Music for Local Radio

[Musicians Union]

KZME 91.1 FM is coming!!!


It will be the first non-commercial radio station in the Portland
metro area dedicated to airing local music. Our intent is to be
broadcasting and streaming in 2009 and we need to build our music
library; fill it with incredible music from the Northwest. If you are
interested in submitting your music, please mail a CD with bio, to
the following address:


Dennise M. Kowalczyk
Director of Organizational Advancement
MetroEast Community Media
KZME 91.1 FM
829 NE 8th Street
Gresham, OR 97030
P 503.667.8848 ext. 335
http://www.metroeast.org
den...@metroeast.org

[Musicians Union]

Accidentally lopped off the end of the message last time. This is the
end of the message:

This is a very exciting time in the world of local music and we hope
you can help us out! Forward this message to all the musicians you
know with broadcast quality recordings.

PLEASE NOTE: Tracks need to be “radio friendly”, or at the very
least, questionable language must be notated.


Ross

[Herring, Krista]

Thanks a lot for your help, Ken!

[Becky Bishop]

Hey, thanks for the heads up. This is a great opportunity and I will
certainly take advantage of it. I definitely could use radio exposure for my
recorded product. This is good news.

Becky Bishop
(503)430-0347 - Landline
(503)781-0661 - Mobile
beckyb...@comcast.net

-----Original Message-----
From: clubmu...@googlegroups.com [mailto:clubmu...@googlegroups.com]
On Behalf Of Musicians Union
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 5:00 PM
To: Club Musicians

[Nevyn Nowhere]

I'm personally curious as to what sort of promotion the station will be doing for itself?  What steps are being taken to see that it doesn't just end up as another KBOO or KPSU (besides it's greater reach)?  Both are great stations, but don't reach many people.  And I personally am convinced it's not just due to the vastly smaller broadcasting range.  Content and reach are very very important, but so is how you make your existence aware, and the marketing methods you use to present yourself into the minds of your listeners.  So far I hear "local station" which is great... but a lot of people who aren't so into local stuff already are going to say "kboo/kpsu" and not even give the content a chance.  In my opinion, there needs to be other ways we are promoting ourselves (and that's not saying change the content, use the content envisioned, but think about approaches on how to invade the general populace's minds).

 

Anyone up for a discussion on such topics?  Agree? Disagree?  Ideas otherwise?

 

Nevyn Nowhere

http://www.happyhumans.org

Sad Music for Happy Humans

[Becky Bishop]

That’s a very realistic point. It’s a fact that most listeners of local stations playing independent music would be other musicians and/or artistic individual types as opposed to the masses who tend to be a like great flock of sheep.  Alas the best promotion starts at the grass roots level. Food for thought: what can the music and arts community do to attract listeners to a new radio station promoting independent music with limited airwave capacity?

 

Becky  Bishop
(503)430-0347 - Landline
(503)781-0661 - Mobile
beckyb...@comcast.net

<br

[Nevyn Nowhere]

Here's an idea.  Don't genre limit the station.

The Merc and KPSU might discuss many different subgenres, but only within a certain view (as I and other artists argue) but they completely ignore (or only speak of the biggest acts) other genres (goth, techno, other electronic derivatives, etc and so forth).

KBOO really runs the gamut, but there is no cohesion, so it feels more like a crapshoot.

 

Balance ideas, anyone?

Here's mine: while I don't listen to KNRK much at all (in fact, nowadays, I don't use the radio for music - shoot self in foot -  I listen only to NPR when in the car), I have liked what I heard about how they have a time for this kind of music, and a time for that.  How it's more genre seperated vs look at all my different subgenres... and how each genre segment gets to play with their subgenres, or hell, even cross some stuff over (but still adhere to the overall theme). 

Doing this allows them to get multiple scenes involved in directing people to THEIR station, even if only at certain times, on certain days.  Because it starts that way, and for many may even stay that way.  But A) you get your station name out there even more, and catch more masses over time.  And B) as people see what great quality you're doing with the stuff they already like, you will catch your few less "I only listen to this kind of music" kind of folks who grow to rely on you as a genuine "love of MUSIC" station, and start checking out your other stuff.

 

That was a very quickly written statement, and there are a lot of thoughts whirring that flesh it out more, but work allows not more at the moment, alas. ;)

Now you guys: GO!GO! IDEAS FLOW!!!

 

 

Nevyn Nowhere

http://www.happyhumans.org

Sad Music for Happy Humans

[Becky Bishop]

That’s a brilliant idea. This is the way radio was in the sixties. You got a really well rounded dose of most genres of music in the realm of pop music which includes rock, pop, country, folk, blues, r&b and jazz.  The problem with today’s listeners is that they have been programmed to listen to one-genre radio stations like a mindless flock of sheep. How do you re-program people with tunnel vision?

<br

[Nevyn Nowhere]

Darn good question... my only answer to that is "you try".

 

And you figure out what works and what doesn't as you go along, much like every other industry.

 

Too many people, both with shows, media of all sorts and otherwise, look at that limitation and allow themselves to be limited by it without even finding out if something else could work.

