Radio Paradise was one of the front runners in Independent Internet radio and Bill Goldsmith has done a fantastic job of cultivating a loyal and generous listener base. However, I don't think his business model is one that can be replicated by others considering his headstart on the market, and I don't know if it will be permanently sustainable.
He is one of the best out there though. (And a heck of a nice guy.)
Derek Grimme Station Director Creamy Radio www.creamyradio.com
The operations costs include hardware and studio space, bandwidth (figure every lister takes up 128kbs) and licensing. Licensing and bandwidth make up the largest of these expenditures, with licensing for them probably taking about 20% of their gross.
However, I don't find that WOXY is a good example of what is happening in Internet Radio. There WERE terrestrial and went to the Internet and probably took a lot of their legacy costs (buildings, etc) with them. I'm willing to bet that their overhead is larger than many internet only stations that started on the Internet.
Derek Station Director Creamy Radio www.creamyradio.com
The one thing that you are all not seeing is that the new levels of wireless technology such as Wi-Max are going to change a lot of the lack of portability of Internet Radio. Even Cell phones are going to change that. As the Station Director and founding partner in http://www.creamyradio.com/ we are in this for the long haul and are already looking at the preparations we need to make to support such systems as Verizon's vCast and others.
Internet Radio will steamroll terrestrial radio once Internet access becomes as pervasive as it's going to become. Many other analysts see this as well, in Dec. 2004 the Wall Street Journal predicted Internet Radio tuners in cars within 5 years. I don't doubt that one bit.
Derek
Station Director
Creamy Radio
www.creamyradio.com
Much of the discussions here have mentioned the Internet as a effective marketing tool for up and coming bands.
One thing that people haven't mentioned in general is Internet Radio Stations.
Go look for stations that play a similar format to your music and send them
an email. Just go look on shoutcast.com or live365.com or audiorealm.com or
any of the others.
We run an independent internet radio station called KRMY and have received
more than a handful of submissions from bands who feel we should know about
their music. Send them a bio and a disc and let them decide if they want to
play it. Many Internet stations have a loyal and worldwide following that appreciates
the music that the operators play. Also, none of them are going to play your
tracks on the commercial viability of them, but the musical merits.
We don't play everything that gets submitted to us, but have found some REALLY
great bands that have gained regular rotation in our playlist. In turn our listenership
has discovered these bands and often times been overjoyed when they finally
get the chance to see them.
Thanks for all the posts in the discussion on this, it is something that has been a topic of conversation amongst my freinds and I for quite some time now. I also want to take the time to apologize to my Pakastani freinds, I used that coutry as only an example, I hadn't realized that it was as prolific as you described. My conclusions: 1. Most people in most countries in the world are not *completely* steeped in poverty. While there are people that have problems finding dinner, the vast majority of people in most countries DO in fact have their basic needs taken care of. And like a gentlemen said, "famine is often not caused by an lack of food, but a lack of distribution." While their standard of living in general may not be that of the US, their basic needs are there, food, shelter, etc... This belief that these places are so backwoods as to not know of anything but making grass sandals and finding some bugs to eat is sorry. They are not THAT uncivilized. 2. The spread of the Internet can and will aid these coutries to gain a foothold on a better way of living--And it must. To not become technologically capable in business will push these countries further down the ladder. Because as time goes on they will not even be able to do business, this is due to the entire model of global commerce changing towards E-based so rapidly. In ten years a business that is not E capable in some way shape or form will not exist. 3. The biggest fear is fear of the truth (I get all of mine from/.;) and information. This goes for the governments: the distribution of truth and freedom will not only lead to a better way of living, it will also lead to more free societies, which means that tyrannical governments will fall. 4. Many people who leave places like India (which does consider technologically educated people a comodity) want to return to do their work in the home they love eventually. I think that the creation of such education in a society eventually leads to them gaining new ground in the world. 5. While the "American Culture" may currently be the dominate culture in the world, we are heading into a time of global culture. We go to Ichi Ban's here, they go to Cowboy Bars over there. The essense of every culture is slowly getting incorporated into a global society and one of the things helping fuel this is the Internet. Yes, some aspects of some cultures will get lost. It has been that way for a more than one mellinium, and it will always be that way. Time moves on people, get over it. The question is how these cultures can best move themselves into the new age. The answer is threefold: Education, information, and technology. These three things put together is what provides us with so much here in the US, and others so little elsewhere. The expansion of technology is a good thing no matter how you slice it. The tribes will have internet access and the rich will too. Also, the very nature of the Internet means that it will never be completely controlled by ANYONE. The availability of information leads to a more informed and educated populace which raises the standard of living for everyone. No, the homeless guy doesn't care about the internet. But those people trying to make things better for him do... DiZNoG
The mirror of our existance.... The funny thing is that you don't hear about these type of random hate shootings happening at inner city schools, it's always white, affluent, suburban nice places. Why? Because inthe inner city and in poorer schools there is such a great variety of people that they don't have time to hate all the different ones. The attitude of the suburban schools is one of rigidity and conformism, the little world created by the attitude of superiority of culture which most of those high schoolers carry themselves is the cause of this incident. And the even sicker concept behind it is that most people in these towns are NOT willing to face the facts that it was their "perfect little slice of heaven" that bred such contempt. It is contempt for a society that is unwilling to accept anything but themselves.
