The Best Vinyl is back!

We hope you enjoyed 2016 Vinyl Christmas. We are back to playing the most eclectic mix of music on the internet, 24/7!

Just in Time for Christmas...

For the last couple of days, I've been able to add some great Christmas albums to our growing archives. Here are the latest additions:

 

From the Archives: The Star Wars Christmas Album

Originally Published in December, 2015

In 1978, the Star Wars Holiday Special premiered on CBS. The show was a very weird variety-type program, the style of which was wildly popular in the 70s. This show featured a storyline involving Chewbacca returning to his home planet to celebrate "Life Day." The special includes the entire cast of Star Wars, including the first ever introduction of Boba Fett. It also features a music video by Jefferson Starship and ends with Carrie Fisher singing the theme to Star Wars.  The special was broadcast once. Only once. And was never released on any form of home media due to the negative reaction the special received.

Two years later, RSO Records, in conjunction with LucasFilm, released Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album. That's right: in spite of all the negativity surrounding the Star Wars Holiday Special, they did it again.

The album was conceived by Meco Menardo, who famously made a Star Wars disco album in 1977 entitled Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk. Appearing on the album is Anthony Daniels as C3-PO, who narrates and even sings most of the songs.  The Christmas songs are all Star Wars related, including the awesomely weird, "What Can You Get A Wookie For Christmas (When He Already Has a Comb)?"



The album opens with a great song called "Christmas in the Stars," with C3-PO lamenting the fact that Christmas always comes so early ever year and he is never ready, even though he tells R2-D2, "Yes, I have a list!"


The album also features a young Jon Bon Jovi, in his first professional recording. Back then he was simply known as "John Bongiovi."  He sings "R2-D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas" with the Bridgewater Raritan High School West Advanced Choir:


Star Wars was released 38 years ago and has always been a prominent part of our pop culture, as is evidenced by the hype surrounding the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  Today, the marketing surrounding the film is much more deliberate, managed and audience tested. The wonderful thing about Christmas in the Stars is that something like this would never have been released today. That alone makes this album truly special.  (For a truly interesting take on the making of the album, the Canadian Broadcasting Company did an oral history of the album last year. Listen here.)

Give the album a listen and revel in the kitsch and miscues.  It's okay to laugh and shake your head in disbelief. This is a relic from another time----a time when borderline racist jokes are okay on a Christmas album, such as when C3-PO chides R2-D2 for not knowing what "Japanese" is.  R2-D2 apparently does not know what indigestion is, either. Or Einstein, for that matter.  Give "Bells, Bells, Bells" a listen and be amazed.

*R2-D2 speak*

C3-PO: What is that? That my silly friend, is the sound of bells.

*R2-D2 speak*

C3-PO: What are bells?
I cannot believe the question

It’s like, “what is indigestion?”

Not that bells and indigestion are the same.

I cannot believe the query

That you ask, “what is Einstein’s theory?”

Compared to “what are bells?” seems almost tame.

*R2-D2 speak*

C3-PO:  What is indigestion? Who is Einstein?

Before you ask me, “Who is H.G. Wells?”

 I will help your education with a simple explanation of bells.

You can listen to the entire album below.  This year Christmas in the Stars will be featured on our annual Vinyl Christmas, now playing on Vinyl Voyage Radio through December 27.  

Merry Christmas!

Vinyl Christmas is Here!

From December 20 through December 27, enjoy the most retro Christmas music available. All played on glorious vinyl.

Just as you remember it.

Merry Christmas, from Vinyl Voyage Radio.

Vinyl Christmas, 2016

Vinyl Christmas is coming! 168 hours of the best retro Christmas Music....All on Vinyl. Just as you remember it!

The Vinyl Christmas is Here!

Starting on December 20, Vinyl Voyage Radio is pulling out the greatest Christmas music from its archives. This is music that you may have grown up on: Arthur Fiedler, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra and many, many more.

This is the fourth year for the Vinyl Christmas. Each year we have added more Christmas albums to the mix.

This year we have added albums from Perry Como, Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass and Sandler and Young.

If you are tired of the monotony of the Christmas selection on terrestrial radio, give us a listen. Vinyl Voyage Radio is the perfect accompaniment to your 2016 holiday season.


The Vinyl Christmas will run from December 20 until December 27.

This December: Radioactive on AiV

This month we are going back to 1982 for the classic K-tel album Radioactive.  This album features the Police, Pat Benatar, REO Speedwagon and many more.

