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The Queen of Motown, the voice behind dozens upon dozens of classic hits fronting the Supremes, and an accomplished solo artist celebrates a birthday today. So let’s all raise a sonic toast to Diana Ross, by grabbing your iPod/MP3 player, hitting shuffle and sharing the first 10 tunes that come up.
Sometime on Monday, March 23rd WOXY’s front page splashed the sad news. “Due to current economic realities and the lack of ongoing funding for WOXY’s operations, we’ve been forced to suspend our live broadcasts as of March 23rd.” The initial shock was quickly tempered by remembering that WOXY has had its fair share of trouble over the last six years. Since 2004 the internet-only radio station has been sold three times, each sale followed by uncertainty and finally saved by private investors. WOXY, as a mid-sized media outlet struggling with the changing landscape of distribution, is just one of many companies constantly needing to reevaluate its model in order to sustain itself.
Founded in 1983 by Doug and Linda Balogh, 97.7FM benefited from a powerful signal (3,000 watts according to Programming Director Mike Taylor) and its proximity to college campuses in Cincinnati, Ohio. Around 1998, it began its slow journey into cyber space, streaming its programming as an experiment. Finally nearing retirement age, after years of refusing generous offers, Doug and Linda Balogh sold the broadcast license in 2004. The terms of the sale made sure to keep “97X,” the station’s vast musical library and its tagline “The Future of Rock ‘N Roll.” The mom and pop owners hinted at their hope of radio by keeping the brand and within a short time, WOXY was saved by an anonymous source, what business culture refers to as “angel investors.” The sale and new ownership prompted a move to Oxford, Ohio and with that, it became an internet only radio station with live DJ’s hand-picking the music and hosting the air shifts. Not only was this a radical move for an established institution, it was further cemented into the media history books by its success. With a considerably smaller budget than other, larger webcasts, 97X is considered on par with household names like KEXP and The Current. “KEXP and The Current have six times the budget that we do. We never had the equity, resources or access of stations like that but we are still equated with them,” says Taylor, who has been an employee of WOXY for 20 years.
Two years later in 2006, over objections from the staff, WOXY moved to a subscription based model, where listeners would pay in order to listen. This was an attempt to offset increasing budget deficits and operating costs, but the switch proved temporary. “The online audience was tremendous at first, and it peaked eight or nine months after the switch. Unfortunately, I saw a steady decline in listener numbers from then on,” says Taylor. He says the falling numbers only got worse, “Subscription drove away the majority of the listeners.” That happened in early 2006, by August the pay-to-stream idea had failed. Once again WOXY had to close its doors and its future was uncertain.
The late 2000’s not only saw the beginnings of an embrace of online media by historical outlets, but witnessed internet upstarts taking risks. Lala.com, a streaming music subscription service, itself just coming out of its invite-only beta testing, purchased WOXY in September 2006. It could have been seen as an early adopting strategy by an edgy company further moving the music industry in the right direction, however, the reality was not that great. “There was an attempt at starting a blog, but the efforts were not as strong as they should have been,” says Taylor. Meanwhile, the frontline DJ’s and programmers strove to integrate new media into their product, but their bosses were hesitant. “The problem was not the product, but the delivery. A solely online identity with live DJ’s – I don’t know if there’s an audience for that. Online listening to anything that is not Pandora, is skewed older, while cutting edge music skews younger. WOXY, which cuts that difference…there is a disconnect there.” Taylor, being a broadcast veteran continues, “There has to be a larger scope with additional content, a one-stop place, and DJ’s hand picking music for a stream, I’m not sure if there is an audience for that. “
Still, a brand with a loyal audience, strong name recognition and a deep library of music should be able to thrive. Joe Long, a DJ at WOXY for three and a half years, loves the idea of curating for his listeners and thinks WOXY’s live, subjective format takes a little longer to warm up to, but is rewarding. “With the growth of technology and blogs for example, music is readily available to the consumer and allows them many options. People can listen to almost anything they want, whenever and wherever they choose. Because of this, in order to stand, you have to gain peoples trust with your recommendations and with your voice. Once you do that, they will be back for more.” Ali McDonald, a club DJ and former WOXY listener, confirms that. “I listened to it during the day while I worked at my computer. The music was consistently good. At the time my other primary online music source was the WFMU stream but my interest in listening to WFMU would change depending on which show was on. I knew with WOXY, however, that I could listen at any time.” No longer able to listen at work, McDonald as found other ways to find new music. “These days, I learn about music primarily from blogs and recommendations from friends. I really like it when websites compile their new music into an embedded music player, like RCRD LBL and Pitchfork.” It’s this time gap, the amount of seconds it takes to click out of one window and on to the next to get to what you want, that all media is struggling to fight. It literally takes a couple of seconds, but that difference is what will make or break any new company. Currently, Pitchfork uses Lala.com as its embedded music player for all its album reviews.
