<br />
<i>(Photo of the control centre at Germany's Detektor.fm -- a Net radio station -- courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and a generous photographer.)</i></div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-49596004469269840812015-11-30T19:49:00.002-08:002015-11-30T21:22:54.690-08:00Christmas Stocking 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<br />
Here, in alphabetical order, is a list of four of our favourite seasonal stations for your holiday listening pleasure. Best returns of the season from Net Radio Blog.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://christmasfm.com/" target="_blank"><b>Christmas FM</b></a><br />
<b>Stream URL: http://ice31.securenetsystems.net:80/XMASFM</b> (AAC)<br />
<br />
This Irish FM network plays a range of contemporary English-language Yuletide hits, along with the <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-mic-presence.html" target="_blank">mic presence</a> typical of broadcast radio. And also the stubborn <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-url-access.html" target="_blank">hiding</a> of its stream URL. (Not a very seasonable attitude; somebody's getting coal in their analytics this year.) We found it at last (and many other interesting stations as well) at <a href="http://www.listenlive.eu/christmas.html">http://www.listenlive.eu/christmas.html</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://cuttingedgeradio.wix.com/thecuttingedgeofxmas" target="_blank"><b>The Cutting Edge of Christmas</b></a><br />
<b>Stream URL: http://streaming.shoutcast.com/CuttingEdgeofChristmas</b> (128 kbps MP3)<br />
<br />
Located in Brooklyn, New York, The Cutting Edge of Christmas streams a provocative selection of indie and alternative English-language holiday tracks. Their website offers an embedded player and a Winamp button that downloads a clickable launch file for the MP3 stream.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.polskastacja.pl/radiochannel/Koledy" target="_blank"><b>Polskastacja Koledy </b></a><br />
<b>Stream URL: http://5.39.64.34:7552 </b>(128 kbps MP3)<br />
<br />
Part of the Polskastacja Polish Internet radio network. Koledy proposes a full playlist of beautiful Polish-language Christmas songs and carols. Its website features an embedded player and a range of clickable launch files, including AAC and MP3.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.neigefolle.com/" target="_blank"><b>Radio Neige-Folle</b></a><br />
<b>Stream URL: http://rivendell.mediaradioplayer.com/64</b> (AAC)<br />
<br />
With the best interface of the lot, Toronto's Neige-Folle rolls out nonstop French-language holiday hits from the past hundred years. Most are Canadian, which, as we've mentioned <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/ckoi-969.html" target="_blank">before</a>, is good news. Its active, colourful website provides clickable launch files for every imaginable format; if you can't find yours here, you won't find it anywhere.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>(Photo of Sky Tower, Auckland, in holiday livery courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and a generous photographer.)</i></div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-43595314610662380092015-10-05T15:33:00.001-07:002015-10-10T21:44:32.772-07:00Радио Каприз (Radio Caprice)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Stream URLs on website: http://www.radcap.ru/</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVusroTgRNKfOpCwXmKssX29g73eADVsIrK1gkjtVOk0RHPti9iW5P_mfE_si084qjUFtr3z34OerWKIoU0JYk_P2q0xYaIjv9PCJluT1mJFOqea0o-UigE7REvb3YFwvcI54C6I_Xqs/s1600/Radio-Caprice.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVusroTgRNKfOpCwXmKssX29g73eADVsIrK1gkjtVOk0RHPti9iW5P_mfE_si084qjUFtr3z34OerWKIoU0JYk_P2q0xYaIjv9PCJluT1mJFOqea0o-UigE7REvb3YFwvcI54C6I_Xqs/s1600/Radio-Caprice.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Радио Каприз (Radio Caprice) is a phenomenon of nature. Its website offers 258 net radio streams, each one delivering a distinct musical genre. A smattering includes:<br />
<br />
<b>o</b> Acid Jazz<br />
<b>o</b> Flute<br />
<b>o</b> Funeral Doom Metal<br />
<b>o</b> Mass/Chorus/Cantata<br />
<b>o</b> Modern Electric Blues<br />
<b>o</b> Psybient<br />
<b>o</b> Psychobilly<br />
<b>o</b> Ska Punk/Core<br />
<b>o</b> Traditional Music Of The Far East<br />
<b>o</b> Underground Rap<br />
<b>o</b> Эстрадная Музыка СССР (songs from old Soviet variety shows)<br />
<br />
Don't see anything you like? You've got 247 other choices.<br />
<br />
All of these "radio stations" are autoplay only; there's no mic presence, not even station ID. They're also programmed to play every song ever recorded in the indicated genre, regardless of other considerations. For example, on Caprice's Hammond Organ stream we recently logged serious jazz; skating rink pop covers; Christmas music (in August); hot funk; Latin and Arabic styles… in fact, anything at all that has a Hammond organ lead. If there's another source on the planet offering that kind of coverage, we'd be greatly surprised..<br />
<br />
Radio Caprice is also about the best-possible scenario for both format selection and stream URL access; the website offers 6 format choices for each station, accessible via an executable playlist file that can be downloaded by clicking one of the buttons displayed beside the embedded Flash player.<br />
<br />
One way or the other, one thing is certain: no-one comes away from this Net radio bonanza empty-handed.<br />
<br />
<i><b>WARNING</b>: Radio Caprice is part of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_in_Russian" target="_blank">Runet</a>; <b>DO NOT click on any pop-ups or advertisements</b>. We're fairly Net (and Russian) literate, and even we got suckered into clicking on a system update spoof that saw us rooting malware out of our OS for an evening. Stick to page-native HTML and ignore all banners and other bling.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The Gouge:</b><br />
<br />
Genre: Russian radio <br />
Location: Москва/Moscow<br />
Time zone: NA<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-url-access.html" target="_blank">Stream URL access</a>: Excellent<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-bouncer.html" target="_blank">Bouncer</a>: No<br />
Type of radio: Net-only<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-mic-presence.html" target="_blank">Mic presence</a>: None<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-reliability.html">Stream reliability</a>: Excellent<br />
Format selection: 6 stream format choices, available as executable files (48 kbps AAC); <a href="http://www.radcap.ru/">embedded Flash player</a><br />
Song ID: Yes<br />
Found it on: <a href="http://www.shoutcast.com/" target="_blank">Shoutcast</a></div>
</div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-73105655754335569562015-09-24T22:03:00.000-07:002015-09-30T00:39:36.038-07:00Radio Caroline To Broadcast On-Air From Ross Revenge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqcNsOh2sI3_oso6BdktPoGejRSTiVnNi5DSQLOTz_1Viei-Y2QxKeKzdEX_12yClebWTN8c5ktPcekZiD15UgF7SKRuiUYL_JfmBTQhkamxhub5YVMAUO5AlSeCd3edUxKKs6be_F1g/s1600/carolinebroadcast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqcNsOh2sI3_oso6BdktPoGejRSTiVnNi5DSQLOTz_1Viei-Y2QxKeKzdEX_12yClebWTN8c5ktPcekZiD15UgF7SKRuiUYL_JfmBTQhkamxhub5YVMAUO5AlSeCd3edUxKKs6be_F1g/s200/carolinebroadcast.jpg" width="200" /></a>Radio Caroline North, in cooperation with Manx Radio, will be broadcasting on 1368khz (219m MW), live from the old Caroline radio ship <i>Ross Revenge</i>, starting this Saturday, 26 September. No word when this temporary licence expires.<br />
<br />
The press release:</div>
<blockquote>
Radio Caroline North will be broadcasting to the UK, Europe and around the World on the Internet and on 1368khz (or 219m MW), live from the <i>Ross Revenge</i>, commencing this Saturday 26 September. Here's the Schedule:</blockquote>
<blockquote>
08.30 - 10.30 Carnaby Street (Chris Williams of Manx Radio)<br />
10.30 - 13.00 Kevin Turner<br />
13.00 - 16.00 Chris Pearson<br />
16.00 - 19.00 Dave Foster<br />
19.00 - 21.00 Steve Anthony<br />
21.00 - 00.00 Marc Tyley (of Manx Radio) </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Sunday<br />
00.00 - 04.00 Gary Ziepe<br />
