After seventeen years in the radio streaming business, Live365 has officially closed its doors, or perhaps more importantly, snipped its network wires and terminated all streaming radio broadcasts. What does this mean and why does it matter?
(note:click image to read the full letter)
Well, first off, I have been using Live365 for over a year now as an outlet for sharing an "Alloy" 24/7 all-music playlist that accompanied, and at times augmented, what I share week-to-week on my radio show. Like the proverbial "little engine that could" the virtual station grew to include an audience of daily listeners that, quite honestly, made me feel less alone, so to speak, and made me aware that there is very real global interest in the music that I like and enjoy sharing. That is/was and will forever be awesome! Now, keep in mind, it was all very modest, but considering it started, literally, at zero, and grew to over a hunderd listeners a month listening a total of 40 hours a month was nothing to sneeze at. Thank you, all of you who have enjoyed the channel whenever and wherever you accessed it. At present, I have not found a replacement option that I really feel good about transitioning to, but I am still looking and still considering. If you are/were a listener to the Live365 station and have a suggestion/recommendation please feel free to contact me directly. The virtual radio landscape is still fairly broad and there may be some options out there that I have missed so far. You might also be thinking, "how can you deal with the loss of something that was working, growing, and likely bringing in revenue; won't you miss the money it generated?" Uh, okay. If you are thinking that let me put that to question to rest, right now. I made zero, nada, nothing on the Live365 station. Zip. In fact, it cost more than it made by a very wide margin. So, financially (and logistically), it is more "profitable" to let it go and fade away. But that is not the whole story, nor what drives me doing all this radio/music "stuff." I really enjoy sharing music, and in the case of the Live365 station, I enjoyed knowing there was a community of Alloy listeners--faceless, nameless, sure--but out, there listening. That was worth the outlay and the deficit(s), so to speak. I will miss the virtual exchange, for now. So, this leads me to the next question...why does this matter?
I have been trying to digest Live365's ending in some greater context. To date, I do not have anything definitive or comprehensive to impart, except that it is clear that the radio/music broadcasting and sharing/listening universe is still very much in flux. New players and services are created, shuttered, gobbled up in mergers, or vanish quietly in the night. Having been a part of this world for only more than a year, I do not feel like I have the depth and breadth of knowledge or experience to put a solid stamp on this change across this ever-shifting landscape. It is definitely a time of change. It does not appear to be at the end of its cycle, yet. I know there are folks that both liked and disliked Live365—some will be sad to see it go, others will not give it a second thought. I do think, even on the smallest of scales, its departure does matter. I think, if nothing else, it signifies that the playing field, with copyright issues/fees still not fairly determined, and still largely unresolved across the board, that there will continue to be casualties and losers in the mix. My concern is that it will be harder and harder to "roll your own" broadcast, inexpensively, and that little by little the democratization of the web, for music at least, will be replaced by more opaque and overbearing (expensive) solutions. But, I should say more emphatically, BUT, that is not the overall situation, not yet at least. So, I am not deeply worried or concerned. There are still places for folks to share music, create radio stations, and be a part of the fantastic network—the wonderful fabric of the musical web. Perhaps, soon, I will find one that I like and can be a part of, again.
As soon as I have something new to share I will update the Alloy site so folks can learn of the new option(s). Until then, you can still listen anytime/anywhere to Alloy's podcast (episode 2 is in-process, it really is!!). You can listen online every Tuesday from 9am-11am to the live radio show. You can also subscribe to the weekly Alloy newsletter so you stay informed of any/all changes in the greater Alloy-sphere.
Lastly, and again, a final thank you to all the Alloy listeners, be it listeners of the radio show and/or the Live365 station. I so appreciate knowing there are folks that enjoy the music that I enjoy playing and sharing. Stay tuned and keep listening!