The World Wide Web Music Revolution

By Author: C.T. Homer
Total Articles: 1
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Tucked away in a suburb of Chicago sits a small recording studio, nothing fancy, 3 microphones, a divided booth, and the other standard equipment you would expect to see in a studio. There was of course one difference; this studio was built to change the world.
Early in the summer of 2007 WestSideWill radio premiered on www.westsidewill.com with their Top 10 Unsigned Artist Countdown. The Top 10 features all genres of music, from all over the world. The first show even featured artists from Belgium and Romania.
Yeah it was a shock that from day 1 we were world wide. My biggest fear was having most of our listeners have no idea what we were saying recalls D'Michael The Nooge Noogeman. A fear that would be unfounded less than 6 months later with WestSideWill Radio being one of the fastest growing radio shows on the net. Now working with over 700 bands WestSideWill radio has more than their fair share of songs to choose from. What made WestSideWill Radio different is what put them on the map. A lack of fear.
We didn't care what we said. We threw a parental advisory stamp on the show and went on. We didn't ...
... cuss just to cuss, but if you had something slip out of your mouth it was OK. We just were told to act natural and that is what we did. The Nooge recalled.
The we Nooge refers to is the DJ line up that hosts the top 10 unsigned artist countdown. A show that features the Nooge's sidekick, Joey Champagne, a hard nosed no nonsense co host who is the ying to the Nooge's yang. All parties agree that Joey is not afraid to call you out. Which is something that most artists feel is refreshing.
There was a fear, I think, that perhaps being honest wasn't the best move. You hear all of these DJ's and television hosts being so nice to everyone on their show, we worried if we would stick. Nooge says.
Fear or not, the show was getting popular. An amazing feat if you hear the Nooge tell it. No way could an internet radio show enjoy the number of listeners they had in such a short period of time after so many other shows and stations have failed. What was the difference?
Early on in the process the heads of WestSideWill radio brought in an internet wizard and show producer by the name of Matt D. As they explained, the show needed a leader. You could lead Nooge to the studio, but he could go on for hours, if you gave him structure he would succeed they explained. And Matt D. was chosen from a multitude of candidates, he had the youth, experience and love for the project that the other candidates just couldn't have.
In the online radio game it was rare to find a young group of DJ's and an internet wizard/producer who had the knowledge, skill, and dedication these three had. It was an amazing thing to hear and we knew we had something special. Said the CEO of WestSideWill Media, WestSideWill Radio's parent company.
Before WestSideWill Radio came along online radio was one of two things, an automated machine that played either the popular songs of the day, just like your average FM radio show, or an effort by an inexperienced or under dedicated DJ who gave their best to make a radio show, but it just didn't sound right. Something was always missing, something about internet radio never sounded right. It was almost as if every radio show needed something.
We had a contest. Well I wouldn't even say contest, we presented a few selected people with the opportunity to be our intern. These were just people Matt D., some other WestSideWill employees, or I had known wanted to have a chance in radio. And what it boiled down to was just one person who really wanted the job. And if he wanted it that bad, I said ‘heck let's give him a shot'. Explained the Nooge
Dave the Intern, an intern by trade, but much more than that to the show was the perfect third piece to this puzzle. Early on it seemed as if the Nooge and his first broadcasting partner were almost too alike. No edge, nothing for anyone to be able to distinguish the difference between the early Boomer and the Nooge programming.
It was a shame. We really liked Boomer, but we knew something had to change. If Boomer and the Nooge were going to survive as a radio team they needed a third party, a comic foil if you will. They went out, found Dave and brought him in. Allowed him to write his own little segment and just talk about whatever he felt like talking about, it was amazing. Dave brought a dimension to the show we weren't sure it had before. Stated Matt D.
A new dimension in broadcasting was finally completed. Or was it? As stated earlier the current lineup includes, The Nooge, Joey Champagne, and Dave the Intern, not the Boomer. So what happened?
Nothing. Nothing happened; it was more a conflict of schedule than a conflict of interests. We loved having him around, loved everything he brought to the show and company, we just couldn't get it worked out where he could have all the things he wanted, and we could have all the things we wanted. So we agreed on an amicable split. Remembers the Nooge
The World Wide Internet station for WestSideWill Radio (www.westsidewill.com) was finally completed. Joey Champagne would replace Boomer in the lineup and add even more edge to the show than ever before. Now that the show was complete there was even more on their minds, bringing unsigned music up to the level of signed and major label bands.
You know it's a shame (all these indie labels are signing bands), indie labels are no better than the majors, and they can't provide the artists with what the major labels can. They are all out to make a buck. We decided we were going to make it possible for unsigned artists to get their music heard to the same audience as the major label artists could. And lucky for us technology is starting to turn in our favor. Said Matt D.
What is this technology shift that is helping out an internet station that is structured like WestSideWill Radio (www.westsidewill.com)? Phones with full internet browsers, not just mobile browsers, allow users to take the radio with them. Instead of having to listen to commercials and other radio stations anyone with a phone that allows it can log on to www.westsidewill.com and start listening.
It's a simple process. No downloads, no memberships, nothing. You just log on to www.westsidewill.com/radio or www.westsidewill.com/artistshowcase plug in your headphones and start enjoying the show. You can hear the top 10 countdown anytime, or you can hear the unsigned artist showcase any time during the day it airs. We lucked out with technology. Said Matt D.
Where does that leave the major labels? There was a time before the internet was so popular or lightning quick that an artist needed a label to make it in the world. Now it seems as if more and more artists are starting to succeed without any label support at all. While the group of artists who are out on their own and making a very nice living is still small, the number is growing. With tools out there for the unsigned artist like MySpace(www.myspace.com) , Facebook (www.thefacebook.com) and WestSideWill Radio (www.westsidewill.com) among others it may very well be a lucky time to be an unsigned musician.
Luck or planning, it doesn't matter. WestSideWill Radio (www.westsidewill.com) was lucky/smart enough to have their radio show on the market and ready for anyone to hear. A music revolution is beginning and thanks to stations like WestSideWill Radio (www.westsidewill.com) the major labels may be left out in the cold.