04.00 - 06.00 John Ellery<br />
06.00 - 09.00 Kevin Turner<br />
09.00 - 12.00 Chris Pearson<br />
12.00 - 15.00 Ray Clark<br />
15.00 - 18.00 Steve Anthony<br />
18.00 - 21.00 Dave Foster </blockquote>
<blockquote>
You will also be able to hear us over the internet, accessible via the Radio Caroline <a href="http://www.radiocaroline.co.uk/" target="_blank">Website</a>. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
We'll also still be broadcasting <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/radio-caroline.html" target="_blank">Radio Caroline</a> and Caroline Flashback through the usual outlets. You'll be spoilt for choice this weekend.</blockquote>
</div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-73317232742100269202015-08-07T18:00:00.001-07:002015-09-25T21:34:50.626-07:00CEU Medieval Radio<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Stream URL: http://37.221.209.189:9920</b><br />
Website: http://medievalradio.org/<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEighiP_DWLcr7ZPTsp0qo9HGVu1cP55YAZyqDwfR3S6hyphenhyphencShKSTlKrkgc62k59aVWX9jXJNFY_HJobhTQ969YHyS_Q_HleekNAcGkeHdWFhAhNhDjQ2yyrznz_Qlvg9xghnPamNUIOK-X8/s1600/ceu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEighiP_DWLcr7ZPTsp0qo9HGVu1cP55YAZyqDwfR3S6hyphenhyphencShKSTlKrkgc62k59aVWX9jXJNFY_HJobhTQ969YHyS_Q_HleekNAcGkeHdWFhAhNhDjQ2yyrznz_Qlvg9xghnPamNUIOK-X8/s200/ceu.jpg" width="129" /></a>It's always a little heartbreaking when a great format is handcuffed to substandard technology. You want to listen, but you can't. CEU Medieval Radio is a good example of this quandary.<br />
<br />
Operated by Budapest's Central European University, CEU Medieval Radio streams really compelling music from its eponymous era – more interesting stuff than we've heard on similar stations. Selections run to instruments grown rare or functionally extinct; choral; solo vocal; and Gregorian chant. It's simply a great station… when you can get it.<br />
<br />
Problem is, the stream is very dodgy, at least on our technology. (iTunes – one of the most-used net radio reception platforms on the planet – and Internet Radio Box on iOS). Sometimes all you get is their <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Rebuffering%3A%20Bounce%20the%20Bouncer" target="_blank">bouncer</a> (a pointless station ID), over and over. More often the stream begins, but drops after a single track. Other times the stream continues up to a station ID, and then fails. Performance is marginally better on IRB, but unreliable everywhere. This in spite of the fact that CEU offers a respectable range of <a href="http://medievalradio.org/our-partners/" target="_blank">connection formats</a>.<br />
<br />
There is no embedded player on the station website, but it's widely available on browser-based services such as <a href="http://tunein.com/radio/CEU-Medieval-Radio-s169439/" target="_blank">Tunein</a>, <a href="http://streema.com/radios/CEU_Medieval_Radio" target="_blank">Streema</a>, and <a href="http://www.surfmusic.de/radio-station/ceu-medieval-radio,16159.html" target="_blank">Surfmusic</a>. Sadly, all seem to have much the same difficulties as installed platforms.<br />
<br />
To date, messages to the station haven't produced decisive improvement. Technical quirks extend as far as the programme schedule, which is keyed to notations such as "8:00 PM". Is that 2000 Central Europe Time? In target cities overseas? GMT?<br />
<br />
Those of us who were SWLs and offshore anoraks, for whom seat-of-the-pants organisation and wonky reception were part of the fun, may power through such annoyances; younger listeners, accustomed to light-switch convenience, probably won't.<br />
<br />
Whichever you are, by all means give CEU Medieval Radio a try; it truly has a unique and worthwhile playlist, when you can get it, and it's usually good for at least a few minutes. If you too find it unreliable, a comment to the station might help convince directors to elbow us humanities majors out of the way and turn technical operations over to the Computer Science Department.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The Gouge:</b><br />
<br />
Genre: College radio, Hungarian radio<br />
Location: Budapest<br />
Time zone: Hard to say<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-url-access.html" target="_blank">Stream URL access</a>: Excellent<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-bouncer.html" target="_blank">Bouncer</a>: Yes<br />
Type of radio: Net-only<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-mic-presence.html" target="_blank">Mic presence</a>: Not anymore; a lecture series seems to have been abandoned.<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-url-access.html">Stream reliability</a>: Poor<br />
Format selection: MP3 128 kbps via <a href="http://37.221.209.189:9920/listen.pls" target="_blank">clickable .pls file</a>; many others on <a href="http://medievalradio.org/our-partners/" target="_blank">listen page</a>. (No embedded website player; available on several third-party services.)<br />
Song ID: Yes<br />
Found it on: <a href="http://www.shoutcast.com/" target="_blank">Shoutcast</a></div>
</div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-86247789533995079792015-07-16T20:34:00.002-07:002015-07-17T22:52:00.622-07:00Beatles Radio<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Stream URL: http://www.beatlesradio.com:8000/stream/1/</b><br />
Website: <a href="http://www.beatlesradio.com/">http://www.beatlesradio.com</a>/<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh406zkeSP1RUpINc3jJhjM7wAgSuSueGA3yQj5T9Dm_ZD1N0uXVQaA6kMvqlEUjiGck2cp-iMf-eCAfGIriDR8F10kxqDkWmE-_LmvFkqY9zptGNm4C15IfJXJz6WdjgvhN_Ic4yc-ruU/s1600/beatlesradio.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh406zkeSP1RUpINc3jJhjM7wAgSuSueGA3yQj5T9Dm_ZD1N0uXVQaA6kMvqlEUjiGck2cp-iMf-eCAfGIriDR8F10kxqDkWmE-_LmvFkqY9zptGNm4C15IfJXJz6WdjgvhN_Ic4yc-ruU/s1600/beatlesradio.png" /></a>
At first glance, Beatles Radio seems to have an implausible business model: they only play Beatles music. When you figure Beatlemania only lasted 10 years, you'd think they'd've run out of product long ago.<br />
<br />
But when you add up all the various versions of the Beatles' own catalogue… in-house BR remixes … covers by other artists… other Apple acts… the solo acts... things their kids recorded… tracks on which a Beatle performed back-up… stuff recorded by other people that they wrote, arranged, or produced… you do indeed have an immense, eclectic -- and growing -- body of work. Throw in news and listener interest content, personality patter, infrequent plugs for the Beatles Fab 4 Store, and those near-universal canned adverts, and what's left sounds remarkably like old-school small town radio… if your local station had played nothing but Beatles-related music. (Which, as those who were there will remember, wasn't actually that far from the truth…)<br />
<br />
The BR <a href="http://www.beatlesradio.com/beatles-radio-tune-in" target="_blank">listener page</a> offers a range of connection choices, including a "B" channel that runs on staggered time, several mobile apps, and an executable M3U playlist file. <br />
<br />
So if you dig the Beatles, pop music history, or the ongoing development of this new medium, swing by Beatles Radio. Sound of the past, wave of the future.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The Gouge:</b><br />
<br />
Genre: Canadian radio<br />
Location: Vancouver<br />
Time zone: NA<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-url-access.html" target="_blank">Stream URL access</a>: Excellent<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-bouncer.html" target="_blank">Bouncer</a>: No<br />
Type of radio: Net-only<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-mic-presence.html" target="_blank">Mic presence</a>: Pre-recorded (?)<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-url-access.html">Stream reliability</a>: Excellent<br />
Format selection: MP3 128 kbps, <a href="http://www.beatlesradio.com/tune-in/player/Beatles-Radio-Player.htm" target="_blank">pop-up Flash player</a><br />
Song ID: Yes<br />
Found it on: iTunes Internet Radio catalogue</div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-80161641242009527122015-06-20T22:30:00.000-07:002015-07-21T12:09:58.196-07:00The Mighty KBC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Stream URLs:</b><br />