THe real solution is the teaching of acceptance and personal resposibility. My rights end at your nose. This is the only way to true freedom and happiness. The Christian Youth groups would like you to beleive theirs is a world of happiness and peacefulness, but at the same time they would shun anybody who doesn't think like them as quickly as possible. By teaching acceptance of one another's likes and dislikes, rather than anything is "good" or "bad" teaches us that we are all free. This is our right under the constitution and our right as men and women-it is also our responsibility.
Information will be free... The record industry is just the first to see this hit. What happens when there is bandwidth in every home? When all movies are distributed on Disk rather than film to their theater? (which is coming quickly) When all television is broadcast and stored digitally? (almost here already) When there is no trace that something was copied in the first place? When it is available for download 5 minutes later? All media will eventually have to deal with the same issue, the complete availablity of their wares on the net. As was said recently in Wired (not verbatim) "downloading something will become as householda phrase as popping in a CD or renting a movie" The broad spectrum of america will pay for it and download it fairly, and the companies WILL make their money. But then there is the rest of us who know where *else* to go to get our media. Music, Television shows, movies, you name it. It's all 1s and 0s in the end......... and there is an upcoming revolution in the way America buys and accesses their media and entertainment.
Slashdot Mirror
Openly telling people this on our stations could be legally dicey. I wouldn't recommend it for any licensed operator.
Derek Grimme
Station Director
Creamy Radio
www.creamyradio.com
Second that motion!!!
Derek Grimme
Station Director
Creamy Radio
www.creamyradio.com
Radio Paradise was one of the front runners in Independent Internet radio and Bill Goldsmith has done a fantastic job of cultivating a loyal and generous listener base. However, I don't think his business model is one that can be replicated by others considering his headstart on the market, and I don't know if it will be permanently sustainable.
He is one of the best out there though. (And a heck of a nice guy.)
Derek Grimme
Station Director
Creamy Radio
www.creamyradio.com
The operations costs include hardware and studio space, bandwidth (figure every lister takes up 128kbs) and licensing. Licensing and bandwidth make up the largest of these expenditures, with licensing for them probably taking about 20% of their gross.
However, I don't find that WOXY is a good example of what is happening in Internet Radio. There WERE terrestrial and went to the Internet and probably took a lot of their legacy costs (buildings, etc) with them. I'm willing to bet that their overhead is larger than many internet only stations that started on the Internet.
Derek
Station Director
Creamy Radio
www.creamyradio.com
The one thing that you are all not seeing is that the new levels of wireless technology such as Wi-Max are going to change a lot of the lack of portability of Internet Radio. Even Cell phones are going to change that. As the Station Director and founding partner in http://www.creamyradio.com/ we are in this for the long haul and are already looking at the preparations we need to make to support such systems as Verizon's vCast and others.
Internet Radio will steamroll terrestrial radio once Internet access becomes as pervasive as it's going to become. Many other analysts see this as well, in Dec. 2004 the Wall Street Journal predicted Internet Radio tuners in cars within 5 years. I don't doubt that one bit.
Derek
Station Director
Creamy Radio
www.creamyradio.com
Much of the discussions here have mentioned the Internet as a effective marketing
tool for up and coming bands.
One thing that people haven't mentioned in general is Internet Radio Stations.
Go look for stations that play a similar format to your music and send them
an email. Just go look on shoutcast.com or live365.com or audiorealm.com or
any of the others.
We run an independent internet radio station called KRMY and have received
more than a handful of submissions from bands who feel we should know about
their music. Send them a bio and a disc and let them decide if they want to
play it. Many Internet stations have a loyal and worldwide following that appreciates
the music that the operators play. Also, none of them are going to play your
tracks on the commercial viability of them, but the musical merits.