Listen every weekend or on demand at Mixcloud.

Saturday: 12:30 pm (Central)
Sunday: 4 pm (Central)
Wednesday: 2 am (Central

Thanksgiving Broadcast in Support of Standing Rock and #NoDAPL

Today, Vinyl Voyage Radio stands in solidarity with our First Nation brothers and sisters. It's cold in North Dakota and they are planning to stay for as long as it takes. Give your support as they fight to protect their land, their water and their way of life. They are our "Water Protectors." What they do there affects each and every one of us. Remember them as you sit down to your Thanksgiving meal. And give a little.

You can donate directly below to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe or head over to their site to make a donation. All money goes to the effort to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline.

You can also make a donation to Oceti Sakowin, the main camp of the water protectors.

Your Primer for #NoDAPL

As you get ready to sit down to your Thanksgiving meal with family and friends, here are some videos that will help you understand what our First Nation brothers and sisters are doing in North Dakota for #NoDAPL.

Special Thanksgiving Day Broadcast

Beginning at noon, Central time, Vinyl Voyage Radio will begin a special Thanksgiving Day
broadcast in solidarity with our First Nation brothers and sisters in North Dakota taking a stand against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

We will play an eclectic mix of music, perfect for a Thanksgiving dinner party. Music that spans the last forty years or so.

We will also play songs by Native American artists as well.  Some of the artists you will hear throughout the course of the 12 hour broadcast:

Annie Humphrey
Rona Yellow Robe
Bill Miller
Blackkiss
Gareth Laffely
Jim Boyd
Robbie Robertson
Joanne Shenandoah
Kelly Derrickson
Keith Secola
Tabitha Fair
Twin Flames
Ulali
Randy Granger

We will also have opportunities to help out those in North Dakota by making donations to the Standing Rock Sioux Nation as well.

Check back throughout the day for more information.

Join Us for a Special Thanksgiving Day Broadcast

The first Thanksgiving was 395 years ago and represents a wonderful moment when cultures came together in solidarity and peace; a vision of what America could be. Right now, our First Nation brothers and sisters, representing over 250 distinct nations, are making a standing in North Dakota against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

This pipeline not only threatens sacred sites around the Standing Rock Sioux Nation, it also threatens the water that supplies the reservation.

On Thanksgiving Day, Vinyl Voyage will be playing the best dinner music from our archives  while also honoring those who are braving the freezing weather in North Dakota. We will play some Native music along with the calls for action. Hear Native men and women talk about their struggle against the pipeline.

And make a donation.

It's the least we can do on this Thanksgiving 2016.

This special broadcast will begin at 12 noon, Central time.

This Month on AiV: "Souled Out" (1975)

This month, we are taking a time trip back to 1975 for Souled Out, a K-Tel compilation of Funk and Soul classics from 1975.

The album features Bill Withers, Kool & the Gang, Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Hues Corporation and many more. Like its counterparts, Super Bad and Super Bad is Back, this album is more of a concept album capitalizing on the early 70s trend in blaxploitation films. Although, by the time of its release, blaxploitation was losing favor in 1975.

Here is the television commercial for Souled Out:



This album was new when I purchased it on Ebay. On this episode, we will play it for the first time.

Included with the album was a bonus: a K-Tel catalog from 1975. This is a treasure from the glory days of K-tel. Here is a .pdf version. Read it. Download if if you like. Enjoy.




Adventures in Vinyl can be heard at the following times (Central):

Saturday, 12:30 pm
Sunday, 4:00 pm
Wednesday 2:30 am

Or listen to it at any time at Mixcloud.

Tune in to the Vinyl Brunch, every weekend morning

Some changes coming for Vinyl Voyage

We have been streaming on Radionomy for the last 9 months. However, we haven't been able to reach the threshold that Radionomy has for listeners and, as a result, we will soon be deleted from their servers.

But that's okay. We are transitioning to a new service, Sonixcast, which is out of Canada. Now, we will be able to be listed in Tunein again and many other sites.  So keep looking for all of the new opportunities to stream Vinyl Voyage Radio.

Oh, and one last thing: we will once again be commercial free!

New Additions to the Vinyl Voyage Library, October 2016

I've been out of commission for a few weeks. So, while trying to catch up with work this weekend, I also loaded several vinyl albums into the Vinyl Voyage library.