<b>http://stream02.audisi.nl/kbc-high (128 kbps MP3)</b><br />
<b>http://stream02.audisi.nl/kbc-low (48 kbps AAC)</b><br />
Website: <a href="http://www.kbcradio.eu/">http://www.kbcradio.eu/</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8hWkTKR0LIcWFaKnlfNLyHETstYev74Il8zE7NWYvpDna3Dk7QH4TDb7-35ziMwFVVIiHJ77bvrzR7MvAtBi5aSJqvpEPAR25J3I2U9ByL7rfSabgRyBUGdEqMRw_SJ3h0zPV-DjX0E/s1600/kbctruckandship.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8hWkTKR0LIcWFaKnlfNLyHETstYev74Il8zE7NWYvpDna3Dk7QH4TDb7-35ziMwFVVIiHJ77bvrzR7MvAtBi5aSJqvpEPAR25J3I2U9ByL7rfSabgRyBUGdEqMRw_SJ3h0zPV-DjX0E/s320/kbctruckandship.png" width="320" /></a></div>
The Mighty KBC, a European station targeting truck drivers, is an anorak's dream. Just the business plan is intriguing; to our knowledge, no-one has attempted to reach this market from a single transmitter before. And it gets better: as well as its main AM service, KBC simulcasts on shortwave. (Genius, given its widely-scattered audience, but contrary to current wisdom.)<br />
<br />
And just when you thought it couldn't get any cooler, there's more: KBC has just launched a <a href="http://www.kbcradio.eu/index.php?dir=1602am" target="_blank">studio ship</a>! Who does that anymore? Well, no-one, but KBC's owner has in fact deep roots – an anchor? – in <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/radio-caroline.html">old-school offshore pirate radio</a>. With KBC he's gone legit, more or less; broadcasting English-language pop from Lithuania on a Soviet Army surplus transmitter, with some Dutch mic presence, this is basically a border blaster: technically legal under local law, though it may tweak international treaties.</div>
<br />
And of course, it's got a mean stream. (Two, in fact; a "high quality" MP3 feed and a bandwidth-maximising "mobile" feed.) All of which has earned KBC a militant following, consisting of truck drivers (some of whom tune in via SMS); hams and SWLs, who love the HF service; anoraks nostalgic for the days of offshore radio; and lots of normal people who simply appreciate the diverse mix of Top 40, adult contemporary, fresh picks, and country music.<br />
<br />
What more could an IRL ask? KBC is like a spirit warrior for the Radio Nation: one hand holding fast to heritage, the other reaching boldly into the future. Whether you join on AM, SW, SMS, or WIFI, load 'er up and put 'er down, good buddy.<br />
<br />
<b>The Gouge:</b><br />
<br />
Genre: Pirate radio, Dutch radio, Lithuanian radio<br />
Location: Vilnius<br />
Time zone: <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-gmt.html" target="_blank">GMT</a><br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-url-access.html" target="_blank">Stream URL access</a>: Fair<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-bouncer.html" target="_blank">Bouncer</a>: No<br />
Type of radio: Broadcast<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-mic-presence.html" target="_blank">Mic presence</a>: live and recorded personality jock-blocks, local day (especially Sunday); newsbreaks in Dutch; automated music<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-url-access.html">Stream reliability</a>: Excellent<br />
Format selection: AAC, MP3, <a href="http://www.kbcradio.eu/index.php?dir=" target="_blank">embedded Flash player</a><br />
Song ID: Yes<br />
Found it on: <a href="http://www.yourmuze.fm/station/the-mighty-kbc?2">Yourmuze</a><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-86535986301600677172015-06-10T23:16:00.000-07:002015-07-25T12:05:51.762-07:00Rebuffering: What is Radio?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Girl_listening_to_radio.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Girl_listening_to_radio.gif" width="180" /></a></div>
The Internet Age has hurled two challenges at broadcast radio. The first is obvious: adapting to a new technical paradigm wherein digital streams replace radio waves. Listeners to the new delivery system will probably continue to grow in number until they overtake those using the Marconi method, which in turn will in all likelihood go the way of the telegraph.<br />
<br />
I'm not happy about that, but it may be inevitable, and it does bring certain advantages. Greatest for my money is the ability to enjoy domestic radio from all over the planet without leaving home, a feat we couldn't have dreamt of twenty years ago.<br />
<br />
The second, however, is much more serious: surviving an attempt to redefine "radio" as music alone, without any of the earmarks of the real deal. Jango and Pandora are the most-subscribed offenders, but there are others; iTunes "Radio", to name one, is coming up fast.<br />
<br />
These are services that deliver music and nothing else. Worse (and yes, this is a drawback), they're customisable; users can programme a personal "radio station", nominating acts they already like and banning ones they don't, until the playlist is tightly tailored to their (existing) tastes.<br />
<br />
So what's wrong with that? Well, nothing, as far as it goes. But since the 1920s, radio's anchor product has been the intimate connexion it has with its listeners. It provides information on topics of interest, widens our world, and enriches our lives with fresh images and possibilities. Music-wise, it proposes new groups and genres, some of which go on to become favourites. The new cyber-jukeboxes are fine per se, but we've had jukeboxes <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jukebox#History" target="_blank">almost as long</a> as radio, and they've never replaced it. They aren't better; just different. Pandora and Jango confer control only at the expense of the friendship we used to enjoy with broadcast stations.<br />
<br />
Which might be an acceptable trade for some. But not me. I've tried both Pandora and Jango, and enjoyed them for an evening or two. But in the end it was like having cotton candy for dinner. I got sick of it fast, and yearned for something more substantial. I like the give-and-take of real radio: the rhythmic pauses for newsbreaks, and even (terminable) adverts; new songs and sounds; and most of all presenters, whose extemporaneous presence accompanies me on a far deeper level than just music.<br />
<br />
It's true that many of our net-only stations amount to little more than auto-programmed Muzak services, at the moment. I get tired of them too, and rarely dial one up expressly. But I keep many in my scan list, and surf in regularly; I may even stay for an hour, if the music suits my mood. And if it's true that they offer little of the human touch, they do at least pitch tracks I didn't choose. And my music library is richer because of it.<br />
<br />
I'm hoping that format is just an evolutionary stage in the transition to this new medium, sort of like the first broadcast stations only transmitted for two hours on Sunday afternoon. You gotta start somewhere. But I do worry that the migrating audience will get siphoned off to jukebox-land, seduced by the overrated thrill of choice.<br />
<br />
We've been building the Empire of the Air for a hundred years now; I hope its Internet phase, like the FM phase before it, turns out to be a bridge to the same but better.<br />
<br />
Robin<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>(Photo courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, the National Archives and Records Administration, and Wikimedia Commons.)</i><br />
<br /></div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-84694595665010697262015-05-01T22:16:00.001-07:002015-11-14T22:31:56.444-08:00Radio Burgenland<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Stream URL: http://194.232.200.146:8000</b><br />
Website: <a href="http://burgenland.orf.at/radio/">http://burgenland.orf.at/radio/</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6g8hdWsd1Yhpw1BveVMZ4d6sX_ush8kkrKr-zBGnUahpKdbXZ-jI6bNFBJLF5RaruxNsLGSKzXFZa5ZUb1qCduntq0HT8tEy6aSUC4hHg_cj8-y7BsegIk0EzhHKfOf3wFU-K9zpTkE/s1600/Radio-Burgenland.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6g8hdWsd1Yhpw1BveVMZ4d6sX_ush8kkrKr-zBGnUahpKdbXZ-jI6bNFBJLF5RaruxNsLGSKzXFZa5ZUb1qCduntq0HT8tEy6aSUC4hHg_cj8-y7BsegIk0EzhHKfOf3wFU-K9zpTkE/s1600/Radio-Burgenland.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div>
