Ariel Publicity

http://ventvox.com/

We are devoted to the art of complaining, comparing, and discussing stuff. Being idle observers is not enough. We believe that ranting, raving, and whining is a freedom that we should all have and use often. Attitude is not necessarily a bad thing, so gather up opinions- coherent or not- and let us hear them

Q: What are your favorite blogs/audio blogs featuring new music do you like to visit?

A: I enjoy Pitchfork, Each Note Secure, and Aquarium Drunkard.

Q: What inspired you to start the site?

A: I wanted to start Ventvox.com to express my views on music as well as see the feedback that others could provide.  I’m now shocked to find that not everyone always agrees with my opinion.

Q: What do you think is the impact of blogs, internet radio, and podcasts on independent music?

A: I think blogs, Internet radio and podcsts help Independent music reach a broader audience than it previously reached.

Q: When you started your station, did you anticipate that blogs would have such an upscale trend as it does now?

A: I didn’t expect my blog to take off initially because of the vast number of like-minded thinkers.  I differentiate my blog a bit by discussing art and culture.

Q: What are the ultimate goals you wish to achieve through your site?

A: The ultimate goal for my site would to be a larger readership and the addition of more staff to contribute articles.  Making some money through ad sales would also be beneficial.

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To check out what’s playing on the Chillcast go to AnjiBee.com

Q: How did the Chillcast get its start?

A: I guess you could say The Chillcast got its start with college radio DJ’ing. After 3 years of doing various shows and working in management at a college radio station, I was pretty well hooked. Then I discovered Internet radio, and started creating both live and prerecorded Internet radio content – including interviews with indie bands like Hungry Lucy and Sunburn in Cyprus. Eventually podcasts were invented, and I put 2 and 2 together.

Podcasting was better than radio because listeners could tune in whenever was most convenient for them – which seemed really revolutionary! My first podcast was actually Chillin’ with Lovespirals, which Ryan and I launched to help promote our 2nd album, Free & Easy. Shortly after, I started getting permissions from indie band friends to create a weekly music show podcast – because you have to understand that at this time the podsafe music movement was barely getting started! Adam Curry had just begun his Podsafe Music Network — which is actually how he and I met and became friends, when Lovespirals joined the site. Adam played us on the Daily Source Code, and then we started talking back and forth on his podcast about Creative Commons vs BMI and all those kinds of things.

To make a long story a bit shorter, I put together a few fledgling episodes of The Chillcast, hosting them on the Internet Archive site and C.C. Chapman, who was really active with PodShow at the time, pitched the show to Adam and PodShow management, and I was signed as one of the first group of podcasters to the new PodShow Podcast Network.

Q: What have you learned from operating on both sides of the broadcasting world, as a podcaster and as a musician?

A: Good question. Podcasting is a great way to communicate with your fans, to give them a sense of who you are as a person, as well as to inform them of your latest projects. You can really build a sense of brethrenship, not only with your fans, but fellow indie musicians and fellow podcasters. Podcasts are more intimate than a newsletter, less time consuming than a forum, and both more immediate and long lasting than a personal appearance. I’m surprised more bands aren’t doing podcasts, actually.

Q: With over one million downloads of the Chillcast, what is the top tip you would give aspiring podcasters in terms of building such an impressive listenership?

A: Consistency. Being consistent with the quality, content, and output of your show is really important. Listeners want to know they can rely on you to provide whatever experience it is you’re providing on a regular schedule. If done well, your show becomes a part of your subscriber’s life that they look forward to, and you don’t want to let them down!

Q: Chillin’ with the Lovespirals was one of the earliest band podcasts, what was the impetus behind such inspiration and foresight?

A: Well I mentioned this briefly in your earlier question, but the idea was to share information about the new album we were releasing, and what better way to promote an album than with the music itself? We had shared audio interviews we’d done with radio stations in mp3 format on music sites for years, so I knew people liked to listen to us talk about our music and band experiences. We have all the recording gear here at our disposal, so it just seemed logical to produce our own audio content and make it available via our site. We had fun doing it, too. At that time, iTunes was just launching their podcast directory, so getting listed on that was a real thrill.

Q: Why should a band be PodSafe?

A: Podcasts are a very low cost promotional tool. Unlike radio, it’s very easy to break into the podcasting world. There are still relatively few bands vying for attention on podcasts. If your music is good, you’re bound to get noticed. And podcast subscribers are truly interested in music. These are the cutting edge people who have sought out an alternative form of entertainment; they’re serious. If they like something they hear on a show, they actually go out and buy it. I get email and comments all the time about buying music from my shows — in fact, I got one this week from a guy who was sad that Sun Dula Amen wasn’t on iTunes yet, because he wanted to buy it! And of course, I know for a fact that I sell my own CDs from podcasts, I see the proof from orders on the Lovespirals Webstore.