Here are the new additions, for the first week of October 2016.  How's this for eclectic?

It's Manic Monday on Vinyl Voyage!

It's another Monday here at Vinyl Voyage Radio---a Manic Monday!  All 80s music, all day long. Played on glorious vinyl.

Be excellent to each other!

This Month on AiV--K-Tel's Neon Nights: Rock's Danceable Side

This month on Adventures in Vinyl, we will be spinning back to 1982 for Neon Nights: Rock's Danceable Side.  This album features some popular songs from 1981-1982, plus some pretty obscure tunes as well.

The Human League, Rick James, Prince and Hall and Oates are all highlighted on this album. So are Shalamar (before the "Dancing in the Sheets" fame) and Atlantic Starr, too, befoe they became famous for "Always."

War is also on this album and sounding very different from their "Cisco Kid" and "Why Can't We Be Friends" days.

And Dazz Band, Junior and Cheri you may hear for the very first time.

There was a commercial for this album and it looked something like this:



You can hear this episode through the month of October at 12:30 pm Saturday, 4pm Sunday and 2 am on Wednesday morning. All times central.

You can also listen to this episode on demand at Mixcloud.

Bonus album--K-tel's "20 Hits of the 60s" on AiV

Last month, we spun K-Tel's 20 Electrifying Hits from 1972. Included with that album was a bonus album called 20 Hits of the 60s.

And that is what is on the platter for this episode of Adventures in Vinyl.


This album contains songs from Tommy James, Lovin' Spoonful, The Turtles and many more.

You can hear this current episode at the following times (all central):

Saturday 12:30 pm
Sunday 4:00 pm
Wednesday 2:00 am

Or, you can listen at anytime via Mixcloud.

Vinyl Voyage App!

Want the best vinyl music on the go? Now you can listen to Vinyl Voyage Radio anytime, anyplace.

Available for Apple devices, Android and Blackberry.

K-Tel Countdown!

Today, at 12 noon begins the Independence Day K-Tel marathon. 10 Classic K-tel albums from the 70s played in a row!

K-Tel Independence Day Marathon--2016

What better way to celebrate Independence Day than with some classic K-Tel albums from the 70s?

Join us starting at 12 pm (central) for a marathon of 10 classic K-Tel albums played in a row.

Only on Vinyl Voyage Radio.

Here are the albums we will play:

1. Starflight, 1979
2. Blockbuster, 1976
3. 22 Explosive hits, 1972
4. Superbad, 1973
5. Dynamite, 1974
6. Star Power, 1978
7. Music Express, 1975
8. Disco Mania, 1975
9. Music Machine, 1977
10. Power House, 1976

Going back to 1972 for "20 Electrifying Hits" on AiV

Okay, I am little behind in getting new episodes of AiV on the air. But today is the day! Episode 38 features the great K-Tel compilation from 1972 entitled, 20 Electrifying Hits.

This album features some great tracks from BJ Thomas, James Brown, Beverly Bremers, Honey Cone, Sly and the Family Stone and many, many more. A great collection of early 70s hits.

The album also contained a bonus album: 20 Hits of the 60s. We'll be spinning that album next month on Adventures in Vinyl.




New episodes of Adventures in Vinyl can be heard on Vinyl Voyage Radio at the following times (central):

Saturday 12:30 pm
Sunday 4:00 pm
Wednesday 2:00 am

You can also listen tot his episode and all past episodes of Adventures in Vinyl on demand via Mixcloud.

K-Tel's "Together" Next on AiV

This month on Adventures in Vinyl, we will be taking a trip back to 1979 for K-Tel Records' Together. This collection of soft rock hits features Firefall, Ambrosia, Melissa Manchester, Heatwave and many more!

Plus, as always, we'll go through the major events of the year and list the top 10 songs of 1979.  Movie clip Madness features a great movie from 1979 about a horse.

Here is the commercial for the album which was played on television back in 1979:


The new episode Adventures in Vinyl can be heard on at the following times (central):

Saturday 1:00 pm
Sunday 4:00 pm
Wednesday 2:00 am

Retro Repeat episodes can be heard at 1:30 pm on Tuesdays and 10:00 am on Thursdays.

Don't forget, you can always listen to every episode on MixCloud.

