Ariel Publicity

New Media Pioneer

Todd (Racer) and John (Pope JTE) of The Ripple Effect

http://ripplemusic.blogspot.com

The best music you’re not listening to.™  Reviews of lost classics and obscure titles.  Unheralded bands and songwriters. New bands deserving of greater attention. It’s all here, on The Ripple Effect. The Ripple Effect is a top 100 music site, dedicated to spreading the word on new, unheralded and lost classic artists.   The Ripple Radio show puts our money where our mouth is, playing all the great music that’s going unheard.

Q: What has to be done in the technological sense to monetize music to a greater degree on the internet?

A: A great question and one that far greater minds than ours are trying to figure out.  The answer of course is as multi-faceted as the problem.  First and foremost, bands have to put out quality material.  The days of filler songs stuffed in between two killer cuts on an album are long gone.  With each song now having a downloadable monetary value, those filler songs are a waste of everyone’s time and energy.  If the product is good, it still sells.  iTunes numbers for top singles shows that people are willing to pay for music they feel to be of good value.   So the problem to us isn’t how to get people to buy music on the internet, they already are, the problem is how to get them to buy more.

This becomes complicated on a couple of fronts.  One, bands frequently give their music away to build a fanbase.  This is a good strategy for new up-and-coming bands to get their music into the hands of listeners, but then it sets a precedent that music has no inherent value and should be free to access.  Obviously, that isn’t a sustainable business model.  The other problem, besides filesharing, is the ready access to free music on sites from AOL to YouTube.  The consumer today has an infinite amount of resources to hear music.  A far cry from when AM radio was the only choice.

So what’s the answer?  We think that as people spend more and more time on the internet, the value of social networking sites will continue to gain in importance.  Music social networking already exists, like Imeem or Last.fm, but these sites don’t allow real-time social networking to the extent that Facebook does. We think a model that uses music as a subscription service or business enhancement will be the answer.  One new site, Jango, is a cross between an Internet radio station and social network.  The business proposition is to license the ability to stream the music as an online radio station (as opposed to striking deals with individual recording companies), build a social network around that streaming music, and then sell targeted ads. This type of model may work.  Get people gathered together, talking about the music, listening to streaming music of their common choice, actively engaging in social networking.  We think this sort of model will gather more steam– using music as an enhancement to another business model, then paying for the music with subscription or ad revenue..

Q. Where do you see the next trend in social media? What else can be done in terms of having an online conversation? What is the next “What are you doing?” question?

A: As far as music social media, we’re going to stick with some version of the Jango model, building true social networking sites around music.  Music is still something that excites people, builds passions, and stimulates conversations.  But we don’t think that’s the real question.  The real question is,  “How can bands use social media to better build their fanbase and listening audience.”

With the advent of Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter (and whatever comes next) the relationship between band and fan has never been more important.   Fans don’t want the aloof rock star, standing on a pedestal, handing down their next album from Mt. Sinai.  They want –rather they demand– a personal interaction with the band.  Random updates shot across a Twitter screen isn’t going to cut it anymore.  The fans want a personal relationship, not a promo post.  They want to feel that they are as important to the band as the band is to them.  Any way a band can accomplish this, or work towards satisfying this mentality, is going to place them head and shoulders above the rest.   At the Ripple Effect, we’re constantly trying to come up with new ways for bands to do just this, like promoting exclusive video content or exclusive giveaways.

Q. What inspired you to start broadcasting/blogging? It that still your source of motivation?

A: That’s an easy one –the music.  For years, we’ve been addicted to digging through discount bins in record store’s CD and vinyl racks, searching, mining for that great unheard band.  And we’d found tons of them.  Hundreds.  Bands that became our favorite artists, bands of unequaled talent.  These bands weren’t in the cut out bin because they were horrible, they were there because no one had ever heard of them.  The label failed them.  The marketing machine failed them.  And, in truth, it physically hurt us that no one else was hearing what we heard.