The most recent purchase of WOXY by Future Sounds Inc, was intentional in its attempt at bringing a throw-back distribution model like live, human-curated radio to younger audiences. Lala.com, while saving 97X from evaporating, did not force any changes or help WOXY succeed. Link exchanges to purchase music heard on the station directly seemed to be the only tangible difference, and in early 2009, Future Sounds, Inc . purchased the company. However, this transaction was done with the intent on making huge relocation and repositioning changes. Based in Los Angeles, Future Sounds manages bands and promotes events. John Mascarenhas is currently in charge of handling business between FSI and WOXY. “Future Sounds is a media company whose prime focus is giving small and unsigned acts mass distribution. We had a radio show [on WOXY] that focused on those acts.” The established partnership and vision to expand WOXY’s audience made making changes an easy decision. “The goal was to move WOXY to a stronger market where they could have more access to touring artists, the ability to sponsor/present more shows, create more original content (lounge acts) that could then be syndicated across the web. Austin was a perfect fit because the local music scene is dominated by ‘indie’ music and you have two major festivals (SxSW and ACL) annually that bring great artists directly to our doorstep….not to mention a robust local music scene that does not get the coverage it deserves.”
A move from Ohio to Texas was ambitious, but Joe Long thinks it’s still a good idea. “When we moved to Austin the city really embraced us. We moved into a great space in a great location and had our sights set on taking everything up a notch. Nothing changed about what we did, except we had two more competent full timers to help make it happen. The intentions were excellent but in the end it was the lack of funding that held us back.”
Despite the setbacks of starting over three times and facing flash changes in the music industry, WOXY and radio still have their devoted followers. Zachary Hersche is 23 years old and made a mini-documentary about WOXY in 2007 (video embedded at the end of the article). “There is a whole lot to like about WOXY. The DJs love what they are doing and I have been turned onto band’s I have never heard before because WOXY played it. I think radio still matters to a lot of people. Radio stations are realizing they need to take advantage of technology and are finding new ways to advertise besides audio commercials. Radio, newspapers, magazines, and TV stations all do it. WOXY is different though. They do their job because they love it. They are playing the music they love, unlike corporate radio that only cares about money, not the music they play.”
The latest bout of dead air could be just another one of the company’s temporary closures. The staff I spoke to all allude to current negotiations being made and they all have a hopeful attitude. Mike Taylor, despite being exhausted by all the changes, wants to see something happen. “I would never count this place out. In my opinion, the structure of what we do needs to change. The brand is strong, admired and loved but can’t continue to exist the way we’ve been doing business. The recent owners had good ideas but didn’t have the plan or the resources to enact that plan.” In our conversation, Taylor inquires about CHIRP, and when I confirm we are all volunteers, he seems validated. “I wouldn’t do this without getting paid and my colleagues wouldn’t. I’m compensated for a well crafted, well done product, and it’s our owner’s responsibility to get it out there.” Macscarenhas from Future Sounds, Inc., confirms this, “WOXY will be back on the air soon…there are too many people that love the station whom are already working on our behalf to make that a reality.”
In the meantime, a cursory search on Twitter.com for #woxy finds many results, from people lamenting its current state to those promoting their own streaming broadcast. What you won’t see is a public that will settle for inconvenience. An all encompassing, one-stop place for music and information has yet to bubble to the top, but we are trying. When looking for music to spin, Ali McDonald, aka DJ Reaganomix, isn’t going to wait. “One of my favorite things about internet based radio stations as opposed to traditional radio stations that stream online is that DJs don’t talk as much, and so it’s less talk more rock.” If the audience won’t wait, then the eventual king of its distribution shouldn’t either. Here’s to counting the seconds.
WOXY DOC from Zachary Herche on Vimeo.