HERC's K-Tel Albums and the K-Tel Scale

A K-Tel aficionado who goes by the name of HERC runs a site called K-Tel Kollection 1973-1983. On this site he evaluates K-Tel albums based on his proprietary "K-Tel Scale." This scale is pretty cool and it produces a score that measures how good a K-Tel album was. The scale is based on numerous charts and each song is evaluated based on its chart placement and the formula then kicks out a number. The higher the number, the better the K-Tel album.

I've been reading his site for awhile now. It is truly fascinating and it is very apparent that HERC knows his K-Tel.

I recently mentioned his site in a post about the K-Tel album, Horizons.

Back in January, I posited the question: If you could put together the best of K-Tel in one limited edition collector's vinyl, what would you include?

My choice would be an album I called Time Machine. This album features 14 of my favorite songs from previous K-Tel albums.  I even designed a cover:

A couple of weeks ago, HERC decided to run my K-Tel album through his K-Tel scale in a post entitled, "Another Long Lost K-Tel Album?" The result:  31.21. Not a bad score, actually. Are you listening, K-Tel?

Not only that, HERC put this album of mine up on Spotify. Now you can actually listen to my dream K-Tel album.  Thanks, HERC!

Don't forget to jump on over to HERC's site. You will not be disappointed.

Exclusive Vinyl Voyage Apps are here! Take Vinyl Voyage on the Go!

You may not be able to carry your record player with you, but now you can take Vinyl Voyage wherever you go!

We are pleased to announce that Vinyl Voyage has a new app for your smartphone. Now you can listen in the car, on a walk, at the gym--wherever life takes you.

Go to your favorite app store and download now!  These apps are completely free.

Is Radionomy Next?

Since Live365 closed its doors, we switched over to Radionomy, which offers streaming services and
pays royalties much the same way that Live365 operated. Located in Belgium, this service seemed to be what we needed here at Vinyl Voyage, as paying for royalties ourselves would be too cost prohibitive.

For the last 23 days, we have been doing quite well, actually. We've had listeners all over the world and have boosted our average daily listening hours to just around 100--something we never achieved with Live365. Not bad for three weeks. Commercials, inserted by Radionomy, have been regularly playing twice every hour. Things seemed good.

Too good, it appears.

Today, all of the Radionomy servers went down worldwide. Technical problems or something more?

It just so happens that Radionomy was sued today by Sony Music and other labels for copyright infringement. According to the lawsuit, Radionomy has not been paying the necessary royalties.

No word from Radionomy, however. So all of us who stream via the Radionomy service--and there are upwards of 50,000 stations all over the world using Radionomy--now do not have a platform.

How long this will go on, we are not sure.  But, after going through everything with Live365, I am not too optimistic.

If Radionomy has not been paying royalties as promised, that is a problem. But, on the other hand, getting rid of small radio stations run by hobbyists like myself has been a goal of record labels for the past few years.

And in the end, everybody loses.

The Afternoon Croon, Episode 2

Frank Sinatra unwittingly started a trend in 1993 when he released his groundbreaking Duets album. This album featured Sinatra singing his classics with modern artists. With the popularity of that album, Sinatra released Duets II a year later.

Since then, many artists have copied that format. Tony Bennett has released two duets albums as well, plus albums of other collaborations including an awesome album with Lady Gaga entitled, Cheek to Cheek.

This episode of The Afternoon Croon features nothing but duets. Selected tracks from Frank Sinatra's Duets album, plus tracks from Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Barbra Streisand and many more.

You can listen to this episode via Mixcloud.

The Afternoon Croon, February 21, 2016

The first episode of The Afternoon Croon is in bag. An hour devoted to Frank Sinatra and friends is never an hour wasted. Along with Ol' Blue Eyes, we featured Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Vic Damone, Harry Connick, Jr., and Michael Bublé. Plus, a couple of Sinatra's duets featuring Liza Minnelli and Anita Baker.

Join us every Sunday at 1 pm for the best from the American Songbook.

If you missed this episode, you can stream it below via Mixcloud.

"Horizons" Next on AiV

This month we are featuring the 1981 K-Tel compilation Horizons on Adventures in Vinyl. This album comes to us from a suggestion by AiV listener, Jermaine Mack, from New Jersey. Jermaine often posts suggestions to our Facebook page.  Thanks for the suggestion, Jermaine!

Horizons was released in 1981 and is a collection of soft rock hits released in 1981. A K-Tel collector known as Herc has a website devoted to rating K-Tel albums. His website is K-Tel Kollection 1973-1983 and features a very unique "K-Tel" scale to rate albums. The scale measure the popularity of songs on the album by examining the placement on various charts for each song. A number then is calculated; the higher the number, the more hits on the album.