With that, we decided we had to tell the world about all this great, unheard music, and The Ripple Effect was born.  Our mission statement says it all, “The Best Music You’re Not Listening to.”  Reviews of lost classics, unheralded singer/songwriters, new bands deserving of greater attention.  That’s The Ripple Effect. 

Initially, The Ripple Effect started out as a blog, a site for us to rave about all the great music people should know about.  We’re not hip and trendy, we’re honest.   Within about a year, the site became so popular that we were ranked as one of the Top 100 Music sites.  From there, it only seemed natural that we start broadcasting the music we were writing about and the Ripple Radio show was born on Blogtalkradio.  Again, initially, our modest goal was to hang out, play some Ripple music, and describe to folks what we were hearing, but things started to grow and grow.  Soon we started getting calls from bands wanting to be on the show, then guests like Marky Ramone, Fee Waybill, and Cy Curnin starting popping in.  It’s been great fun.  Now our radio shows are available as podcasts on our webpage and iTunes.

Having done this for two years now, we can safely say that we’re more motivated now than ever.  Through the Ripple, every day, we continue to get submissions of great music that we’d never heard.  Fantastic bands from around the world, all genre’s.  With the prominence of the internet making it possible for any band to claim a piece of cyberspace, more than ever, it’s important for us to find those bands that really have something to offer and do everything we can to spread the word.  Great music should never go unheard.

Q. What are some things bands can do to get your attention to be featured on your broadcast/blog? Do you ever cover a band that you are not particularly fond of musically?

A: There’s only one way to get out attention; play great music.  It doesn’t matter what genre.  We cover everything from Scandanavian Death Metal to acoustic singer/songwriter, African to Reggae and everything in between.  The only common denominator is that the music moves us.  That’s what music is supposed to do.  If you want us to dance, then write something that makes it impossible for us to stay in our chairs.  If you want us to feel your pain, then do it.  Music is emotion.

On top of that, it really does help if the artist is friendly.  We like personal letters and have taken extra time to review an album simply because the band was friendly, nice, or some times, a riot.  Letters that make us laugh are always a plus.  It also helps for bands to understand how busy we are with the Ripple.  Artists can’t expect us to drop everything for their sake.  We have at least a 6 week lead-in from the time a CD gets sent in until review, and only after it’s made the Ripple Effect can it be played on Ripple Radio.  Someone who is pushy, rude, or pompous will probably find their CD continually dropping towards the bottom of the stack.  In this business, like all others, it really does help to be nice. 

Through the process of all the submissions and interaction with the artists, we’ve gone from being fans to friends with the bands. We’ve developed personal relationships with many artists as they’ve asked for our input on new material, development advice, etc.  We come from a place of respect for the musician above anything else.

Having said that, we will never feature a band on the website or the radioshow that doesn’t satisfy these basic requirements.  We’re not critics, we don’t review music.  We’re music lovers and write/talk about the music we love. That’s one of the things that may set us apart from other sites, the passion we have for what we’re doing.  Our goal is to spread the word on the music and the bands we like — make some ripples

Q. Will major labels ever be the gatekeepers again, or have they lost all of their power to the internet forever? Can they somehow return to prominence?

A: The impact of the internet can never be understated and it has definitely altered the playing field, but that doesn’t mean the majors have lost all their power.  It’s true that the majors will probably never be the gatekeepers again, but they will always remain the star makers. 

Any band can now record an album, sell copies, get thousands of Myspace or Youtube hits without major label support.  In fact, small labels are great at being the gatekeepers.  They can recognize talent, promote it, gain an audience, mold a band.  But it still takes big money to make a star.  Touring costs a bundle, and as music becomes exchanged more and more often for free, touring becomes where bands will make their money.  Here’s the problem.  With fewer people buying CD’s who pays for the tour?  A small label can’t afford to spend $200,000 to put a hot new band out on tour when they’ll only sell $10,000 worth of CD’s.  This is where the majors come in with their publicity machines and unlimited budgets.  They can create the demand, they can fill the stadium, they can make the star.