We don't play everything that gets submitted to us, but have found some REALLY
great bands that have gained regular rotation in our playlist. In turn our listenership
has discovered these bands and often times been overjoyed when they finally
get the chance to see them.
Dog
KRMY Creamy Radio
www.thecreamygoodness.com
Thanks for all the posts in the discussion on this, it is something that has been a topic of conversation amongst my freinds and I for quite some time now. I also want to take the time to apologize to my Pakastani freinds, I used that coutry as only an example, I hadn't realized that it was as prolific as you described. My conclusions: 1. Most people in most countries in the world are not *completely* steeped in poverty. While there are people that have problems finding dinner, the vast majority of people in most countries DO in fact have their basic needs taken care of. And like a gentlemen said, "famine is often not caused by an lack of food, but a lack of distribution." While their standard of living in general may not be that of the US, their basic needs are there, food, shelter, etc... This belief that these places are so backwoods as to not know of anything but making grass sandals and finding some bugs to eat is sorry. They are not THAT uncivilized. 2. The spread of the Internet can and will aid these coutries to gain a foothold on a better way of living--And it must. To not become technologically capable in business will push these countries further down the ladder. Because as time goes on they will not even be able to do business, this is due to the entire model of global commerce changing towards E-based so rapidly. In ten years a business that is not E capable in some way shape or form will not exist. 3. The biggest fear is fear of the truth (I get all of mine from /. ;) and information. This goes for the governments: the distribution of truth and freedom will not only lead to a better way of living, it will also lead to more free societies, which means that tyrannical governments will fall. 4. Many people who leave places like India (which does consider technologically educated people a comodity) want to return to do their work in the home they love eventually. I think that the creation of such education in a society eventually leads to them gaining new ground in the world. 5. While the "American Culture" may currently be the dominate culture in the world, we are heading into a time of global culture. We go to Ichi Ban's here, they go to Cowboy Bars over there. The essense of every culture is slowly getting incorporated into a global society and one of the things helping fuel this is the Internet. Yes, some aspects of some cultures will get lost. It has been that way for a more than one mellinium, and it will always be that way. Time moves on people, get over it. The question is how these cultures can best move themselves into the new age. The answer is threefold: Education, information, and technology. These three things put together is what provides us with so much here in the US, and others so little elsewhere. The expansion of technology is a good thing no matter how you slice it. The tribes will have internet access and the rich will too. Also, the very nature of the Internet means that it will never be completely controlled by ANYONE. The availability of information leads to a more informed and educated populace which raises the standard of living for everyone. No, the homeless guy doesn't care about the internet. But those people trying to make things better for him do... DiZNoG
The mirror of our existance.... The funny thing is that you don't hear about these type of random hate shootings happening at inner city schools, it's always white, affluent, suburban nice places. Why? Because inthe inner city and in poorer schools there is such a great variety of people that they don't have time to hate all the different ones. The attitude of the suburban schools is one of rigidity and conformism, the little world created by the attitude of superiority of culture which most of those high schoolers carry themselves is the cause of this incident. And the even sicker concept behind it is that most people in these towns are NOT willing to face the facts that it was their "perfect little slice of heaven" that bred such contempt. It is contempt for a society that is unwilling to accept anything but themselves.
THe real solution is the teaching of acceptance and personal resposibility. My rights end at your nose. This is the only way to true freedom and happiness. The Christian Youth groups would like you to beleive theirs is a world of happiness and peacefulness, but at the same time they would shun anybody who doesn't think like them as quickly as possible. By teaching acceptance of one another's likes and dislikes, rather than anything is "good" or "bad" teaches us that we are all free. This is our right under the constitution and our right as men and women-it is also our responsibility.
Information will be free... The record industry is just the first to see this hit. What happens when there is bandwidth in every home? When all movies are distributed on Disk rather than film to their theater? (which is coming quickly) When all television is broadcast and stored digitally? (almost here already) When there is no trace that something was copied in the first place? When it is available for download 5 minutes later? All media will eventually have to deal with the same issue, the complete availablity of their wares on the net. As was said recently in Wired (not verbatim) "downloading something will become as householda phrase as popping in a CD or renting a movie" The broad spectrum of america will pay for it and download it fairly, and the companies WILL make their money. But then there is the rest of us who know where *else* to go to get our media. Music, Television shows, movies, you name it. It's all 1s and 0s in the end......... and there is an upcoming revolution in the way America buys and accesses their media and entertainment.