Horizons has a score of 23.18. Although the highest possible score is a 43, Horizons is worth a listen. Check out his website. If you love K-Tel, you'll love this.

This album does contain some great soft rock hits from Melissa Manchester, Robbie Dupree, Air Supply and many, many more.

This episode of Adventures in Vinyl can be heard every weekend during the month of February at 12:30 Saturday and 4 pm on Sunday--all times Central.

Or, you can listen anytime you want via Mixcloud.

Vinyl Voyage Radio is now on Roku!

Do you own a Roku? Now you can stream Vinyl Voyage Radio through your TV with the official Vinyl Voyage Roku channel!

Listen to Vinyl Voyage through your TV and sound system!

Click here to add the Vinyl Voyage Channel now.

Happy listening.

Save Internet Radio

As I posted the other day, the Copyright Royalties Board stuck a knife in small, microcaster radio stations by removing the special royalty rates granted to non-commercial webcasters.   In the last two weeks, thousands of radio stations have gone silent. One of the largest providers for stations like mine, Live365, was forced to shut down as a result of this decision. But it doesn't have to be this way.

Please help internet radio by signing some petitions and visiting Save Internet Radio.net.

This petition, in particular, is important: SaveNet Radio Petition

Here's the thing: FM and AM radio stations are exempt from paying most of the royalties that internet broadcasters must pay. Spotify and Pandora have to pay the higher rate, but they can absorb the cost due to their huge operations and the millions they make in advertising. Frankly, they like the fact that small broadcasters who were once rivals and competitors are now shutting down their streams. It is a win for them, in the end.

It is not that I am opposed to paying royalties. I am not. Artists should be compensated. But there should be a sliding scale in regard to the size of an operation and the amount of listeners, don't you think?

Right now, Vinyl Voyage is still on the air. We are moving everything over to Radionomy. That means that we will now have to broadcast commercials. But, we will do what we have to do until things change.

So, take a moment and sign that petition. Let others know of what is happening.

The Death of Independent Internet Radio

Internet radio is dying.

Independent, non-commercial broadcasters like myself are now becoming a rare choice for listening to music. After the Copyright Royalty Board's decision to end rates that were specifically designed for small stations like Vinyl Voyage Radio, stations all over the country began shutting off their streams. Live365, a service that relied on those rates and provided a means for thousands of broadcasters to pay royalties to SoundExchange, ASCAP, BMI and SOCAN, had to close its doors after operating for almost 20 years.  Even iTunes Radio has shut down as well.

And the big players like Spotify and Pandora welcomed this decision as they saw a means to lessen competition. The result: less diversity, less choice. This is a loss not just for independent radio stations, but for consumers as well.

I started Vinyl Voyage Radio because I love music. I love listening to music on records. What I sought to do was build an eclectic playlist offering everything from the Beatles to barry Manilow. Anything that I could find on vinyl, I would stream. 

We have a small operation here. But I do have listeners from all over the world.  And I would like to continuing offering this music to those who like to listen

In the coming days, I will be starting a Indie Go Go campaign to keep Vinyl Voyage Radio on the air. I also plan on building the station beyond the limits of Live365.  Although I always liked having the music commercial free, I will soon be selling limited numbers of ads to sponsors.

What can you do now? Add your voice to the growing number of people who want to keep variety in radio. The Copyright Royalty Board can still add the small broadcaster rates. Radiodiversity.org is gathering these voices to help make a change.  Add your name below and join the fight.

Thank you.

Frank Sinatra and the "Afternoon Croon"

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Frank Sinatra. As a teacher, I put Frank Sinatra extra credit questions on every test, reward kids with Frank Sinatra extra credit tokens and often play Sinatra for the kids as they work in class. When I first started teaching, I gained a little notoriety when I created the Frank Sinatra Detention Club. When kids got a detention, they came in after school and I played 30 minutes of Frank Sinatra music for them. And, I sometimes sang as well.

It was a slow newsday back in September, 1992.

For a few days, the story was all over; first on the front page of the Chicago Sun-Times and then on the front page of USA Today. Then came the calls and the shows: local radio, Good Morning America and even a joke by Jay Leno on the Tonight Show. 