In order to do this, majors are now requiring 360 degree contracts, where the label will get a percentage of every aspect of the band’s business, from CD sales, to tour revenue, to t-shirt sales.  And this is fair, the label is providing a service and they deserve to get paid.

The biggest problem with the majors is the impersonal approach they take towards the music, the bands, and the fans.  This is where small labels have the advantage.  They have the ability to really form the relationships that can make a project a success.

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Most People Are DJs - www.mostpeoplearedjs.com

“Indie pop and skewed Intellect” is a weekly podcast and sometimes videocast that features music, interviews and opinions.  Most People Are DJs takes it’s name from the song of the same name by the Hold Steady and features the lyrics “Everyone is a critic and most people are djs.” The show is in it’s 4th year and is on it’s 200th episode.

Q: What has to be done in the technological sense to monetize music to a greater degree on the internet?

A. Stop with the DRM! I get 90% of my music from eMusic, because they have a great selection and no DRM. I have an iPod, a Creative Zen, and iRiver music devices plus I DJ as well, I need music to move around all of these and DRM just kills it for me. The other part is people just have to continue to get more comfortable buying digital music.

Q: Where do you see the next trend in social media? What else can be done in terms of having an online conversation? What is the next “What are you doing?” question?

I’ll be honest, I actually see there might be a backlash against social media. I’m still struggling with understanding the full purpose of social media. Social media is my way of creating new relationships and taking them offline or rediscovering old relationships. The next “What are you doing” question should relate to “what are you doing away from the computer that is contributing to improving the planet’s wellbeing”.

Q: What inspired you to start broadcasting/blogging? It that still your source of motivation?

A: The ease and the DIY sensibility of Podcasting that reminded me of the “hey day” of DIY zines back in the 80’s inspired me. You’ve got this group of people that want to communicate to the masses in their own, original way and podcasting is best delivery tool yet to get it done. I’ve had lots of other ideas about starting a new blog etc. but, I always come back to Most People Are DJs and the podcasting community.

Q: What are some things bands can do to get your attention to be featured on your broadcast/blog? Do you ever cover a band that you are not particularly fond of musically ?

A: Bands can listen to my show and email me tracks to mostpeoplearedjs@gmail.com. But, please listen to my show or read a few of my show notes first. After doing that you’ll catch on pretty quickly that I am not a DJ who plays “everything.” I’m pretty sincere with my show in only playing music I really like, which fits somewhere along the lines of “indie-electro-pop” with some “shoegaze” thrown in for good measure. There are lots of other shows with “free for all” formats and that’s fine for them but I always wanted people to be able to identify my show with a certain type of music that goes along with it.

Q: Will major labels ever be the gatekeepers again, or have they lost all of their power to the internet forever? Can they somehow return to prominence?

A: I’d say a large majority of the music I listen to for the last 20 years is not on major labels. They don’t really bear much importance with me. I’d like to see more bands figuring out their own path to promoting and releasing music. The bands that have done this successfully, i.e. Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, etc. seem to reach a level of real satisfaction with who they are and their position in this music world for years to come. If you want to read a good book on major labels and working for one, check out “Rock On: An Office Power Ballad” by Dan Kennedy.

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http://www.digivegas.com

Q: How long have you been broadcasting/blogging?

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?

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 that that is a true statement?

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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http://cbcantor.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/cowboycantor

Cowboy Cantor is a podcast run by a Portuguese music teacher. Its the only podcast around the island of S. Miguel, in the Azores islands, Portugal. The show’s aim is to share the greatest free mp3s found on the Internet, in the artist’s own sites, their label sites, or in many other mp3 sites that offer free music. That way, besides providing their listeners with the best music. It’s all done with love and in the name of independent music.

Q: What has to be done in the technological sense to monetize music to a greater degree on the internet?

A lot of different things have been happening on the Internet with music. From stores with d.r.m. files, to free music. From the Creative Commons to pay what you want. From file sharing on chats to illegal peer to peer clients. We meet everyday new ways of promoting music and selling it. It is fact, legal or illegal, Internet is the most effective way of getting an artist to be known. Labels and artists should keep that in mind, and work on it. F.M. and A.M. radios, television, newspapers and magazines still have a word to say on this process, but Internet is vital these days for music promotion.

