The New Breed of College

(& High School) Internet Radio

Surviving the Dinosaur

A Guide To Creating A Fun,

Productive Student-Run

Internet Radio Station

Internet Radio Simplified

Backbone Networks Corporation200 Friberg Parkway, Suite 3003

Westborough, MA 01581

Tel: 617.848.1176

Contents• StudentRadio—Education’sFirstSocialNetwork 1

• OldSchoolRadio 1

• You’reNotAlone 2

• TheFutureofBigCommercialRadioTechnology&Yours 2

• WhatIsInternetRadio? 3• BenefitsofanInternetstation 3• HowdopeoplelistentoInternetradio? 4• Howtothrivewhilethebigboyswane 5• ElementsofStreamingStations,andhowtheyareConfigured 6• Studio 6

• Storage 6

• Streaming 6

• TheMake/Buy/RentDecision 7• ComparingTwoCollegeRadioHostingAlternatives 7

• There’safourth“S”…Software 8• forAutomation,SchedulingandLogging/Reporting

• CoveringRemote(Mobile)Events9• Sports,News,Concerts,etc.

• JoiningaRadioNetwork 10• Syndication 11• ContentDeliveryfromtheCloud

• TheDreadedRoyaltyQuagmire 12• NONCOMMERCIALEDUCATIONALWEBCASTERS 12

• Shouldyoupayityourselforoutsourcepayment? 13

• It’sreallynotthatbad 13

• So,shouldyouoptforthe$100proxyfeeorreport? 13

• PartnerswithaMission 14

• JointheIBSStudentRadioNetworkToday 14

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The New Breed Of College (& High School) Internet RadioSurviving The Dinosaur

Backbone Networks Corporation developed this guide as a brief look at the role of “College Radio”, specifically student-run Internet stations in colleges, universities and high schools in the United States. We will examine how they will not only survive the collapse of commercial, terrestrial radio, but can flourish in this now totally digital medium.

Introduction Ourpurposeindistributingthispaper istohelpschools, includingcolleges,universitiesandhighschools, develop productive, fun, and professional sounding student-run Internet radio stations for thebenefitofstudents,alumniandtheschoolsthemselves.Thisisimportant,becausearoundournationweareseeingfiscalcutbacksinmanyareas,nottheleastofwhichisstudentradio. Schoolsaresellingofftheirexpensiveterrestrialradiostations,andit’snotcleartomostpeoplewhythisishappeningandhowschoolscanrecoverfromthismove.Thispaperwilladdresshowschoolscannotonlyrecoverfromsuchasale,butactuallybenefitfromit.

Student Radio — Education’s First Social Network Fromthebeginning,collegeradiohasbeenaboutbuilding“community”in,aroundandbetweenschoolsandtheirstudents.Eachstationcreatesafollowingbasedonitson-airtalent,events,musicgenreandgeneralprogramming,resultinginatypeofsocialcommunityamonglistenersandradiostaff.Whiletodaysocialnetworkshaveexpanded,theroleandimportanceofstudentradioisnolessthaniteverwas.However,facingseverebudgetconstraints,butaidedbydigital“integratedmedia”technology,themodeloftheradiostationischanging.ThisnewmodelfindsInternetradiochallenginglegacyterrestrialradio,andwithitaddingtothereachofthestation,thebenefittotheschoolsandthecommunityofitsstudents.

Old School Radio vs. Radio Reborn Whenwethinkof radio,wenaturallyenvisionover-the-air (terrestrial)waves thatpropagateondifferentfrequenciestotheradioreceiverinourcars,kitchensandbathrooms.Mostmusicstationstodayarefrequencymodulated(FM)forhighfidelity,whilemostamplitudemodulated(AM)stationsarenewsandtalk.Bothrequireastudioofsomesort,atransmitterandtower,plusastudio-transmitterlinkbetweenthem.Thehigherthepower(watts)andthetallerthetower(meters),thefartherthestationcanreach. It’snoteasy,simpleorcheaptosetupyourowntraditionalhighpowerterrestrialradiostation.Yourstation’sfrequency(inMHzorkHz)mustbeapprovedbythegovernment(allocating“spectrum”foryourstation),whichisalengthyandexpensiveprocess.Equipmentisexpensivetoacquire,installandmaintain,andit’spronetoallsortsofatmosphericandenvironmentalinterference,damageanddangers. Alternatively,foraschooltopurchaseagoingterrestrialstationcancostmillionsofdollars,andtheschoolstillbearstheannualoperationalandmaintenancecosts.UnlikeInternetradio,terrestrialstationsaresubjecttoFCCrules,exposingschoolstosignificantfinesfornon-compliance.Horribleexamplesabound. Thisiswhyweareseeingover-the-airradiostationsforsaleallaroundthecountry.Aschoolcancutoperationalcostswhilesimultaneouslyenjoyingawindfallofmillionsofdollars.WiththeadventofInternetradio,thisdoesn’tnecessarilymeanthedeathoftheschool’sstudentradioprogram.Itcanbethere-birth.

