Millenium Digital plans to offer Wi-Fi services - 2005-06-09: "Millenium Digital plans to offer Wi-Fi services Millennium Digital Media has signed an agreement to use NetNearU's products to deploy Wi-Fi networks in its service area, it said Thursday. "
Editor: We normally only pass on news and infrequently offer editor input, which seems to be a rarity in blogging. Further, we rarely receive feedback. This is not disturbing to us as we provide information. Those who have read the blog since its inception know that our reports are on the bleeding edge and are gatekept to keep the topics at least somewhat germain to college media types.
With that in mind, you might ask, what does the above story have to do with college media types? Frankly, there is no direct tie, or is there? All radio stations are facing audience fragementation challenges. This represents another means to fragment the audience. Traditionally, many college stations have shunned the idea that they need to appeal to the masses. Many have stated that they intend to appeal to audiences that are sick and tired of the "normal" outlets. Now there are alternatives and more of them arriving almost daily. They are using alternative means of delivering content, such as blogs, podcasts and innovators are using the Internet and satellite.
As your, likely uncounted, audience shrinks, how can you continue to justify your existence? As your costs rise, the alternatives to your "service" continue to pop-up almost daily?
Is the web an answer? What about HD radio?
If the underdeveloped blog prevents you from answering on list, please contact me directly with your thoughts and I will post them to the blog.
NOTE: For those who have yet found the "loop hole" most subscription based services use a common agent. Thus, if you are asked to "subscribe" or "register" in order to read a linked story, use the same e-mail account and password for each and you be granted access to most! If this method doesn't work for me, I don't post the links as another source is likely to have the story.
LA Weekly: Features: Baby Love: "Whenever there's a large gathering of independent musicians, like the annual DIY Music conference in Hollywood, it ain�t Frank Black who�s treated like a conquering hero and resident Wise Man of indie rock; it�s Derek Sivers, an odd-looking yet friendly character with disarmingly blue eyes and thick dread-ropes jutting downward from the base of his shiny balding skull.
As founder and CEO of the online music store CD Baby, Sivers has paid out nearly $15 million over the last seven years to more than 93,000 independent musicians, who have used his service to sell 1.5 million CDs. Every Monday night he gets to send off about $200,000 worth of checks to rockers, gospel choirs and one-man novelty acts who don�t otherwise have record deals, managers or distribution contracts. �Which is just my favorite part of my job,� he says with a twinkle. (Included in those 93,000 is a band I�m in, which has sold 121 CDs through the site.) CD Baby keeps $4 of each purchase, offers bands the option to sell each song on Apple iTunes (keeping 9 percent of that), and the rest goes straight back to the guitar-strings fund. "
USATODAY.com - Indecent or not? TV, radio walk fuzzy line: "Sixteen months after the exposure of Janet Jackson's breast during the Super Bowl touched off a government-led crusade against indecency, broadcasters � from the bawdy to the buttoned-down � say it's still exerting a chilling effect. (Quick Question: Do you think decency standards need to be tightened on cable television?) Many radio stations have dropped or edited songs such as the Rolling Stones' Bitch. Some TV networks are covering cleavage and blurring the posteriors of cartoon characters. And even some cable channels, though free from indecency constraints, are reviewing programs more closely to try to stave off regulation. (Related chart: Largest indecency fines by FCC, 1999-2004) "
PLAYiNDIES Announce Partnership with Mediaguide for ArtistMonitor� Service: "PLAYiNDIES and Mediaguide announced today that they have entered into an agreement to allow PLAYiNDIES to market and sell ArtistMonitorTM, the first electronic airplay monitoring service dedicated to independent musicians, songwriters and performers.
Mediaguide electronically monitors over 2,500 radio stations and is the first and only company to electronically monitor college, non-commercial and commercial radio stations. That combination gives it the unique ability to bring airplay information that had been available only to and about commercial mainstream artists to include self-released and independent artists, and those who want to discover and support them. As a result, Mediaguide airplay data, online services, reports, charts and playlists can help fans, artists and industry members discover and track music of any type - indie/major, signed/unsigned, underground/commercial that are hitting music broadcasts across the country."
Radio station debuts at Northland: "Tune into WRNC (We R Northland College) 97.7FM, Northland College's new radio station that officially debuted May 25. 'Summer will be a shortened schedule,' said student station manager Bob Grah, class of 2007, who is working to organize student volunteers. In the fall, when all the students are back, Grah hopes to broadcast from 7 a.m. until late evening. "
CMJ.com: new music first: "But what if your voice fails to reach any ears in the first place? The main concern of KALX general manager Sandra Wasson stretches beyond the fact that one student's bad choice (a half-million dollar bad choice) could put her entire station out of commission. As part of the University Of California system, she says, the Berkeley station wouldn't even be able to petition its senators because it's a student-funded state organization. The call to arms, then, lies in the faculty, students and concerned listeners as individuals."