One can not tell what will happen next, but I believe artists, labels, agencies and all music companies will keep on working in how to get the most benefit of the Internet.

Q: Where do you see the next trend in social media? What else can be done in terms of having an online conversation? What is the next “What are you doing?” question?

While some artists only release their music in digital format, some artists still prefer having hard releases of their music. There even artists that are coming back to the vinyl L.P.’s. That is difficult to know exactly how will social media trend be in a near future. Some artists still ask for a postal address to send their music on physical formats, others ask for the e-mail address to send mp3. Instant messaging software is used in some cases. While some people start using new ways of trading music and files over the Internet, others still go for the traditional. There will always different ways of sharing music. Obviously e-mail and on-line file hosting is the most effective and fast. But if we want quality, get physical.

With on-line conversation getting easier and easier, getting each day more usual, and with the possibility of having no frontiers in what concerns distance, some day I will receive an e-mail from an Australian artist asking “what will you do tomorrow 6 p.m? Is it a good time for an interview?” The problem is that 6 p.m. in Australia is 6 a.m. in the Azores islands. “What are you doing?” is a question with lots of possibilities. The easiness of communication will lead us to have our regular schedules changed, so that we can follow a friend on the other side of the world.

Q: What inspired you to start broadcasting/blogging? Is that still your source of motivation?

First of all, the obvious love for radio and communication. Then, the wish of discovering and sharing new and independent sounds. Major label artists have their own way of promoting their music. They have contracts that involve money in promoting their music on mainstream radios and television. Local radio stations don’t promote new music, only major label artists. That is not wrong, as there are lots of major label artists that are my favourites. But independent music has greater artists to discover, then some artists that are played on local radios here. Promoting new music doesn’t mean only playing seven times a day, for tree of four months, songs from the new album of Bob Dylan, one of the greatest composers and poem writers of all time, but playing international new hits and also new artists.

Because most major label artists don’t write their own music, and when they write, they have to submit the music to be reviewed by the label, I look for artists that compose and sing in the way they want. I look for artists that don’t have to write 25 songs in two years. I look for artists that create music as they feel like creating it, and not imposed by editors, producers and managers.

Cowboy Cantor started as a podcast for independent artists, and still is a place to listen to good independent music. The quality of this podcast is not the way I produce each show, or set the playlist for each week. The quality of this show depends on independent music that I found. Each week I found new fantastic artists, and that gives me more and more motivation for recording each Sunday night a new show, to be launched during the evening, and giving my listeners every Monday the finest 7 track selection of independent music.

Watching the podcast’s statistics, and the subscriber’s lists, I am very proud of my little Internet place. Maybe small numbers, comparing to the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast on iTunes, but they are growing. My students also come to me from time to time and make some nice comments about the music I play. Also, the recent entry on the Association of Music Podcasting and on the iTunes podcast directory, gives me more motivation to keep on doing Cowboy Cantor as it is.

Q: What are some things bands can do to get your attention to be featured on your broadcast/blog? Do you ever cover a band that you are not particularly fond of musically?

I am listening to M.T.V. at the moment. I stopped because I was listening to the new song of Franz Ferdinand. I looked to the television and I saw a different band name. It is not Franz Ferdinand, is another band that sounds exactly like them. That is the problem of the majority of mainstream music today. Everything sounds like what listened before and will listen next.

For Cowboy Cantor I search for artists with new ideas, that don’t sound to similar to what we listen on mainstream radios and television. The music I play is the music I like to listen. I never play music that I don’t like, even if I know some of my listeners will.

I play mainly rock and indie rock. If we consider Cyber P.R. artists that I have been featuring these last months, we will see that I play different styles of music. Recently I played Dare Dukes, 46Bliss, Clara Bellino, Lisa Bianco, Officer Roseland, Puppetbox, Chrissy McChouglin, amongst others. I still have to play Omar Alexander, Doug Cash, Spy For Hire, and recently I have added to my playlist Jessie Murphy In The Woods.