David Perez is a Mexican-American living, breathing and loving theatre life in Chicago. Since 2006, Perez, along with several friends and collaborators, have been growing their company, Pavement Group with the intention of doing something different. As Artistic Director, Perez has used alternative loft spaces and stages, tackled sex, friendship and punk music for larger and larger audiences. In fact, the exposure has been so good that for their 2008 presentation of Lipstick Traces at the AV-aerie, opening night was shut down by the police and the run had to be completed speakeasy-style, with large signs on the front door that read “CANCELLED” and a suspicious looking person directing you to go around the back. Such is life in Chicago when you are trailblazing punk-rock theatre for independent-minded folks, I suppose. I emailed David to ask him a few questions about their current production punkplay, his love of music and being different in a city full of thespians. punkplay is a Steppenwolf Visiting Company Initiative and runs through Sunday April 25, 2010 in the Garage Theatre. On Saturday, March 27th people who attend punkplay are invited to a post-curtain celebration in the theatre with cast members, complimentary food, beverages and CHIRP DJ Mike Gibson spinning his picks of the best in punk, post-punk and hardcore.
Tickets are available at steppenwolf.org or by calling the box office at (312) 335-1650. Read on for the interview…
Erik Roldan: What is punk about theatre?
David Perez: Theatre at its best forces an audience to reorganize themselves around their taste and humanity. Good theatre can enrage you, revolt you, and inspire you to participate in your humanity. A good piece of music unlocks a conversation with yourself, and I think theatre is the same. I get the same rush reading a great play as I did the first time I heard Pixies “Doolittle.” And then there is the assumed vow of poverty. Really, we are all broke.
ER: punkplay is Pavement Group’s 2nd play about punk rock. Why have you chosen to tackle this subject again?
DP: Well firstly – we wanted a play that was in direct (or indirect) conversation with Lipstick Traces – a companion piece of sorts. We are fascinated and curious about culture and how we augment it – replicate it – assign it in ways to activate our lives. I think “punk” and music in general serve as a great point of entry into our generation’s humanity. As a demographic raised by TV – especially MTV, music serves as a way to anchor ourselves in memory and identity. While Lipstick Traces argued punk as an impulse and a vehicle into finding some sort of genuine interaction with the world around us, punkplay argues the genre as an identity system – a tarnished relic of what used to be – a total negation of the purity of the movement. The play is almost anti-punk in the way it warns us about the frailty of trying to assign our selves identity with fashion. The play tells us to go out into the world and be the people who we are supposed to be. Very punk. While both plays use punk as a point of entry, Lipstick Traces explores the intellectual implications of the movement, punkplay ponders the deeply personal and emotional territory.
ER: What is Pavement Group doing in Chicago that is different from other theater companies?
DP: This is an awesome question…and one we ask ourselves a ton. We founded on the new plays platform, but the second prong of our mission, the one I feel that gives us our unique brand, is that we speak directly to a non-theatre audience. I mean, you are reading this interview on the CHIRP website – not exactly the main line theatre environment. Our audience is comprised of folks who see two plays a year – and they are Pavement Group plays. Our core demographic usually uses their spending power on live music etc. We are proud to be changing peoples minds about the form.
ER: You’re still a relatively young company, and yet you’ve already partnered with About Face Theater and Steppenwolf. Tell me about your experience so far in Chicago and what your plans are for the future.
DP: Well were really fucking lucky. Steppenwolf has given us a tremendous opportunity this year, and given the PG founders are former Steppenwolf apprentices, were pretty happy to see this dream come true. AFT under the brilliant leadership of Bonnie Metzgar has really taken on the mission to engage the theatre community in ferocious conversation with the XYZ Festival, which we were thrilled to be a part of.
We are also lucky enough to be part of the unofficial league of itinerant theatre companies. Our friendship/sharing of resources with Sinnerman Ensemble, Theater 7, and 13 Pocket have really given us hope and pride in this community.
We are proud to be a Chicago Theatre. Lets not mince words: Fuck New York. Chicago is where the energy is put into the work, not into the orbiting egos around the work. We are lucky enough to be part of a collective pool of energy that supports and encourages discourse, regardless if your haircut and lack of a trust fund.
The future … well … let just say stay tuned. We have some very exciting news we want to share, but can’t just yet.
ER: Tell me your last 7 music downloads/purchases. What is your current favorite jam and why?
