Saturday, October 12, 2013
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Quick Update and The Shark
Hey all!
It's been awhile since I last updated this blog. Ever since starting my full 9-5 gig, radio air time has been hard to come by.
Right now, I am doing only fill ins on WUSB radio. But I hope to get a regular show soon, somewhere down the line. An evening or weekend shift would be sublime.
But let's talk about my music choices. They have changed a bit since I started my on-air journey six years ago, in 2007. When I began, I played a lot of classic rock, metal and modern hard rock. Nowadays, I shifted to indie, experimental, and new wave. It's not a complete shift, I do love rock and some metal. Tastes change though...
One thing that's remained consistent is my weird love affair with '80s music. Something about the production style draws me in. I love its sound, cheesy as it is at times. My physical body in years puts me in the millennial generation but my soul is Generation X.
The way I listen to music is very unlike Generation X. I have converted Spotify! This blogger is no longer copyright infringer ;). I even pay the monthly fee! It's worth every penny. Streaming the vast majority of the world's music (that was recorded) with such ease is a great deal. It's helped tremendously during radio show's too, especially when a listener calls in with a request that you don't have.
Hmm..what else is there to comment on..
Oh! There is a new rock station on Long Island called 94.3 The Shark. It's a mix of modern and classic rock, known in the industry as "active rock". I have mixed feelings about the station's programming. If your going to say that you're not your "father's rock station", don't play a Led Zeppelin song right after the bumper. Same thing applies to the whole "we're not like those OTHER rock stations that play the same thing over and over".
As a former program director of a freeform radio, I can't comment on how to run a commercial rock station. But as a rock DJ and an avid rock radio listener, I think they need to focus their programming identity in a more alternative rock direction. Be the K-ROCK / WRXP - no need to play the classic rock tracks that WBAB and Q1043 are spinning. Give us a unique reason to listen to the station. More focus on modern and alternative rock is the way to go for The Shark.
And it wouldn't hurt to play some guitar-driven indie rock music that's doing well on the CMJ charts. It will keep the station ahead of the curve. Yes, I am aware the station's playlists are largely driven by "corporate", but using the CMJ charts can be a viable strategy.
ALRIGHT - I'm done for now. Hopefully I'll be back with a playlist soon.
It's been awhile since I last updated this blog. Ever since starting my full 9-5 gig, radio air time has been hard to come by.
Right now, I am doing only fill ins on WUSB radio. But I hope to get a regular show soon, somewhere down the line. An evening or weekend shift would be sublime.
But let's talk about my music choices. They have changed a bit since I started my on-air journey six years ago, in 2007. When I began, I played a lot of classic rock, metal and modern hard rock. Nowadays, I shifted to indie, experimental, and new wave. It's not a complete shift, I do love rock and some metal. Tastes change though...
One thing that's remained consistent is my weird love affair with '80s music. Something about the production style draws me in. I love its sound, cheesy as it is at times. My physical body in years puts me in the millennial generation but my soul is Generation X.
The way I listen to music is very unlike Generation X. I have converted Spotify! This blogger is no longer copyright infringer ;). I even pay the monthly fee! It's worth every penny. Streaming the vast majority of the world's music (that was recorded) with such ease is a great deal. It's helped tremendously during radio show's too, especially when a listener calls in with a request that you don't have.
Hmm..what else is there to comment on..
Oh! There is a new rock station on Long Island called 94.3 The Shark. It's a mix of modern and classic rock, known in the industry as "active rock". I have mixed feelings about the station's programming. If your going to say that you're not your "father's rock station", don't play a Led Zeppelin song right after the bumper. Same thing applies to the whole "we're not like those OTHER rock stations that play the same thing over and over".
As a former program director of a freeform radio, I can't comment on how to run a commercial rock station. But as a rock DJ and an avid rock radio listener, I think they need to focus their programming identity in a more alternative rock direction. Be the K-ROCK / WRXP - no need to play the classic rock tracks that WBAB and Q1043 are spinning. Give us a unique reason to listen to the station. More focus on modern and alternative rock is the way to go for The Shark.