This fun station is the Burgenland regional service of Österreichischer Rundfunk, Austria's national public radio network. Aside from the usual hourly news and smattering of public-interest spoken-word programming, Radio Burgenland broadcasts for the most part a stunningly eclectic selection of music. At any given moment, listeners risk encountering American classic country; German sea chanteys (Austria once had a navy); zydeco (sometimes also in German!); German-language pop from all eras; classic rock in several languages; and J-Pop, to name just a handful.<br />
<br />
The daylight format is essentially a multilingual, slightly hipper iteration of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_of_the_road_(music)" target="_blank">MOR</a>; after local 2000 the programme becomes "Schlagernacht", more or less the same thing in German.<br />
<br />
It all adds up to a music-lover's dream. IRLs who enjoy discovering new favourite songs and genres, as well as those who speak or are learning German, will find a favourite in Radio Burgenland.<br />
<br />
The ORF listen page offers a 192 kbps MP3 stream, and also a WMA feed, though URL access is a bit problematic; listeners have to click on the "Mehr Radioangebote" link next to the Radio Burgenland entry on the affiliate list; links to clickable url files are at the top of the menu that opens.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>The Gouge:</b><br />
<br />
Genre: Austrian radio, German-language radio<br />
Location: Burgenland<br />
Time zone: GMT + 1 (Central European Time)<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-url-access.html" target="_blank">Stream URL access</a>: Fair<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-bouncer.html" target="_blank">Bouncer</a>: No<br />
Type of radio: Broadcast<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-mic-presence.html" target="_blank">Mic presence</a>: Hourly news, some talk programmes<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-url-access.html">Stream reliability</a>: Excellent<br />
Format selection: MP3 192 kbps; WMA; <a href="http://radio.orf.at/player/radioplayer.html?station=bgl" target="_blank">embedded player</a><br />
Song ID: Only on embedded player<br />
Found it on: <a href="http://tunein.com/" target="_blank">TuneIn</a></div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-68263988586849945592015-04-12T11:39:00.000-07:002015-04-13T17:14:15.183-07:00Muzaiko Esperanto Radio<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Stream URL: http://streaming.radionomy.com/Muzaikoinfo (MP3 128k)</b><br />
Website: <a href="http://muzaiko.info/">http://muzaiko.info/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://muzaiko.info/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Mojoseco kaj Muziko: Muzaiko!"><img alt="Muzaiko - tuttempa esperanta retradio" src="http://muzaiko.info/public/images/reklambendoj/rb7.png" style="border: 0px;" width="175/" /></a>The world is only just catching up to the opportunities of net radio; as the early 20th century had trouble conceiving of "broadcasting", so the early 21st has largely yet to grasp "planetary radio": a listenership pieced together from widely-scattered outliers. But audience concentration is no longer a deal breaker in this medium.<br />
<br />
Case in point: <b>Muzaiko Esperanto Radio</b>. This well-run net-only station airs 24 hours of Esperanto-language music, interspersed with talk-blocks in the same language. Certainly there are enough Esperantists in the world to sustain such a project; though hard to count, they're estimated at a few hundred thousand, possibly a million. Size of a large city, what. Only trouble is, they're sprinkled across the globe in two's and three's. But that, of course, is a far smaller problem online.<br />
<br />
And Muzaiko is aggressively courting them. First, by zealously digging up every Esperanto act ever recorded. Not just well-known groups like Kaj Tiel Plu, Dolchamar, and Persone (the "Esperanto Beatles"), but also tracks little-known even to Esperantists; some seem to have been recorded in somebody's kitchen. But they're all good, and in their incredible spread of styles – rap, Latin, folk, pop, 50s rock, heavy metal, punk, medieval, operatic, bossa nova, Russian crooning, French chanson, reggae – they demonstrate the vast reach of Esperanto in the world today. And distributed here and there throughout the programme are spoken items, delivered in flawless, fluent Esperanto. (A kind of music in its own right.) These blocks generally range ten or twenty minutes; sometimes a full hour. All are also available as <a href="http://muzaiko.info/programeroj/listo-de-la-programeroj" target="_blank">"listen again" podcasts</a> on-site.<br />
<br />
Not that some compromises weren't inevitable; after wrestling with copyright issues (even more frustrating in Esperanto music, given the obscurity of some of the acts), management decided to go with Radionomy, a net-radio stream provider that handles most copyright clearances and recoups its costs through adverts inserted into the stream. The spots are brief and infrequent, but they're also raucous, intrusive, and most annoying of all: in English. Still, it's little enough to pay for such a valuable service.<br />
<br />
Muzaiko has one stream, at 128k MP3. Two large buttons on the upper right margin of their <a href="http://muzaiko.info/a%C5%ADskultu" target="_blank">listen page</a> allow listeners to load an embedded player on Radionomy's site or download a clickable playlist file. They also offer no programme schedule on their site; just an automatically-updated list of programmes to air over the next two hours, reported in the visitor's own local time. So their scheduling time zone is currently irrelevant (and apparently secret).<br />
<br />
Anyway, give this unique net-native station twenty minutes. If you haven't experienced the wealth of Esperanto music, you'll be pleasantly surprised.<br />
<br />
<b>The Gouge:</b><br />
<br />
Genre: Esperanto language radio, UK radio<br />
Location: England<br />
Time zone: NA<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-url-access.html" target="_blank">Stream URL access</a>: Excellent<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-bouncer.html" target="_blank">Bouncer</a>: No<br />
Type of radio: Net-only<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-mic-presence.html" target="_blank">Mic presence</a>: Pre-recorded<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-url-access.html">Stream reliability</a>: Excellent<br />
Format selection: MP3 128 kbps, Radionomy <a href="https://www.radionomy.com/en/radio/muzaikoinfo/index">Flash player</a><br />
Song ID: Yes<br />
Found it on: iTunes Internet Radio catalogue</div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-27476128880512040782015-04-04T17:58:00.002-07:002015-05-03T12:32:39.817-07:00Rebuffering: Bounce the Bouncer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ARCA_%E2%80%99808%E2%80%99_Power_Vacuum_Tube.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;" title="By 池田正樹 (talk)masaki ikeda (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="RCA ’808’ Power Vacuum Tube" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/RCA_%E2%80%99808%E2%80%99_Power_Vacuum_Tube.jpg/256px-RCA_%E2%80%99808%E2%80%99_Power_Vacuum_Tube.jpg" width="142" /></a>
Back in the quaint old pre-modem days, the entertainment industry relied on the absence of choice; consumers were forced to get news and information from central sources, who could then charge money for them. The Information Superhighway famously ended all that; now content is swapped freely, "legality" be damned, while old-economy moguls howl. Somehow, these fiscal geniuses can't figure out how to make money in a force-free market.<br />
<br />
The greatest irony in all of this is the failure of some radio stations to "get" the new paradigm. Ironic, because radio is the original Internet. From its birth in the 1920s, users have picked up signals scot-free, on technology that can't be metred, that tunes in the competition just as readily. Survival therefore depends on broadcasting attractive programming with minimal annoyance; failure means losing listeners down the dial. And as an old radio man once told me: "Without listeners, you're just a crazy person talking to himself in a padded room."<br />
