The NME are reporting that American mellow indie types Rilo Kiley, following a long hiatus, have decided to call it a day. Bad news. Rilo Kiley were, like The Decemberists, one of the many fine bands I discovered thanks to the late and much lamented internet radio station WOXY.
A few years back the band nearly headlined the Wedge; a date was announced as part of a UK tour, a gig that I bought tickets for as soon as I found out about it. Sadly the show was cancelled shortly after (sad but true, I've still got the tickets).
So anyway, thanks RK for the good tunes, here's a few of them to be going along with...
Showing posts with label WOXY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WOXY. Show all posts
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Day of Silence
My favourite internet radio station has, along with many other such US webcasters, gone silent today. The Day of Silence, as it's been tagged, is a protest at the Copyright Royalty Board's decision to raise royalty fees for online broadcasters. The proposed increase which could well cause many American online broadcasters to shut up shop (and may well set a precedent for webcasters elsewhere on the 'net).
Previously online broadcasters in the US paid an annual fee plus 12% of their profits. The new system, which comes into force on July 15th (but is retroactive to January 1st this year) applies a flat fee per song, per user, with an additional $500 charge per channel owned. The fees also increase annually throughout the life of the new royalty plan, which is scheduled to end in 2010.
Both public and commercial broadcasters in the US claim the changes represent a 300% increase in payments and could force cuts to existing services, affecting an estimated audience of 50 million people. National Public Radio, for example, maintains several channels; theoretically it could be charged thousands of dollars.
The members of the SaveNetRadio coalition, which includes big players like Yahoo and AOL as well as smaller webcasters, therefore took the decision to go silent for 24 hours to raise awareness of the campaign. They're pressing Congress to pass a bill which would set royalty rates for webcasters equal to those of satellite radio broadcasters.
Fingers crossed.
Previously online broadcasters in the US paid an annual fee plus 12% of their profits. The new system, which comes into force on July 15th (but is retroactive to January 1st this year) applies a flat fee per song, per user, with an additional $500 charge per channel owned. The fees also increase annually throughout the life of the new royalty plan, which is scheduled to end in 2010.
Both public and commercial broadcasters in the US claim the changes represent a 300% increase in payments and could force cuts to existing services, affecting an estimated audience of 50 million people. National Public Radio, for example, maintains several channels; theoretically it could be charged thousands of dollars.
The members of the SaveNetRadio coalition, which includes big players like Yahoo and AOL as well as smaller webcasters, therefore took the decision to go silent for 24 hours to raise awareness of the campaign. They're pressing Congress to pass a bill which would set royalty rates for webcasters equal to those of satellite radio broadcasters.
Fingers crossed.
Friday, May 25, 2007
WOXY Modern Rock 500
My favourite online radio station is once again holding its annual rundown of the top 500 songs in modern rock (which is what the colonials term what we'd call indie and alternative) this weekend.
The rundown will be broadcast in three chunks over the Whitsun Holiday (or Memorial Day, as it is in the US) weekend, starting at 1500 BST on Saturday 26th May through till 0500 BST on Sunday 27th May. Part two will be streaming on the main WOXY feed from 1700 BST on Sunday 27th May through till 0500 BST on Monday 28th May, with the final part broadcast from 1500 BST on Monday 28th May through till they reach number 1 (and if staying up till five in the morning doesn't appeal then there's always Streamripper).
This is the 18th year of the Modern Rock 500 and, to be honest, there's been more than one time over the past couple of years when I didn't think it'd make it this far. Hopefully it can survive the US Copyright Royalty Board's recent decision to enforce royalty payments for US webcasters, fingers crossed.
A full listing of last year's 500 can be found here.
The rundown will be broadcast in three chunks over the Whitsun Holiday (or Memorial Day, as it is in the US) weekend, starting at 1500 BST on Saturday 26th May through till 0500 BST on Sunday 27th May. Part two will be streaming on the main WOXY feed from 1700 BST on Sunday 27th May through till 0500 BST on Monday 28th May, with the final part broadcast from 1500 BST on Monday 28th May through till they reach number 1 (and if staying up till five in the morning doesn't appeal then there's always Streamripper).
This is the 18th year of the Modern Rock 500 and, to be honest, there's been more than one time over the past couple of years when I didn't think it'd make it this far. Hopefully it can survive the US Copyright Royalty Board's recent decision to enforce royalty payments for US webcasters, fingers crossed.
A full listing of last year's 500 can be found here.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
WOXY RIP
Unfortunately, despite it being probably the best internet radio station across the whole wide web (IMHO), and having pulled off a quite remarkable Lazarus act last time it looked like buying the farm, it appears that time has finally run out for WOXY.
An announcement appeared on the famed radio station's website over the weekend; the business model has failed and there just isn't the money to keep the station 'on the air'. Little short of a miracle The Future of Rock'n'Roll will be (once again) silenced come September 15th. The message wraps up as follows..
Sometimes no matter how hard you try and how special the thing you do, it simply isn’t enough to beat the odds. It’s the cold reality of business that not even we could escape. When September 15th comes, we’ll meet it proudly with heads held high and celebrate the past two years of woxy.com and the spirit of 97X. For those lucky enough to have been part of it, The Future of Rock and Roll will forever be in our minds and hearts.
It's a damn shame. Thanks to WOXY I heard of some excellent bands that I'd not have encountered otherwise, bands such as Fruit Bats, Over The Rhine, Forget Cassettes and, most importantly, The Decemberists.
As its says on the website, this sucks..
An announcement appeared on the famed radio station's website over the weekend; the business model has failed and there just isn't the money to keep the station 'on the air'. Little short of a miracle The Future of Rock'n'Roll will be (once again) silenced come September 15th. The message wraps up as follows..
Sometimes no matter how hard you try and how special the thing you do, it simply isn’t enough to beat the odds. It’s the cold reality of business that not even we could escape. When September 15th comes, we’ll meet it proudly with heads held high and celebrate the past two years of woxy.com and the spirit of 97X. For those lucky enough to have been part of it, The Future of Rock and Roll will forever be in our minds and hearts.
It's a damn shame. Thanks to WOXY I heard of some excellent bands that I'd not have encountered otherwise, bands such as Fruit Bats, Over The Rhine, Forget Cassettes and, most importantly, The Decemberists.
As its says on the website, this sucks..
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