It was crazy. People thought my "punishment" was funny. I, however, never saw it as a punishment. I saw it as a means of introducing students to the great Frank Sinatra.

Here we are 24 years later and Sinatra makes an appearance once in a while on Vinyl Voyage Radio. Of course, Old Blue Eyes can be heard occasionally during regular rotation; there is more probability of hearing a Sinatra tune during the Vinyl Brunch on weekend mornings, however.

Until now, that is.  Premiering next month is a new show on Vinyl Voyage. It is called The Afternoon Croon.

For two hours on each Sunday afternoon, I will select the best from Sinatra and his friends: Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Nat King Cole and many more.  Join us on February 14 for the premiere episode. Each episode will feature Sinatra quotes and trivia as well. For two hours each Sunday, you can step into Sinatra's world. If only for a little while.

Only on Vinyl Voyage Radio.  

Martin Luther King, Jr: Celebration in Song

Tonight, we celebrated the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. through the power of music.  If you missed this broadcast, you stream it on demand at MixCloud.

Martin Luther King, Jr: A Celebration in Song, 2016 by Vinyl Voyage Radio on Mixcloud

Hey, K-Tel! Wouldn't it be great if....

You may have by now heard the news: Columbia House is coming back in 2016. Yes, the company that helped fill out my record collection (and later my cd collection) is getting back into the vinyl business. I'm sure they won't have the same unbelievable vinyl offers like they had in the 70s and 80s. Remember those offers? 13 albums for $1.00!

But the fact that they are going to be back selling vinyl is great news. And it got me thinking: if Columbia House can make a vinyl comeback, what about K-Tel?

For those of you wondering, K-Tel is still around; they haven't gone anywhere. They had some financial troubles in the late 90s for sure, but they still have a nice catalog of music, numbering over 6,000 tunes. In fact, they still license that music for all sorts of projects--from movies to tv and commercials. They have tunes from Chuck Berry and Etta James. B.J. Thomas and Leslie Gore. The Buckinghams and Tina Turner. I am sure they have many of the tunes that filled their wonderful albums of the 70s and 80s.

Wouldn't it be great if K-Tel started putting those songs back on vinyl? Not to recreate past albums, but assemble new titles for not only the generation who grew up on those albums but also the younger set discovering vinyl once again. These albums could be of higher quality--and less songs--but they could also recapture the look and nostalgia of those eclectic records hawked on tv and radio throughout the 70s and 80s.

Here's a great thought experiment: If you could put together the best of K-Tel in one limited edition collector's vinyl, what would you include?

Here's my choice: K-Tel presents Time Machine. 14 Original Hits, Original Stars.

A K-Tel concept album.

Side 1:

"Sky High" by Jigsaw
"Please Come to Boston" Dave Loggins
"Stuck in the Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel
"Walking in Rhythm" by the Blackbyrds
"Chevy Van" by Sammy Johns
"Living Next Door to Alice" by Smokie
"Gimme Just a Little More Time" by Chairman of the Board

Side 2:

"Sweet City Woman" by Stampeders
"I'm Not in Love" 10cc
"Jackie Blue" by Ozark Mountain Daredevils
"Rings" by Lobo
"Please Don't Go" by K.C. and the Sunshine Band
"Sylvia's Mother" by Dr. Hook
"Here Comes the Night" by Nick Gilder

Now that would be a great album!

K-Tel, are you listening?

Not So Fast....

I'm having a problem letting go.

As I mentioned in my last post, Live365 is closing up shop, leaving thousands of broadcasters without a platform, including Vinyl Voyage Radio.

However, I don't think I am going anywhere.  We recently purchased a new stream and are looking at funding options to keep the station going.  More to come on that front. One thing is for sure: I will need your help.

In the meantime, we are up and running. Bigger and better. We stream now at 128kps, instead of 64. And, we are going to be available on more platforms and streaming services.

So thank you for everything. The future looks bright.....I've got to wear shades. :)

So Long, Vinyl Voyagers. It's Been Fun.

It appears that this radio station will no longer be operating after January 31, 2016.

I started Vinyl Voyage Radio almost exactly five years ago after re-discovering a bunch of my old records in the basement. My K-Tel collection stood out. Oh, how I loved my K-Tel albums back in the 70s. The impetus for Vinyl Voyage came because I wanted to share those albums. And share them I did. Nearly every month for the last five years I have recorded episodes of Adventures in Vinyl to play those K-Tel records again. And I spent countless hours digitizing my other albums as well. As a result, the playlist for this radio station has grown to thousands of songs easily spanning 60 or more years. We have been playing vinyl music 24 hours a day for the last 5 years, with a much more diverse and deep playlist than any commercial station on terrestrial radio.

