Home

Next page

 

The Straight Skinny

 

Something In The Air

Format evolution, not revolution or Thunderclap Newman

 

By Carol Archer

Chatter About Chill

How do you build an audience in a hurry on the Net? Apparently, the answer is to get listed in iTunes' radio directory. After Blake Lawrence's www.chilltrax.com appeared listed there under "Electronica" for the first time, his graph of listeners climbed dramatically. Chilltrax had been growing, but slowly; then it exploded. "I'm seeing triple the usual amount of listeners already, and people have only begun to discover it," he told us on the same morning that the iTunes listing first appeared. Merely days later, listenership had quadrupled.

      Bound to stimulate even more growth, an iPhone/iPod Touch app called "Danz Waves" will soon be available as a free download from the iTunes App Store (if it's not there already). The application will allow fans to listen to Chilltrax and sister channel Radio Danz anywhere.

 

AccuRadio's iPad App Coincides With Apple Product Launch

Popular multi-channel webcaster AccuRadio is now available in an application ("app") that is optimized for the groundbreaking new Apple iPad according to company founder Kurt Hanson. At the time of the AccuRadio app's debut in the iTunes App Store, AccuRadio was one of only three U.S. webcasters that had music-focused, iPad-optimized apps available in the store, the others being Pandora and CBS.

      Hundreds of thousands of consumers are expected to receive pre-ordered iPad devices beginning April 3. "AccuRadio is designed for mainstream adults who don’t have the time or patience to spend a lot of time building their own radio channels," Hanson explains. "Consumers using AccuRadio can launch a great-sounding channel of music with just a couple of clicks of a mouse – or, in the case of the iPad, taps of their finger -- and then have the option of personalization."

       The iPad version of AccuRadio includes the following features:  A pleasing "Now Playing" display designed by former Pentagram graphic designer Brian Crooks, and optimized for the large-screen iPad display;  album cover art for current and previous songs displayed in a distinctive "cover flow"-like format; pause functionality; skip functionality (unlimited);

one-click to display the artists featured on each channel; plus the option to "deselect" undesired artists.

      AccuRadio features over 480 personalize-able channels of music in  rock, pop, classical, jazz, country, Broadway, and more genres. The variety of music choices available on AccuRadio includes more than 10 channels of smooth, and heaps 'o straight ahead jazz.

 

Windy City's WLFM Loads Local Lineup

BA SJN affiliate WLFM(87.7FM)/Chicago adds further enhancements to its local programming. Longtime WNUA personalities handle two dayparts at the station: PD Rick O'Dell helms middays; Loni Taylor recently revived her evening shift.