And it wouldn't hurt to play some guitar-driven indie rock music that's doing well on the CMJ charts. It will keep the station ahead of the curve. Yes, I am aware the station's playlists are largely driven by "corporate", but using the CMJ charts can be a viable strategy.
ALRIGHT - I'm done for now. Hopefully I'll be back with a playlist soon.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Spotify Premium
So last week I took the plunge and decided to get a Spotify Premium account. I mostly wanted the high quality streaming and the ability to stream playlists and tracks on a mobile device (a free account only lets you use Spotify radio on the mobile app)
Upgrading was really easy. I input my payment information and my account was upgraded to Premium. No more ads inside the program or interrupting my music! And the quality of the streaming was great! Most of it is 320kp, which is almost CD quality. The music loads quickly and there haven't been any noticeable gaps in playback.
The Spotify app works great. I'm using it on the iPhone . I think they need to make it a little more user friendly and less playlist focused. But a big part of the mobile experience is offline syncing. Basically, you can make a playlist and have it stored on your phone for offline listening. So if you're taking the subway or if reception is spotty, you can still listen to your tunes. This is an awesome feature! I haven't used it too much yet because I do most of my listening on the desktop and in areas with WIFI & good 3G coverage. But I'm glad to have it!
Overall, I'm very happy with upgrading. It's 9.99 a month, which I think is a good deal for what you're getting: high quality streaming and mobile access to a vast catalog of music. Now if only Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and Pink Floyd would work something out with Spotify and get on there!
The Spotify app works great. I'm using it on the iPhone . I think they need to make it a little more user friendly and less playlist focused. But a big part of the mobile experience is offline syncing. Basically, you can make a playlist and have it stored on your phone for offline listening. So if you're taking the subway or if reception is spotty, you can still listen to your tunes. This is an awesome feature! I haven't used it too much yet because I do most of my listening on the desktop and in areas with WIFI & good 3G coverage. But I'm glad to have it!
Overall, I'm very happy with upgrading. It's 9.99 a month, which I think is a good deal for what you're getting: high quality streaming and mobile access to a vast catalog of music. Now if only Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and Pink Floyd would work something out with Spotify and get on there!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Global Rhythms Fill In: Aug 16 2012
This is the playlist to a fill in I did for the Global Rhythms show on WUSB, Stony Brook.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Classic Rock Radio on Spotify
I know most of my posts are about WUSB but I want to throw you a curve ball with this entry.
So if you're a loyal reader, you know that I have been using Spotify heavily over the last month or so. It's actually been open more times than iTunes. Which is strange to me because iTunes has been my dominant music player for a few years now (before iTunes, it was Winamp...and before Winamp it was...RealPlayer..).
But I'm really digging Spotify. The fact that you can stream almost any track your ears desire is too juicy to resist. So as I'm streaming music, I decide that I need to organize it all into a playlist. Not a very new concept, mind you, but on Spotify, your playlists are shared. They're public! Anyone can see and listen to them. And if they dig the playlist, they can subscribe to it.
Now on my 5th generation iPod (about two years removed from the iPhone), I had a playlist on their called CLASSIC ROCK. My goal for the playlist was to emulate the classic rock radio stations that play in the New York area (and pretty much the entire country...thank you Telecommunications Act of 1996...). When the playlist is on shuffle, it was nearly identical to the radio. It was scarily accurate!
So I did my best to recreate that playlist on Spotify. Here is the result of my work....please feel free to subscribe to it...and if you have suggestions of songs I'm missing...please leave a comment.
NOTE: I wanted to emulate the playlists of the radio stations. Which means this playlist can get repetitive. Since classic rock radio has about 50 songs in its rotation. Ok..maybe a little more than that..but not much.
Hope you dig it!... remember to listen in Shuffle!
So if you're a loyal reader, you know that I have been using Spotify heavily over the last month or so. It's actually been open more times than iTunes. Which is strange to me because iTunes has been my dominant music player for a few years now (before iTunes, it was Winamp...and before Winamp it was...RealPlayer..).
But I'm really digging Spotify. The fact that you can stream almost any track your ears desire is too juicy to resist. So as I'm streaming music, I decide that I need to organize it all into a playlist. Not a very new concept, mind you, but on Spotify, your playlists are shared. They're public! Anyone can see and listen to them. And if they dig the playlist, they can subscribe to it.