DP: The rest:
As for a jam. Totally not new, but I can not stop listening to Band of Horses “The Great Salt Lake.” I am a sucker for some nostalgia-anthemic-lonely boy music. I also am a Seattle transplant, and was a huge fan of their previous incarnation (Carissa’s Wierd). Life is all about changes for me right now…so anything that is unearthing the past and moving boldly into the future has a place on my ipod.
I first read about Big Star in Village Voice music critic Robert Christgau’s first Consumer Guide collection. But reading about Big Star and finding their records was a tricky proposition in 1981. Then one day, I found a copy of Radio City in a cutout rack at Rose Records. It was a great introduction — I was fixated for months on “O My Soul”, which took so many familiar ’60s rock elements, but rearranged them in new and exciting ways. Eventually, I came to love the other songs on the album. And that was all I heard by them for years, since Big Star didn’t have anything in print. Even when Radio City and #1 Record came out in CD, it was import only. But eventually I had all the albums, which are so distinctive, and have become part of the power pop canon. Big Star ran the gamut, from the teenage ecstasy of “In The Street” to the tender defiance of “Thirteen” to the blissful longing of “September Gurls” to the desperation that permeates the Third/Sister Lovers project, this was pop music that had strong emotional resonance.
Alas, things weren’t so easy for main man Alex Chilton. A teenage star with The Box Tops, his preternaturally mature soulful voice keyed hits like “The Letter”. But the band was controlled by the record company and producers. And he never made much money from the Tops. He began to explore his own sound, captured on Chilton’s 1970 album, which eventually came out in the ’90s. Finally, with the talented Chris Bell, Andy Hummel and reliable drummer Jody Stephens, Big Star was born. The name wasn’t intended to be ironic (thought that’s how it turned out) — they took it from a local supermarket chain.
Signed to the local label Ardent (an affiliate of Stax), there was no promotional muscle for the band’s music, and perhaps they weren’t quite as mainstream as, for example, The Raspberries. So the records didn’t sell. This took it’s toll. It took years for the cult to expand, and Chilton and Big Star were championed by artists like R.E.M.s Peter Buck, Teenage Fanclub, The Posies, and, most famously, The Replacements, in the classic song, “Alex Chilton”. From these ripples, more and more bands have shown the influence of Big Star.
Chilton’s death just two days ago, at age 59, is such a shame. I wonder if he’d realize just how many people he touched, as illustrated by scads of Facebook updates and tweets in his honor.
I only saw Chilton once, when Big Star (featuring Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of the Posies, with Stephens on drums) played Metro. It was an amazing night, as I saw the great local band Frisbie for the first time, and they raised the roof. Fortunately, Big Star was up to the task of following that set. And I started following Frisbie, which led to friendships and contacts that are why I’m now at CHIRP. So Chilton’s music has touched me on many levels.
The first song played on CHIRP, just two months before Chilton’s death, was Big Star’s “Thank You Friends”. It was the perfect song to kick CHIRP off, and typical of Chilton’s ability to capture feelings, both lyrically and melodically. We’ll all miss him, but we’ll always have him around.
In Chilton’s honor, please grab your iPod/MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first 10 songs that come up.
As we head into spring, CHIRP Radio has been on the air for two months. We hope that you’re making the station a part of your life, tuning in to check out our wide-ranging mix of music, new and old, and our true commitment to the amazing, creative work being done right here in Chicago.
In fact, we know many of you are tuning in on a regular basis, because we’ve already seen listener numbers that are more than three times our pre-launch projections! We couldn’t be more pleased that our audience is bigger than we predicted, and growing every day. We appreciate your help in spreading the word, posting about CHIRP Radio on Facebook, Twitter, and via good old-fashioned email. However, when you’re a web-based station, that growing audience does have a cost — a very literal one.
CHIRP Radio pays per listener per hour for every person who tunes into the station. That means, with an audience three times the size we anticipated, our streaming fees are also three times the size of our estimates.
That’s why we’re inviting you to become a Year One member of CHIRP Radio today. You can join with a one-time gift, or you can become a sustaining member with a monthly contribution of as little as $5. And to show our appreciation, we have an array of limited-edition thank you gifts that will only be available until April 11th.
Just click here to join. Your support of CHIRP Radio is essential to keeping the station strong. We’re so happy you’ve found us; now we’re asking that you help us grow and strengthen the service by becoming a Year One member. We’ll always remember that you were here with us from the beginning!