<br />
Which brings us to the inexplicable phenomenon of the bouncer.<br />
<br />
Fact is, as far as radio is concerned, the new wireless works just like the old, only more so. IRLs have dozens of stations in their scan lists, like presets on a car radio. When one of us scans into your stream, you better be pumping product. Because the same button that brings us in, will whisk us away, with the tap of a finger.<br />
<br />
And that's why bouncers – messages that play automatically every time a listener connects – are called that. No matter what its actual content, a bouncer always says just one thing: "Push the button." And we do. Several stops in my scan list have bouncers. They're in there because I like those stations, but in fact I hardly ever listen to them. At the first hint of their bouncers I'm off to somebody else who's delivering content.<br />
<br />
A bouncer can even drive listeners off programming they came expressly to hear. For decades I had a weekly <i>Prairie Home Companion</i> date with my favourite NPR affiliate. Then I went digital. Their long, tedious bouncer (thanking and promoting the business that paid for the stream) first got them banned from my scan list<i>. </i>Then, clicking on the station at <i>PHC</i> time, I gritted my teeth as I lost content to that advert. Then there'd be a song I didn't care for, and as I always did on broadcast radio, I'd spin to another station for a few minutes. But when I tried to return… bouncer. More lost time.<br />
<br />
And then again, when I paused for a phone call, or the wifi kinked. (Usually on my end, but a station with low <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Definition%3A%20Stream%20reliability">stream reliability</a> can force listeners to sit through its bouncer over and over. By the third time, no-one's left). All of it was so annoying I eventually just stopped listening.<br />
<br />
So why do professional radio people, who are not dumb, do this dumb, un-radio thing? Well, public stations do it to pay for the service. So do some commercial stations, or to hawk their websites. Some net-only stations use the bouncer to prompt listeners to buy a subscription to their stream, after which they're excused from the bouncer. And some stations, God knows why, force listeners through a station ID. (This just in: <i>our software tells us who you are</i>.) But the effect is always the same: it sabotages the online service. And there's not much point to paying for a stream that no-one listens to.<br />
<br />
The cure for this disease is the ancient wisdom of our unchanged medium. Station managers must listen to their training and experience, and not be fazed by the presto-change-o-ness of new technology. Adverts and station IDs should be distributed in the programming, like they always have been. Because you still can't force people to listen, any more than you could a hundred years ago.<br />
<br />
Today as in the age of the vacuum tube, if you broadcast empty jabber, you'll end up talking to yourself in a room.<br />
<br />
Robin<br />
<br />
<i>(Photo of RCA 808 power vacuum tube courtesy of</i> 池田正樹 <i>and Wikimedia Commons.)</i></div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-34881181584868586462015-03-28T12:23:00.000-07:002015-06-20T22:32:55.758-07:00Cameroonvoice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Stream URL: http://67.215.11.170:1724/</b><br />
Website: <a href="http://www.cameroonvoice.com/">http://www.cameroonvoice.com/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-h1Y8LX1cJML8zM5SaInF_LAQLYY-i4WKYyQRZDMDH7LswbtkY-_N2M7QkrysKCaN8gKCGFWuGW_yOkz3CBKWoiLBMk8zsDhOr4dOZ3ww1UxiJGpMJkRcq_zAbXIlUQm6WJdhUYAgtE/s1600/cameroonvoice.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-h1Y8LX1cJML8zM5SaInF_LAQLYY-i4WKYyQRZDMDH7LswbtkY-_N2M7QkrysKCaN8gKCGFWuGW_yOkz3CBKWoiLBMk8zsDhOr4dOZ3ww1UxiJGpMJkRcq_zAbXIlUQm6WJdhUYAgtE/s1600/cameroonvoice.png" height="128" width="200" /></a>
Few stations demonstrate the power of Internet radio better than Cameroonvoice: it's a West African station, addressing a West African audience, on West African time, but located in… Montréal. There, with the benefit of political stability, economically-secure benefactors, and reliable infrastructure, it can deliver a consistent product to a listenership that may not enjoy all – or any – of those advantages. In the past, such a service would have had to resort to the shortwave band, with all the legal, financial, and technical constraints that entails. But here on the new frontier, it's accessible to anyone who's determined to do it.<br />
<br />
Cameroonvoice is essentially two services. For most of the week it streams a rich and provocative selection of music; most times it's Afropop, in its infectious, interminable classic form. But we've also logged soca; salsa; big band; Motown; Anglo-American folk of the 50s and 60s; Latin oldies, reggae; hip-hop; Desi pop; club dance mixes; and even Appalachian mountain music on scratchy old 78s. Apparently the CV audience is uniquely eclectic and sophisticated in its musical tastes. (Or maybe they're just nudging them that way! If so, it's the kind of nudge we all could use.)<br />
<br />
Spoken word dominates local weekend evenings and is often live. Most is in French, with an occasional English programme. (French is Cameroon's main business language, though it's officially bilingual; a fact reflected in the station's name.) Themes run to news, West African politics, the arts, and public interest, with a pronounced nationalist bent. (Station schedule <a href="http://www.cameroonvoice.com/grille/">here</a>; all days and times West Africa time zone: GMT + 1).<br />
<br />
The CV website includes a respectable <a href="http://www.cameroonvoice.com/aideecoute/">listen page</a> with clickable playlist files in four formats, as well as an <a href="http://www.cameroonvoice.com/radio/radio.html">embedded player</a> in three bit rates, with song ID. In the six-odd months we've been listening the stream has frozen up twice, playing the same few minutes of programming over and over for more than a week. In both cases, a message to station management resolved the issue.<br />
<br />
Cameroonvoice is a great station to include in a scan list; at any given time, a random stop here is likely to pipe something interesting into your speakers.<br />
<br />
<b>The Gouge</b>:<br />
<br />
Genre: West African radio, French language radio, Canadian radio<br />
Location: Montréal (programme schedule on West Africa Time)<br />
Time zone: <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-gmt.html" target="_blank">GMT</a> + 1 (West Africa Time)<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-url-access.html" target="_blank">Stream URL access</a>: Excellent<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-bouncer.html" target="_blank">Bouncer</a>: No<br />
Type of radio: Net-only<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-mic-presence.html" target="_blank">Mic presence</a>: Local weekend evenings for the most part; some live<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-reliability.html">Stream reliability</a>: Fair<br />
Format selection: Winamp, iTunes, Real Player, Windows Media Player; <a href="http://www.cameroonvoice.com/radio/radio.html">embedded player</a> (24k, 48k, 128k)<br />
Song ID: Embedded player only<br />
Found it on: <a href="http://vradio.org/">Virtual Radio</a> playlist</div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-67757756684462411662015-03-27T13:41:00.003-07:002015-04-03T17:21:56.223-07:00Definition: Stream reliability<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9fIBwX5sIEhL_5r8_xYhNjJwa-ySU6hs_vGkfnmNYsWU37ywSrl3PKJm9vTSncOQM2KyFEZEPPTU7MmVK-SDght7N0F-VN_MCXhac0HJ5g941wujK2iQHzz5x2BhV_qQKkhUtyRntjE/s1600/button_computing_computer_228595_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9fIBwX5sIEhL_5r8_xYhNjJwa-ySU6hs_vGkfnmNYsWU37ywSrl3PKJm9vTSncOQM2KyFEZEPPTU7MmVK-SDght7N0F-VN_MCXhac0HJ5g941wujK2iQHzz5x2BhV_qQKkhUtyRntjE/s1600/button_computing_computer_228595_l.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