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http://www.bounceradio.net

http://www.digivegas.com

Q: How long have you been broadcasting?

A: I’ve been broadcasting off and on for the past 20 years. I started at my college radio station in the late 80’s, then earning a BA in Radio, Television and Film. Since then I have worked in various capacities at radio stations, TV stations, recording studios, running live sound for musical theatre, corporate events and live music (my favorite of the three).

I started podcasting in early 2006 with my show DigiVegas. (That’s where I got the name “Paulie Podcaster”) I started at bounce Radio in May of this year as a DJ, became Indie Music Director in July, and Program Director in late August.

Q: In your opinion, what does a good song need to consist of?

A: First, the instruments have to be in tune, and vocals have to be on key. I can’t tell you how many tracks I’ve rejected because the vocals are off key. It amazes me that people can’t, or refuse to, hear it, whether they are the vocalist, or involved in the musical project in some other way. You’re not doing the band any favors by telling the vocalist that he/she is on key when they are not. You’re wasting everyone’s valuable time and money.

Secondly, the song has to sound like it’s coming from the heart of the performer, not the head. I want to hear emotion, I want to hear the artist reaching out to me on that level. I don’t really want to hear calculated logic. If you simply must put your political or religious beliefs, or whatever, into song, give it to me on an emotional level. Tell me a little story about how it affects you emotionally.

Thirdly, no gratuitous language, sexism, violence, misogyny, etc. That’s my own personal opinion that does find it’s way into how I produce my show and program the station. I have a feeling I may not be the only producer/programmer who feels this way..

Q: What is your favorite band or favorite genre of music and why?

A: I’ve always been a big fan of indie music, regardless of style or genre. I’ve always been a big fan of the underdog, the unsung hero. I get a kick out of finding some really cool band or song that no one else has heard of yet. I like to be the one to give it to people first, and even gloat a little bit when everyone else jumps on the bandwagon (”I was listening to these guys way back when…”. Either that, or I just don’t like being spoon-fed the music, being told by some corporation what I’m supposed to like simply because they say so.

Q: What changes in content laws, broadcasting rights, etc. have effected you most?

A: The biggest thing to affect me is reading in the news about how certain private citizens have been prosecuted for having a few “illegal” mp3’s on their hard drives. Remember that one where the mother was facing tens of thousands of dollars in fines and maybe even a prison sentence because her kids downloaded some “illegal” mp3’s? “It was her computer, she should have known and controlled what was going on with it” was the prosecutor’s argument. That’s complete B.S. IMHO. Lighten up people. Yes, piracy is wrong, and every artist should get paid for every copy of their work that’s made, but come on. Go after the right people.

I make sure I cover my behind… legally, that is. Bounce Radio is a fully licensed station and essentially, we can play anything we want. As far as the podcast is concerned, I have to be very careful to attain the artists’ permission before I play anything. I rely on services like Ariel, Podsafe Music Network, and even the direct, written permission of the artist before I play anything on my podcast. It’s one of the reasons I do an interview show. I highly doubt someone will turn on me and say they never consented to have their music on my show when they consented to an interview and sent me their tracks to play

Q: A recent study found blogs to be more effective than MySpace in generating album sales, do you feel podcasts have the same power?

A: No. I might say that if this were 2005 or 2006. I feel as if podcasts run the risk of going the way of 8 track and cassette tapes if we’re not careful. I quickly discovered, after producing my own podcast for only a few months, that unless you were one of the fortunate ones who got in on it on the ground floor, like Adam Curry, Fr. Roderick, or C. C. Chapman, you were facing an uphill climb to get your podcast noticed. All too quickly, everybody and their brother was producing a podcast.

There are now thousands and thousands of podcasts starting up, and fading, every day, offering a huge variety of content. It’s extremely difficult being a podcaster trying to stand out as a gem in a giant bin full of junk. It’s extremely difficult for the consumer these days to sort through all these podcasts to figure out what suits them. All too often they swing and miss, and get something of low quality, or content that doesn’t measure up to their tastes or standards.

Think about it, it takes time and effort to download a podcast. How likely is someone to take a chance on one they have never heard of before? After a few sessions of fruitless searches they give up on podcasting all together. That, I think, is causing podcasting to be passed over as a legitimate, viable, first tier medium. Sure, they will always be here, and they do serve their purpose, but I think they have quickly taken a back seat to more timely and immediate mediums such as streaming media, blogs, social networking sites, etc.

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