There are Vinyl Voyage listeners all over the world. From Finland to Israel, from Papua New Guinea to Slovakia, from Brazil to Taiwan and many more places in between.  I have corresponded with vinyl music lovers all over the globe, sharing a passion for music, for records, and for nostalgia.

This station has been a small joy of mine.  On those nights where sleep was elusive, I came down into the basement to play some music for the few listeners I had experiencing the same bout of insomnia. Through albums I have picked up at garage sales, Goodwill and family and friends I have reconnected with some great, eclectic music that I have not heard in years.  I have been lucky to have done this and wish I could continue.

But, as of January 1, 2016, the laws regarding royalties have changed.  Since 1995, small broadcasters like myself were given an option to pay royalties based on percentage of revenue. Live365, founded in 1999, fulfilled the necessary paperwork and royalty submissions that thousands of people like myself have used to play music without violating copyright laws and keeping the cost reasonable. Live365 has been one of the only services to do so and was licensed by ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, SoundExchange, and SOCAN. These are the main agencies that distribute royalties to artists.

Those laws have now changed and the special status given to small broadcasters have been removed. Now, in order for me (and literally thousands and thousands of stations like mine) to continue, I will need to pay a yearly fee of $500 and a per song royalty. In essence, something that used to be very affordable, can now cost thousands or tens of thousands a year.

The big streamers like Spotify and Pandora are onboard with these changes, of course. The cost factor for them will not have changed all that much. They make millions in revenue as it is and weren't subjected to the small broadcaster rules.  Live365, which is built on provisions in law that benefit stations like mine, cannot survive when that option is nor longer available.

And all of those stations out there that are curated by actual human beings and that specialize in certain music will not longer be able to provide those streams to their listeners. The world of internet music is no longer going to be as diverse or as interesting.

And that is a shame.

When the Copyright Royalty Board announced the changes, Live365 had no choice but to lay off most of its staff. Investors pulled their money and we have been left without a platform. They have stated that the streams will most likely be shut off on January 31 at the latest unless a new deal is made. And a deal is not likely to happen.

I hate to see Vinyl Voyage Radio go. And it will not go away completely. We'll keep going until that stream is shut off. And when that happens, I will continue, at least for the time being, to keep my video stream going at VaughnLive.tv as I look for other ways to legally provide vinyl music to our listeners.

Most importantly, I'll still make new episodes of Adventures in Vinyl.  All of those episodes are hosted at MixCloud and can be streamed at any time.

But unfortunately there can be no more Manic Mondays. No More Funky, Feel-Good Fridays. No more weekend Vinyl Brunch.  No more Classic Rock Blocks.

Thank you for listening. This has been a pure joy of mine and I hope you enjoyed the nostalgia and the music.

I sure have.

For more information about this situation, here are some more explanations:

http://rainnews.com/mid-size-and-small-webcaster-reaction-to-new-crb-rates/

http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2016/01/05/why-american-independent-internet-radio-may-go-extinct-in-2016

A New year, a "New" K-Tel Album-Southern Fried Rock!

Happy New Year, vinyl lovers!  As we ring in 2016, we ring it in with style. K-Tel style!

This month we are featuring the classic K-Tel album, Southern Fried Rock. The album was released in 1980- on the new and improved K-Tel label. The label was now orange and brown and the songs no longer massively edited.  This album features cuts from The Marshall Tucker band, the Allman Brothers, .38 Special, Charlie Daniels and many, many more!

Check out the commercial below:




Adventures in Vinyl features a classic K-tel album on every episode. New episodes can be heard on the weekends on Vinyl Voyage Radio. Random episodes are played throughout the week.

Saturday, 12:30 pm (Central)  Current Episode
Sunday, 4 pm (Central) Current Episode
Tuesday, 1:30 pm (Central) Retro Repeat
Wednesday, 2 am (Central) Current Episode
Thursday, 10 am (Central) Retro Repeat

If you can't hear Adventures in Vinyl at those times. every episode streams on Mixcloud. Listen to the current episode below.

Adventures in Vinyl--"Southern Fried Rock" (1980) by Vinyl Voyage Radio on Mixcloud