We manage all aspects of the site from computers all over the world; from Russia to the Philippines to Germany to the US to Costa Rica and back again.
If you're reading this, you're probably a jazz fan. If you're a jazz fan, you probably know how difficult it is these days to find jazz radio stations, but for those who don't, here's some sad news: Commercial and public jazz radio stations have been falling off the map due in part to the economy, but also lack of popularity. The swinging stations that remain might be forced to share their frequency with another format.
But here's some good news: Enter JAZZRADIO.com, where the slogan is, “Enjoy great jazz music." That's all. No DJs, no other formats, as few advertisements as possible-and it's free. Ad-free premium memberships are available for $5/month, but, bottom line, there's nothing holding you back from listening to great jazz for free.
JAZZRADIO.com launched in November 2009, but CEO and Founder Ari Shohat had had the idea for awhile. Having successfully founded and managed Digitally Imported, which specializes in electronic music, and SKY.FM Radio, a multi-genre internet radio site, he thought the web-based radio model might also work for jazz. So, JAZZRADIO.com made its maiden voyage starting with 20 channels and a small crew of volunteer channel managers and full-timers.
Even though you could probably fit the entire staff of JAZZRADIO.com in one room, you'd be hard-pressed to actually do it. We manage all aspects of the site from computers all over the world; from Russia to the Philippines to Germany to the US to Costa Rica and back again. Through the magic of remote servers, a handy FTP (File Transfer Program) and plenty of emails, the JAZZRADIO.com staff now manages 27-channels-and-growing and has communicated with over 250 artists and record labels who submit tracks for possible airplay (more on that later).
One of the perks of being an exclusively internet radio station is the flexibility. Terrestrial radio stations might have DJs at the station during odd hours of the night or during weekends because they need to keep the music playing. As an internet radio station with no live DJs and the help of the aforementioned technology, a majority of us work from our homes. No need for office commutes at strange hours if a channel needs maintenance.
Another perk is the fact that we don't have to share formats or even adhere strictly to jazz, despite our name. Sure, it's all-jazz-all-the-time, but if we want to launch a channel that isn't strictly jazz we can do that-and we have. Check out Paris Café.
There is one big con that we're reminded of daily, though: No matter what we do, there will always be great jazz musicians out there who will simply not make the cut. The truth is, 99% of the tracks that we get are good. There's nothing wrong with them, but we are picky-very, VERY picky. Only about 5% of what we hear ends up getting aired. It's never a commentary on the quality of the artists or musicianship, but we want to play the cream of the cream of the crop for our listeners and sometimes that means saying no.
Over the past year we've gotten some frequently asked questions. Here are the frequently answered answers:
I'm a jazz musician. What can I do to increase the chances that my tracks will be played?
One of the best things to do is to read and follow the instructions here. This will answer 90% of the questions you have regarding how to submit tracks, what format/bitrate, what to do if you don't hear from us, etc. And, again, keep in mind that much of what we review does not get aired due to our pickiness. This is not a reflection on you or your musicianship.
I listen to the channel and I keep hearing the same song all the time. What's with that?
Probably nothing is with that. You're just a diehard fan who listens a lot-thanks! Even though each channel is pretty well-stocked there's still a chance you could hear some repeats if you listen long enough. There are a couple solutions if you get tired of repetition:
Can I skip forward to the next song?
Nope. Like terrestrial radio, everyone is listening to the same thing at the same time.
Do you have an iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch/etc. app?
We do! Check them out at here.
Can you guys start a ____ jazz channel?
If you have channel suggestions for us, let us know through the “recommend" link in our player. We're always dreaming up new channels and we love the suggestions.
Well, there you have it. The five-cent history of JAZZRADIO.com. Any other questions, you know where we live: jazzradio.com. Sit back, relax, and Enjoy Great Jazz Music.
You can access all 27 channels from our page at All About Jazz.