The reliability of a streamed signal can be influenced by several variables. On the listeners' end, there's speed and consistency of Internet access and type and age of hardware and software. The studio confronts those issues as well, and also more esoteric matters of format and compression. To determine which end a problem is on, try streaming several different stations at comparable bit rate and format. If many rebuffer constantly or present other problems, the issue is on your end. If it's just one station, chances are good they've changed something in their delivery routine, or are experiencing some kind of technical failure. Locating a more recent stream URL, or just waiting a day or two, may resolve the problem; if not, a message to the webmaster, engineer, or station manager is in order.<br />
<br />
NRB rates stream reliability as follows:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Stream is rock-steady on our technology, seldom dropping out, skipping, rebuffering, or garbling.<br />
<b>NRB stream reliability rating: Excellent</b></li>
<li>Stream is usually stable, but drops out occasionally or has minor or intermittent signal quality issues.<br />
<b>NRB stream reliability rating: Good</b></li>
<li>Stream has significant sound quality issues or is susceptible to rebuffering or drop-out; scan-capable software frequently skips to other stations when streaming this station. Stream may go entirely dead or uncopyable, but a message to the station typically restores it to former reliability or better.<br />
<b>NRB stream reliability rating: Fair</b></li>
<li>Stream is highly unreliable, susceptible to drop at any minute, or outright disappear for long periods. Station doesn't answer or act on listener feedback; it may publish no contact information.<br />
<b>NRB stream reliability rating: Poor</b></li>
</ul>
</div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-27911895874778008462015-03-20T09:06:00.000-07:002016-01-04T23:50:02.635-08:00Radio Recuerdo XENL 680 AM<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Stream URL (updated 4 January 2016): http://13743.live.streamtheworld.com:80/XENLAM_SC</b><br />
Clickable .pls file: <a href="http://provisioning.streamtheworld.com/pls/XENLAM.pls">http://provisioning.streamtheworld.com/pls/XENLAM.pls</a> <br />
Website: http://www.mmradio.com/formato_romantica_radiorecuerdo.php#<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1iMVMzCtXypJHyYflhkzQseLz6pJevnmz0iKKomzTc6K1UQaL55tqqPhLeOTXWnbyuwNi5zejrdrxgeVrqivopxBvRfRZ-Q5M0FQJRU3OgaDFLd0IKZUcA5NhXgrtwGgZJKWF6afdwQ/s1600/xenl1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1iMVMzCtXypJHyYflhkzQseLz6pJevnmz0iKKomzTc6K1UQaL55tqqPhLeOTXWnbyuwNi5zejrdrxgeVrqivopxBvRfRZ-Q5M0FQJRU3OgaDFLd0IKZUcA5NhXgrtwGgZJKWF6afdwQ/s1600/xenl1.jpg" width="200" /></a>Radio Recuerdo is like an on-air time capsule. Good old-fashioned AM radio, its mic presence, commercials, station IDs, and best of all music, sound like they haven't changed in 57 years of broadcasting to north-central Mexico. Even its low-band (24 kbps) online stream has a tubey, mid-20th century AM vibe.<br />
<br />
During the day the music is interspersed with news on the hour and lots of adverts, plus a few blocks of religious or public service talk. But in local evening it's virtually all music; very few commercials, and only canned station IDs and robotic temperature announcements. All else is the neatest stream of Spanish oldies we've found. In the words of the station's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RadioRecuerdo">Facebook page</a>: "La mejor música del ayer, música con historia."<br />
<br />
And that's about it for Recuerdo's net presence; its only other pages are a brief blurb and a <a href="http://www.mmradio.com/radiorecuerdo/envivo/">Flash player</a> on the website of the media syndicate that owns it.<br />
<br />
The XENL stream fails very occasionally, making iTunes skip abruptly to the next station. But even then it rarely goes down; just hiccups. Click on it again, and you'll find the station's still there. <br />
<br />
As we're only an hour off Monterrey time, Recuerdo is one of our favourite night-time stations. Just click it in, dim the lights, and enjoy that buttery-smooth Spanish <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_of_the_road_(music)">MOR</a> of old.
<br />
<br />
<b>The Gouge</b>:<br />
<br />
Genre: Spanish language radio, Mexican radio<br />
Location: Monterrey<br />
Time zone: <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-gmt.html" target="_blank">GMT</a> – 6 (Central Time)<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-url-access.html" target="_blank">Stream URL access</a>: Fair<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-bouncer.html" target="_blank">Bouncer</a>: No<br />
Type of radio: Broadcast<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-mic-presence.html" target="_blank">Mic presence</a>: Day and early evening<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-reliability.html">Stream reliability</a>: Good<br />
Format selection: MP3 24 kbps, onsite <a href="http://www.mmradio.com/radiorecuerdo/envivo/">Flash player</a><br />
Song ID: No<br />
Found it on: <a href="http://www.yourmuze.fm/" target="_blank">Yourmuze</a></div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-62542312797108880852015-03-19T22:12:00.001-07:002015-04-03T17:17:05.875-07:00Definition: Stream URL access<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXQFKAKi2SPIpSkUU_oRRV28xpXh86qda2RGXnBJUQ-gqdQlMWC2YPDtK21bkNXE6NSanAD_8Co4aVjcHx48sogyffMHndemH6DjBKoLEY-R0OJaR12_YbIK5jY6eQcW1zSUHZ82uTwM/s1600/plsfile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXQFKAKi2SPIpSkUU_oRRV28xpXh86qda2RGXnBJUQ-gqdQlMWC2YPDtK21bkNXE6NSanAD_8Co4aVjcHx48sogyffMHndemH6DjBKoLEY-R0OJaR12_YbIK5jY6eQcW1zSUHZ82uTwM/s1600/plsfile.jpg" width="100" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
When distributing their streams to the online community, radio stations adopt a variety of strategies:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Most net-only stations, and many broadcast stations, approach the task directly: the station website provides livestream URLs in ordinary text (as we do at NRB), or as downloadable playlist (.pls) files that add the URLs automatically to popular platforms when clicked.<br /><b>
NRB stream URL access rating: Excellent</b></li>
<li>Others are listed on third-party aggregators such as <a href="http://www.shoutcast.com/Search/AdvancedSearch" target="_blank">Shoutcast</a> or <a href="http://dir.xiph.org/" target="_blank">Icecast</a>, which provide the aforementioned .pls files. <br /><b>
NRB stream URL access rating: Good</b></li>
<li>Still others enter a contractual relationship with a middle-man streaming service that attempts to enforce exclusive access from its proprietary website. Stream URLs can usually be mined from the HTML of these sites, but this requires a modicum of expertise, and often a significant investment of time. Stream-extracting software may also produce results, but again, requires some knowledge of computers, and often an investment of money. <br /><b>
NRB stream URL access rating: Fair</b></li>
<li>Finally, some stations (virtually all of them traditional broadcasters unfamiliar with the livestream market) go out of their way to force online listeners to visit their homepage by burying their stream URL in a proprietary, unhackable on-site player. Even extraction software may not produce a URL for these stations. To stream them on net radio platforms, listeners rely on tips from fellow IRLs, via peer-edited sites such as NRB and <a href="http://www.yourmuze.fm/" target="_blank">Yourmuze</a>.<br /><b>
NRB stream URL access rating: Poor</b></li>
</ul>
</div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-61571341710485022422015-03-14T11:13:00.002-07:002015-03-27T14:03:04.614-07:008KinFM 100.5<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Stream URL: http://103.18.108.75:9956/</b><br />
website: http://caama.com.au/radio<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0gW6TSAGQBRVeICnUuLwBqwfQlWq1otlVYfq2nYH4wTx28s3CoxcXFgcw0OKA5dtryQFHPIerE1wUCN-sidiItfapODh7_AIdDkIqR9makEMidA4cAbaah4L5Psgvv_mAt9suyTZlmU/s1600/CAAMA_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0gW6TSAGQBRVeICnUuLwBqwfQlWq1otlVYfq2nYH4wTx28s3CoxcXFgcw0OKA5dtryQFHPIerE1wUCN-sidiItfapODh7_AIdDkIqR9makEMidA4cAbaah4L5Psgvv_mAt9suyTZlmU/s1600/CAAMA_logo.jpg" /></a></div>