 

I'd personally like to see more shows that cross genre... while keeping genres/sounds friendly of course, since we are trying to take a baby step in de grouping people.  Say a band that makes more thick full music (vs straight 3-4 piece pop) crossed with an electronic musician who also plays instruments (such as what I do!).  Both different crowds/scenes, but both friendly to each other.

 

Not to hype myself too much, but I feel the following is a valid example of this idea.  I'm doing a show coming up soon (I'll abstain from the detail self promo and speak conceptually) where I'm combining multiple scenes... ie they never play with each other, the crowds rarely cross over, but the music is all coming from a similar space, simply using different methods to get there.  If people just will come, there is no way they won't like the other musicians' music.  So then, how to get them to come?  Give them something to watch, like a bunch of humans on stage painted white with film projected on them moving subtley.  Find an idea that could interest lots of folks, and make the show about that.  Then subvert their minds with the music.

 

How to translate that into radio, then becomes the question. 

 

Hmm...what about politics?  That seems to cross a lot of lines, albeit not all.  Have a day/show/segment of times where you're interviewing a local politician, or person of some sort of note, or discussing a local issue of note (radio call in anyone?)... something that can pull people across a myriad of musical tastes... and play music that is differrent scene/genre, but that comes from a similar space/is meant to do similar things to the listener.

 

Dunno, there's one idea... more!

 

Nevyn Nowhere

http://www.happyhumans.org

Sad Music for Happy Humans

On Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 1:37 PM, Becky Bishop <beckyb...@comcast.net> wrote:

That's a brilliant idea. This is the way radio was in the sixties. You got a really well rounded dose of most genres of music in the realm of pop music which includes rock, pop, country, folk, blues, r&b and jazz.  The problem with today's listeners is that they have been programmed to listen to one-genre radio stations like a mindless flock of sheep. How do you re-program people with tunnel vision?

[Bruce Fife]

Hey,

Just thought I would try and respond to some of the questions laid
out here. Let me preface this by saying that we are very early in the
developmental stages of this radio station and nothing is set in
stone at this time.

Well, not quite nothing. The one thing that has been voted and
approved is that this station will be about Local music, arts and
culture. How exactly "local" is defined is yet to be determined.
There will be a 7 to 9 person advisory group that will really sit
down and hammer out the specifics. They will definitely be taking
input from the community, so that will be your time to speak up about
what you want to hear. It is important to note that we have to create
something that the community will support, not just as listeners, but
financially. That is key for non-commercial "listener supported"
community radio.

So, to some of the comments,

1. Promotion-Of course this is critical. Are the specifics in place
yet?, a little premature. What I can say is that we are very focused
on engaging the entire local music industry, meaning musicians,
clubs, promoters, etc. We see the potential of this station to be a
key lynch pin for expanding the profile of local music and musicians.
If you've seen the amount of press we've already received on this new
endeavor (a station that isn't even broadcasting yet), I think that
speaks to our outreach and the ability to move the message in the not
too distant future. We have some very good people in place and
support for the overall concept, and we are getting people involved
that may not have ever been involved with radio before, but who are
key players in the community. (Critical note: nothing said here is
meant to put down KBOO, KMHD, KPSU, KBPS or OPB. We have included
many of them in our dialogue and embrace what they do. We just
believe we will be filling a void in local radio programming).

2. Programming-the early discussions have focused on a DJ driven (as
curator) model that allows for a wide variety of music to be played
back to back. It won't be an hour of Electronica followed by an hour
of bluegrass, etc. Again, it's very early, but I would not be
surprised if the actual loyalty from listeners is based on the DJ's
(their selections, programming, wit), rather than the music by
itself, because only someone who really knows music is going to be
able to filter, edit, merge and present creative, engaging programming.

3. Listeners-how to reprogram people to listen. It will be hard. If
you believe all the research done, it shows that people don't like to
listen to music they've never heard. Me, I don't listen to radio like
I used to because it's mostly stuff I've heard too many times before.
I want something new and creative. So, the challenge will be to take
what is, but is no longer working (traditional commercial
programming) and drive people to quality music, even though it may be
unfamiliar. There is no quick easy answer, but as stated earlier, it
will be a grass roots, bottom up promotion. We have many ideas for
drawing people in. Can't go into them all here and now, but if you
have ideas to share, let us know.