But here's some good news: Enter JAZZRADIO.com, where the slogan is, “Enjoy great jazz music." That's all. No DJs, no other formats, as few advertisements as possible-and it's free. Ad-free premium memberships are available for $5/month, but, bottom line, there's nothing holding you back from listening to great jazz for free.
JAZZRADIO.com launched in November 2009, but CEO and Founder Ari Shohat had had the idea for awhile. Having successfully founded and managed Digitally Imported, which specializes in electronic music, and SKY.FM Radio, a multi-genre internet radio site, he thought the web-based radio model might also work for jazz. So, JAZZRADIO.com made its maiden voyage starting with 20 channels and a small crew of volunteer channel managers and full-timers.
Even though you could probably fit the entire staff of JAZZRADIO.com in one room, you'd be hard-pressed to actually do it. We manage all aspects of the site from computers all over the world; from Russia to the Philippines to Germany to the US to Costa Rica and back again. Through the magic of remote servers, a handy FTP (File Transfer Program) and plenty of emails, the JAZZRADIO.com staff now manages 27-channels-and-growing and has communicated with over 250 artists and record labels who submit tracks for possible airplay (more on that later).
One of the perks of being an exclusively internet radio station is the flexibility. Terrestrial radio stations might have DJs at the station during odd hours of the night or during weekends because they need to keep the music playing. As an internet radio station with no live DJs and the help of the aforementioned technology, a majority of us work from our homes. No need for office commutes at strange hours if a channel needs maintenance.
Another perk is the fact that we don't have to share formats or even adhere strictly to jazz, despite our name. Sure, it's all-jazz-all-the-time, but if we want to launch a channel that isn't strictly jazz we can do that-and we have. Check out Paris Café.
There is one big con that we're reminded of daily, though: No matter what we do, there will always be great jazz musicians out there who will simply not make the cut. The truth is, 99% of the tracks that we get are good. There's nothing wrong with them, but we are picky-very, VERY picky. Only about 5% of what we hear ends up getting aired. It's never a commentary on the quality of the artists or musicianship, but we want to play the cream of the cream of the crop for our listeners and sometimes that means saying no.
Over the past year we've gotten some frequently asked questions. Here are the frequently answered answers:
I'm a jazz musician. What can I do to increase the chances that my tracks will be played?
One of the best things to do is to read and follow the instructions here. This will answer 90% of the questions you have regarding how to submit tracks, what format/bitrate, what to do if you don't hear from us, etc. And, again, keep in mind that much of what we review does not get aired due to our pickiness. This is not a reflection on you or your musicianship.
I listen to the channel and I keep hearing the same song all the time. What's with that?
Probably nothing is with that. You're just a diehard fan who listens a lot-thanks! Even though each channel is pretty well-stocked there's still a chance you could hear some repeats if you listen long enough. There are a couple solutions if you get tired of repetition:
1) You could switch to another channel and check that out for awhile just to get some variety.
2) You could surf away from JAZZRADIO.com for a couple weeks and then come back and check it out. You might hear some old favorites again but you'll probably also run into some fresh tunes. Also, if you have any tracks or artists you want to hear, let us know! It's easier for us if we know exactly what the listeners want to hear. If you stream directly from our website, there is a “recommend" link in our player that will let you suggest artists you think we should hear for a particular channel. That's also the way you can see artist and song information. If you stream through another player like iTunes or Windows Media Player, it might not be displayed and you definitely won't have the “recommend" link.
Can I skip forward to the next song?
Nope. Like terrestrial radio, everyone is listening to the same thing at the same time.
Do you have an iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch/etc. app?
We do! Check them out at here.
Can you guys start a ____ jazz channel?
If you have channel suggestions for us, let us know through the “recommend" link in our player. We're always dreaming up new channels and we love the suggestions.
Well, there you have it. The five-cent history of JAZZRADIO.com. Any other questions, you know where we live: jazzradio.com. Sit back, relax, and Enjoy Great Jazz Music.
You can access all 27 channels from our page at All About Jazz.