Australia enjoys a roaring <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_radio#Australia" target="_blank">community radio system</a>. Equal parts public access, college radio, and commercial music formats, licence-holders must limit advertising to local business and meet stringent Australian-content goals. As a result, listeners living outside the country are guaranteed a privileged window into Australian music and culture whenever we tune in.<br />
<br />
An outstanding example is 8KinFM 100.5, part of the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association's network of Aboriginal stations. CAAMA broadcasts a variety of popular music, along with local news, politics, and information of interest to Australian Aboriginals and their neighbours. There's a little religious programming as well, and the odd sportscast.<br />
<br />
And of course, a fair whack of country music; this is, after all, Australia. Like other community stations, 8kinFM broadcasts not just American classic country and the latest Country Countdown hits, but also a provocative Australia-native subgenre the rest of us would otherwise never get to enjoy. What's unique about 8kinFM is that many of these artists are Aboriginal, some singing in Aboriginal languages. In fact, at any particular time you're likely to hear a DJ introducing and commenting in his or her own Aboriginal language.<br />
<br />
This is the power of Internet radio: Australian Aboriginal voices, streamed to the world.<br />
<br />
<b>The Gouge</b>:<br />
<br />
Genre: Australian radio, Aboriginal radio<br />
Location: Mparntwe (Alice Springs)<br />
Time zone: <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-gmt.html" target="_blank">GMT</a> + 9:30 (Australian Central Time)<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-url-access.html" target="_blank">Stream URL access</a>: Excellent<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-bouncer.html" target="_blank">Bouncer</a>: No<br />
Type of radio: Broadcast<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-mic-presence.html" target="_blank">Mic presence</a>: Live during local day and evening; auto music at night<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-reliability.html">Stream reliability</a>: Excellent<br />
Format selection: AAC, MP3 (clickable .pls files for WinAmp, iTunes, and VLC); embedded Flash player<br />
Song ID: No<br />
Found it on: <a href="http://www.shoutcast.com/Search/AdvancedSearch" target="_blank">Shoutcast</a>
</div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-26127807997173568822015-03-08T23:04:00.000-07:002015-09-26T22:17:46.937-07:00Definition: Bouncer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fBVII08pYRbTKYUtY9xbZpEJDNJ2jSAtsmJcdXoyAii_bhsrdStNgKNQxT_YBqM7kMYsfZ8qXxrCOrKIp93FsOm82-Z3pwhuD-joZdIBj1_UJzaHQro0W2_3VZHSiJ-QidW6FLZQoBo/s1600/bouncer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fBVII08pYRbTKYUtY9xbZpEJDNJ2jSAtsmJcdXoyAii_bhsrdStNgKNQxT_YBqM7kMYsfZ8qXxrCOrKIp93FsOm82-Z3pwhuD-joZdIBj1_UJzaHQro0W2_3VZHSiJ-QidW6FLZQoBo/s1600/bouncer.jpg" height="200" /></a></div>
A "bouncer", or pre-roll, is a message that some net radio stations stream before granting access to their programme. NRB calls this a "bouncer" because it has the (unintended) effect of repelling -- or "bouncing" -- listeners.
<br />
<br />
(For more information, see the <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/rebuffering-bounce-bouncer.html">Rebuffering column</a> on this issue.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>(Photo courtesy of <a href="http://www.officialpsds.com/" target="_blank">Official PSDs</a>.)</i></div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-51627534433627715882015-03-07T11:03:00.001-08:002015-04-12T18:42:13.865-07:00eNFX<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Stream URL: http://99.198.118.252:80</b><br />
Station website: http://enfxradio.com/<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUN01kulE0rbKqkv0u-p9h-ChslDAmSX99Wih2huq_rMKUnEs3Xhpo4uySpkJS2v8Q7RtlyORpPrMBDOSPxJi6ZaCVDOnVrrwCmKLn2hYkd73M5QEpfNlbS2YUlj8C6tS4Is9DVC01DA/s1600/enfx+badge.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUN01kulE0rbKqkv0u-p9h-ChslDAmSX99Wih2huq_rMKUnEs3Xhpo4uySpkJS2v8Q7RtlyORpPrMBDOSPxJi6ZaCVDOnVrrwCmKLn2hYkd73M5QEpfNlbS2YUlj8C6tS4Is9DVC01DA/s1600/enfx+badge.png" height="200" width="190" /></a>This is the livestream service of Port of Spain broadcast station NFX (hence the "e"). A not-for-profit community station founded to showcase up-and-coming Trinidadian "Dee Jays" (electronic music arrangers) at home and abroad, eNFX offers some of the most fascinating Caribbean music you'll find anywhere. In the words of owner DJ Flexxx, on the station website:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We […] provide you with the best in Local, Caribbean & World music (Soca, Chutney, Reggae, Dancehall, Hip Hop, R&B, Alternative Rock, Techno, Reggaeton, Exclusive Remixes and more!).</blockquote>
Most of this music is strung together in continuous dance-mix format, and often "mashed up" (layered over riffs from other tracks, with surprisingly compatible results). Particularly compelling is the Indian pop, legacy of Trinidad's large South Asian population, and especially a local hybrid style mixing Desi beats with reggae and soca.<br />
<br />
During local afternoon and evening, eNFX streams pre-recorded blocks hosted by individual dee jays, with every now and then a direct feed from the broadcast service. From local midnight to 1400 they stream automated music in all genres.<br />
<br />
With advertising targeting the whole Trinidadian diaspora, including sponsors from as far afield as New York City, eNFX is a truly forward-looking business, making full use of new technology.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://enfxradio.com/" target="_blank">station homepage</a> offers four clickable stream loading files. Listeners can also enjoy the station on the Flash player embedded in each page of its website. <br />
<br />
eNFX is a good station to have on while you exercise or work around the house. Or better yet, at a party. Patch in some serious subwoofers, and boot da bass.<br />
<br />
<b>The Gouge</b>:<br />
<br />
Genre: Caribbean<br />
Location: Trinidad<br />
Time zone: <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-gmt.html" target="_blank">GMT</a> - 4 (Atlantic Time)<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-url-access.html">Stream URL access</a>: Excellent<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-bouncer.html" target="_blank">Bouncer</a>: No<br />
Type of radio: Net-only<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-mic-presence.html" target="_blank">Mic presence</a>: Sometimes; sometimes pre-recorded; sometimes absent<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-reliability.html">Stream reliability</a>: Excellent<br />
Format selection: Windows Media Player (.asx); Quicktime (.qtl); RealPlayer (.ram); M3U (iTunes etc.); embedded Flash player<br />
Song ID: No<br />
Found it on: <a href="http://www.shoutcast.com/Search/AdvancedSearch" target="_blank">Shoutcast</a>
</div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-78731428340277523632015-03-04T09:41:00.001-08:002015-03-04T22:55:43.183-08:00Definition: GMT<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AGalvano-Magnetic_24_Hour_Clock%2C_Royal_Observatory%2C_Greenwich_-_geograph.org.uk_-_663062.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Christine Matthews [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Galvano-Magnetic 24 Hour Clock, Royal Observatory, Greenwich - geograph.org.uk - 663062" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Galvano-Magnetic_24_Hour_Clock%2C_Royal_Observatory%2C_Greenwich_-_geograph.org.uk_-_663062.jpg/128px-Galvano-Magnetic_24_Hour_Clock%2C_Royal_Observatory%2C_Greenwich_-_geograph.org.uk_-_663062.jpg" width="144" /></a>
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the time zone of international reference, calibrated to local noon at the Royal Observatory in that city. In global matters, local time zones are usually reported as "GMT + 9", "GMT - 3", and the like.<br />
<br />
To calculate your own time zone in GMT, check the widget in the upper lefthand corner of this blog. Then figure the difference in hours (and minutes, if applicable) between that time and yours.<br />
<br />
Or... just check the widget below!