Bruce Fife
President, AFM, Local 99
325 NE 20th Ave.
Portland, OR 97232
503-235-8791
503-296-5775 (fax)
bf...@afm99.org

><http://www.happyhumans.org/>http://www.happyhumans.org

>Sad Music for Happy Humans
>
>On Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 1:37 PM, Becky Bishop
><<mailto:beckyb...@comcast.net>beckyb...@comcast.net> wrote:
>That's a brilliant idea. This is the way radio was in the sixties.
>You got a really well rounded dose of most genres of music in the
>realm of pop music which includes rock, pop, country, folk, blues,
>r&b and jazz. The problem with today's listeners is that they have
>been programmed to listen to one-genre radio stations like a
>mindless flock of sheep. How do you re-program people with tunnel vision?
>
>
>Becky Bishop
>(503)430-0347 - Landline
>(503)781-0661 - Mobile

><mailto:beckyb...@comcast.net>beckyb...@comcast.net
>----------
>From:
><mailto:clubmu...@googlegroups.com>clubmu...@googlegroups.com

> [mailto:clubmu...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Nevyn Nowhere
>Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 12:27 PM

>To: <mailto:clubmu...@googlegroups.com>clubmu...@googlegroups.com

><http://www.happyhumans.org/>http://www.happyhumans.org

>Sad Music for Happy Humans
>On Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 1:16 PM, Becky Bishop
><<mailto:beckyb...@comcast.net>beckyb...@comcast.net> wrote:
>That's a very realistic point. It's a fact that most listeners of
>local stations playing independent music would be other musicians
>and/or artistic individual types as opposed to the masses who tend
>to be a like great flock of sheep. Alas the best promotion starts
>at the grass roots level. Food for thought: what can the music and
>arts community do to attract listeners to a new radio station
>promoting independent music with limited airwave capacity?
>
>
>Becky Bishop
>(503)430-0347 - Landline
>(503)781-0661 - Mobile

><mailto:beckyb...@comcast.net>beckyb...@comcast.net
>----------
>From:
><mailto:clubmu...@googlegroups.com>clubmu...@googlegroups.com

> [mailto:clubmu...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Nevyn Nowhere
>Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 12:06 PM

>To: <mailto:clubmu...@googlegroups.com>clubmu...@googlegroups.com

>Subject: Re: Music for Local Radio
>
>I'm personally curious as to what sort of promotion the station will
>be doing for itself? What steps are being taken to see that it
>doesn't just end up as another KBOO or KPSU (besides it's greater
>reach)? Both are great stations, but don't reach many people. And
>I personally am convinced it's not just due to the vastly smaller
>broadcasting range. Content and reach are very very important, but
>so is how you make your existence aware, and the marketing methods
>you use to present yourself into the minds of your listeners. So
>far I hear "local station" which is great... but a lot of people who
>aren't so into local stuff already are going to say "kboo/kpsu" and
>not even give the content a chance. In my opinion, there needs to
>be other ways we are promoting ourselves (and that's not saying
>change the content, use the content envisioned, but think about
>approaches on how to invade the general populace's minds).
>
>Anyone up for a discussion on such topics? Agree? Disagree? Ideas
>otherwise?
>
>Nevyn Nowhere

><http://www.happyhumans.org/>http://www.happyhumans.org

>Sad Music for Happy Humans
>On Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 12:47 PM, Becky Bishop
><<mailto:beckyb...@comcast.net>beckyb...@comcast.net> wrote:
>Hey, thanks for the heads up. This is a great opportunity and I will
>certainly take advantage of it. I definitely could use radio exposure for my
>recorded product. This is good news.
>Becky Bishop
>(503)430-0347 - Landline
>(503)781-0661 - Mobile

><mailto:beckyb...@comcast.net>beckyb...@comcast.net

> > <http://www.metroeast.org/>http://www.metroeast.org
> > <mailto:den...@metroeast.org>den...@metroeast.org
><br
><br
>

[Will Hobbs]

When I lived in Eugene in the early '70's, KZEL was the station most people listened to. It played a wide, eclectic variety of music, including a lot of locally recorded music. My own band, Wheatfield, benefited greatly from the airplay we received on that station. One thing I really appreciated, and which got Wheatfield off and running almost immediately, was the live remote that KZEL did every Saturday night from the Odyssey Coffee House. Each act got to do a couple of songs, and got regional exposure immediately.
 
I'd love to see something like this happen in the Portland area. For example, a live broadcast from Artichoke Cafe's Friday Night Coffe House, or perhaps an occasional broadcast from Jimmy Mak's or Mississippi Pizza or the White Eagle, would open people's ears to the amazing music available locally. Just a thought.
 
Will

> Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 16:55:27 -0800
> To: clubmu...@googlegroups.com
> From: bf...@afm99.org

[Becky Bishop]

Will:

 

That’s a brilliant idea. Ronnie Mack of the famed Ronnie Mack Barndance in LA used to have the monthly Barndance showcases broadcast on a local station, KCSUN in Northridge, and it was a huge success until SCSUN changed its format to nothing, but classical. That was in the late eighties, but the Barndance is still going strong featuring the best of So Cal roots music. By the way, is there any kind of roots music scene in the Portland area? You know, like, rockabilly, Americana and folk rock? I just moved here from LA and I am interested in exploring the live music scene here in the Portland as well as hook up with local musicians. Please put me on your performance mailing list.

 

Thanks.

 

Becky Bishop

 

Becky  Bishop
(503)430-0347 - Landline
(503)781-0661 - Mobile

beckyb...@comcast.net

---

> </html

[Bruce Fife]

Hey Will,

While I can't go into details at this point, we are looking at a
situation that would make this idea a reality. Great input.

Bruce