Now on my 5th generation iPod (about two years removed from the iPhone), I had a playlist on their called CLASSIC ROCK. My goal for the playlist was to emulate the classic rock radio stations that play in the New York area (and pretty much the entire country...thank you Telecommunications Act of 1996...). When the playlist is on shuffle, it was nearly identical to the radio. It was scarily accurate!
So I did my best to recreate that playlist on Spotify. Here is the result of my work....please feel free to subscribe to it...and if you have suggestions of songs I'm missing...please leave a comment.
NOTE: I wanted to emulate the playlists of the radio stations. Which means this playlist can get repetitive. Since classic rock radio has about 50 songs in its rotation. Ok..maybe a little more than that..but not much.
Hope you dig it!... remember to listen in Shuffle!
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Playlist 7/20: Spotify Edition
So I'm hooked on Spotify and I'm seriously debating whether or not I should get a premium account. It's such a convienient service and to have it on the smartphone is very enticing. And the ability to stream in 320kps is another attractive option - I'm a bit of a quality nerd. Though I'm not obsessive to the point where I need to fill my hard drive with FLAC files.
BUT I DIGRESS
Here is my playlist from my radio show on WUSB, the campus radio station of Stony Brook University. And this will be the first playlist I post with links to the tracks on Spotify (if available).
BUT I DIGRESS
Here is my playlist from my radio show on WUSB, the campus radio station of Stony Brook University. And this will be the first playlist I post with links to the tracks on Spotify (if available).
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Radio Playlist: 2/18/12
I haven't updated this blog in awhile. Blogs are so passe', especially ones hosted on Blogger. Everyone is talking about Tumblr and Pinterest. I'm still not on board the Pinterest train but I've never been a scrapbook person. Tumblr is pretty cool though. It's so easy to use and share content so great stuff spreads fast.
Anyway, this is a playlist from tonight's radio show on WUSB, Stony Brook. I've been doing radio for almost 5 years. Four of them with WUSB, one with WFTU, the radio station of Five Towns College. Looking back on old playlist, I can see the evolution in my music taste. Today, I play less metal/hard rock and more alternative and indie. Not that I don't like metal or hard rock anymore but I'm interested in checking out other genres.
One thing that's remained is my love for '80s! God, I can't get enough of the '80s sound.
Tonight's playlist: February 18 2012
Program: Ludwig Leopold Show.
Format: Artist - Album - Track
Said The Whale - New Brighton EP - New Brighton
Crystal Stilts - Radiant Door - Dark Eyes
Neal Hefti - Batman Theme & 11 Hefti Bat Songs - Batman Theme
Vampire Weekend - Contra - Cousins
Bob Marley & The Wailers - Legends - Get Up, Stand Up
Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit - White Collar Boy
Ben Kweller - Ben Kweller - Penny on the Train Track
The Who - Quadrophenia - The Real Me
GIBlythe - Lost in Space - Lost in Space
Bright Moments - Natives - Traveler
Fool's Gold - Fool's Gold - Nadine
Florence + The Machine - Ceremonials - Shake It Up
Passion Pit - Manners - Little Secrets
The Beatles - Red Album - All My Loving
Echo & The Bunnymen - Songs to Learn & Sing To - Silver
Black Keys - El Camino - Sister
White Stripes - White Blood Cells - Fell In Love With A Girl
Dr. Dog - Be The Void - Vampire
The Raconteurs - Consoler of the Lonely - Consoler of the Lonely
Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball - We Take Care of Our Own
Bruce Springsteen - Dancing In The Dark (single) - Dancing In the Dark [12 inch]
Dum Dum Girls - He Gets Me High - He Gets Me High
Nirvana - Nevermind - On A Plain
The Temper Trap - Conditions - Fader
Asteroid Galaxy Tour - Out of Frequency - Major
Wild Nothing - Nowhere - Nowhere
The Mamas & the Papas - Greatest Hits - California Earthquake
Broken Bells - Broken Bells - Trap Door
The Verve - Urban Hymns - Bittersweet Symphony (live)
Spacehog - Resident Alien - In The Meantime
Smashing Pumpkins - Gish - Tristessa
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