<br /><br />
<span class="wtb-ew-v1" style="width: 204px; display:inline-block"><script src="http://www.worldtimebuddy.com/clock_widget.js?h=0&bc=8BA1BB&cn=&wt=c1"></script><i><a href="http://www.worldtimebuddy.com/gmt-to-pst-converter">gmt time to pst</a></i><noscript><a href="http://www.worldtimebuddy.com/gmt-to-pst-converter">gmt time to pst</a></noscript><script>window[wtb_event_widgets.pop()].init()</script></span>
<br /><br />
<i>(Photo of the Galvano-Magnetic 24 Hour Clock at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Christine Matthews.)</i></div>Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-56436532343515925952015-03-02T21:49:00.000-08:002015-12-04T12:15:37.168-08:00CKOI 96,9<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>As of 4 December 2015 this stream is definitively broken. Please contact us if you have a valid stream URL for this station. In the meantime, its website player is still operational. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Stream URLs (UPDATED AS OF 7 June 2015):<br />
http://1671.live.streamtheworld.com:80/CKOIFMAAC_128_SC<br />
http://1671.live.streamtheworld.com:3690/CKOIFMAAC_128_SC<br />
http://1671.live.streamtheworld.com:443/CKOIFMAAC_128_SC<br />
Clickable .pls file: <a href="http://playerservices.streamtheworld.com/pls/CKOIFMAAC_128.pls" target="_blank">http://playerservices.streamtheworld.com/pls/CKOIFMAAC_128.pls</a><br />
Website: <a href="http://www.ckoi.com/">http://www.ckoi.com/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvIYdqFWYIqHnjC_sNHcA-b8EejLJdhMnPavVPFwMpXHwp8nCucNv0jQu9XhRWIuTTU8WsAiquTeRAc11qsb5GefcrnLnrd3cxyrNzzECtAdtIrRv7vzIPc8mU32lDO-j0CkqA-xjyA0/s1600/ckoi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvIYdqFWYIqHnjC_sNHcA-b8EejLJdhMnPavVPFwMpXHwp8nCucNv0jQu9XhRWIuTTU8WsAiquTeRAc11qsb5GefcrnLnrd3cxyrNzzECtAdtIrRv7vzIPc8mU32lDO-j0CkqA-xjyA0/s1600/ckoi.jpg" /></a>French-language commercial broadcast radio from Montréal, with sister stations across French Canada. CKOI is the big rock station in town, playing Top 40 hits to the youth market in French and English. Raucous "morning gang" programming during local morning commute; station-produced parody tunes and comedy during local evening commute.<br />
<br />
The French-language music is virtually all Canadian (best on the planet, in our opinion).<br />
<br />
Of particular note:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Le Décompte Franco</i> (The Francophone Top 40), Sundays, 2300 - 0200 GMT (1800 to 2100 local).</li>
</ul>
CKOI is one of those stations that inexplicably hides its stream URLs from potential listeners. Worse yet, it has a tendency to kill them without notice, forcing IRLs back to Google for a working address. The .pls file linked above works as of 7 June 2015; to load the station, or replace a dead URL, download a copy of the .pls file <a href="http://playerservices.streamtheworld.com/pls/CKOIFMAAC_128.pls" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Double-clicking on this file loads CKOI automatically in iTunes. If ineffective on your technology, crack the .pls file with a text editor or word processor (File--->Open---> select .pls file). Manually add one of the URLs inside to your net radio application.<br />
<br />
And of course, there's always the station's own <a href="http://www.ckoi.com/webradio/" target="_blank">Web player</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>The Gouge</b>:<br />
<br />
Genre: French language radio, Canadian radio<br />
Location: Canada<br />
Time zone: <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-gmt.html" target="_blank">GMT</a> – 5 (Eastern Time)<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-stream-url-access.html" target="_blank">Stream URL access</a>: Poor<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-bouncer.html" target="_blank">Bouncer</a>: No<br />
Type of radio: Broadcast<br />
<a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/03/definition-mic-presence.html" target="_blank">Mic presence</a>: Yes<br />
Stream reliability: Good (stable, but occasionally goes 404.)<br />
Format selection: AAC only<br />
Song ID: Yes<br />
Found it on: <a href="http://www.yourmuze.fm/station/ckoi-96.6-fm-montr%C3%A9al,-qc?0" target="_blank">Yourmuze</a></div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255128419548313878.post-39679575242584405072015-03-01T09:49:00.003-08:002015-04-12T18:29:53.868-07:00Definition: Mic presence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AD-radio-show-mendo-04-18-09.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;" title="By MendoMann (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="D-radio-show-mendo-04-18-09" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/D-radio-show-mendo-04-18-09.jpg/256px-D-radio-show-mendo-04-18-09.jpg" width="160" /></a>
Microphone (mic) presence refers to the live human host that is the hallmark of quality radio. Broadcast programming typically includes an on-air personality, known as an announcer, presenter, or disc jockey (DJ), who introduces news segments or musical numbers, provides interstitial banter, and (often) interacts with listeners in real time, either by telephone or e mail. This imparts a quality to the listening experience known as "mic presence". Without it, you don't have real radio.<br />
<br />
To date, true mic presence is rare in net-only stations; <a href="http://netradioblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/radio-caroline.html" target="_blank">Radio Caroline</a> is an example of one that offers a growing number of live blocks in its daily schedule. (Readers who know of others are encouraged to leave the names and URLs of the stations in question in a comment below.) Aside from that, live DJs are mostly heard online via broadcast stations that provide a parallel livestreaming service. It's the sincere hope of NRB that as funding norms develop here, live mic presence will become common among new-frontier stations as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>(Photo of Mister X, aka Derek, of KZYX [Mendocino, California], courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and a generous photographer.)</i></div>
Robinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08522501894058291952noreply@blogger.com2