Lyrics have an important part on the quality of the song to be played on my podcast. Take Sorry Simon, by Jonny Dongel, a pure rock n’ roll song. It goes “I won’t fall for your ploy, for your sick and twisted joy, I know I’ not your idol, Sorry Simon”. This is about Simon from American Idol, and the way he talks about the way people sing. Then there is this song Prime Numbers, by The Two Gentlemen Band, a mix of country and rag time music. Some girl has prime numbers on her body measurements, and the lyrics go “My baby’s got prime numbers. That means she’s only divisible be one, and that one is gonna be me”. A part from the lyrics, the music must have intensity, suspense, different parts, changes of sound intensity and rhythm, and if it holds me for the initial 60 seconds, and makes me want to listen to the song again, I will play it on my podcast. It doesn’t matter if the keyboard sounds like Coldplay, or the guitar like U2. As long as it has energy and the artist own touch, it is a potential song for Cowboy Cantor.

I record each show of my podcast sited on a chair, but most of the time I feel like recording it jumping and dancing on the room. The majority of the music I play, even slow music, makes me want to be travelling around the room, feeling the music on each movement of my body. That is one thing I look for on a song. It has to make me want to move.

I started my podcast back in January 2006. That time I played tracks with two or tree years old. Today I still listen to some songs I played on 2006 and it still feels like a recent song. That is because the artist was not looking for a song that sounded like the hits of that time, but was looking for a unique sound, not found on anywhere else.

Besides the musical requirements, there are the legal questions. I only play songs under the Creative Commons License or podsafe music. Even if I download a track from a podsafe site, like Ariel Publicity, I try to contact the artists to let them know that I intent to play their music. Before playing the tracks I refer to, I wait for an answer from the artist, manager or label. I do everything in the maximum security, just to ensure that I am playing legal music. Also, having a small answer, even if it is “yes, go for it”, shows some respect for podcasting and interest on having their music played on podcasts. I have so many great tracks on my waiting folder that I haven’t played yet, because I haven’t got any answer from the artist, label or manager. And of course, I don’t play major label artists. Only independent or artists with no label.

If I have enough songs of the artist, on c.d. or mp3, and I really like it, this artist is selected to be the artist of the month on my podcast. That means at least one, if enough tracks available, two tracks played on each show during the month.

My musical horizons are wide open. I listen to a lot of different style of music, I may play a song that doesn’t fit the usual style of music that I play, but I never play a song that I don’t find anything on it interesting. For example, because I did an interview to a local heavy-metal drummer, and we talked about Ahab, a doom metal band, I contacted the band to see if I could play the track The Hunt. That is not obviously the style of music I play on Cowboy Cantor, and not the kind of music I listen everyday, but that song was very intense and dramatic. It was a nice experience I did.

Q: Will major labels ever be the gatekeepers again, or have they lost all of their power to the internet forever? Can they somehow return to prominence?

As long as radio, television, music magazines keep on preferring major label artists, instead of promoting some great independent artists, major labels will always be in the top. Illegal sharing communities may not bring any money benefit to labels directly, but having some tracks on a peer-to-peer community will certainly help to promote the artists, and of course the label. As the most Internet users still log in to illegal sharing applications, instead of listening to independent podcasts and podsafe music, major labels will always be the top labels. I will be very surprised if I log in to a file sharing application, and after searching for Puppetbox, I get thousands of files, as if I was looking for the new Green Day album. Independent artists and labels still not have a place on the majority of music communities. However, Internet radios and podcasts have been helping independent artists and labels to get noticed. In Portugal, for example, this year will have some artists that we can find at IODA Promonet, or Podsafe Music Network, performing at some major music festivals.

I believe that independent podcasts have a word to say on promoting independent artists. Unfortunately some artists don’t recognise the effort we do. When I ask permission to play a track, I don’t expect a thank you message. I just expect a “yes”. Podcasting a track is good for the podcast, because it gives quality to the show, and good for the artist, because the show will add some more listeners to the artist.

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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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