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The New Breed Of College (& High School) Internet RadioSurviving The Dinosaur

from Revenue Generating Radio TechnologiesA progress reportIndependent market research from Alethea ResearchSponsored by Wheatstone Corporation

THE NEW BREED OF COLLEGE (& HIGH SCHOOL) INTERNET RADIOSURVIVING THE DINOSAUR

You’re Not Alone All traditional media are facing financial crises. As we know, newspapers are suffering due todiminishingprintsubscriptionsandadsales,asaremagazines.Commercialradiostationsaroundthenationareconsolidatingandcentralizingandhavehadtoresorttohomogenizingtheirprogramming,whichgetsplayedonautomatedlocalstations,withlittleornolocalcontenttodrawaloyalaudiencebase. Consequently,“bigradio”issuffering,inthesamewayour“bigfour”TVnetworksarelosingsharetohundredsofspecializedchannelsoncable,satelliteandtheInternet.Stationsaretooexpensivetorun,tooexpensivetosellandclearlyheadedinthewrongdirection.AddtothattheoverbearingpresenceoftheFCC,theimpendingmusicroyaltiesfromtherecordingindustryandcongress,anddiminishingadrevenues,andyoucanseethewritingonthewallforowningabigterrestrialradiostation. Howarebigcommercialstationshopingtocope?By“simulcasting”theirstationsontheInternet.Onemightask,sinceeachstationcontainsessentiallythesamevanillaprogramming,isthereanythingtodistinguishonestationfromanother?Iftheyaremostly“top40”rockorcountry,there’sprobablyverylittletoattractalistener—orsponsor.

The Future of Big Commercial Radio Technology & YoursARadioWorldresearcharticle,byindustryexpertJoshGordondigestsaWheatstone-sponsoredstudyofthefuture“RevenueGeneratingRadioTechnologies”.Thisexcellentreporttellsusthattheimportanttrendsforexistingstand-aloneandgroup-ownedradiostationsoverthenext3yearsare:

1.Streaming,asaudiencesmovetotheInternet2.Networkingbetween/amongstations3.Moreautomationandcomputerassist

WewilllookatthesethreeissuesinthecontextofCollegeRadiotohelpyouavoidthepitfallsthatplaguecommercialradioandhelpyouaimyourschool’sstationintherightdirection.

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The New Breed Of College (& High School) Internet RadioSurviving The Dinosaur

What Is Internet Radio?In considering the alternatives for college radiodelivery,wewanttodistinguishwhatconstitutesInternetradio.First,let’sseewhatitisnot. In true streaming radio, your programcontent is not downloaded to a listener’scomputer, as it would be in a Podcast or mp3download.Rather,themusicdigitallyridesinbitsand bytes of binary information to the listener,and it immediately disappears. It is temporary,transitory,ephemeral--fleetingandneverheardagain, unless surreptitiously recorded by thelistener. Similarly,itisnotapersonalmusicservicethatsendsoutacustomizedstreamofmusic,liketheverypopularPandoraservice. No, college radio is real radio, and realradio has the power of mixing music, news,commentaryandanyotheraudiocontent that’scompelling to the user. Real radio is push, notpull.You,theDJorprogramdirector,decidewhatthelistenerwillhearaslongashe/sheistunedin(or“connected”)toyourstation. WithInternetradio,youalsodeterminewhat the listener will see when the audio isstreaming.Itmightbetextannotation,suchasa song’s title, artist, album, copyright, and anyother information that the government might

require. Itmightbealbumcover art, orlyrics, or eveninteractivebuttons for thelistener to clickand buy thesongorvisittheartist’swebsite.

Benefits of an Internet stationA viable college music station has to be morethananendlessloopofmusic.First,anexcellentradio club is all about training, helping you getthe presentation and communication skills thatwillhelpyouandyourfellowstudentsthroughoutyourlives.Anditalsocanhelpyoudevelopthatportfolioof skills thatmight get you thatmediajobwhenyougraduate.

But on a broader level, this is youropportunity to get your audience involved andengaged.Whenyoubroadcastonradio,youcaninformyourstudentbodyaboutevents,provideapositiveviewofyourschooltoyourcommunity,and keep your alumni in touch with their almamaternomatterwheretheynowlive. Your station also has the power to helpyour school inways that never existed just onegenerationago.Yourstationcanhelprecruitnewstudents to enroll or take that new class, drumupsupportforyourschool’sculturalandathleticprograms, or remind alumni to donate to yourschool’s endowment fund. There are a myriadof benefits an Internet radio station can bringtoacollegeorhighschool.Agoodradiostationwillgiveyouthepower,andwiththatpowerareobligations.

Photo courtesy WLIU-BK Brooklyn, NY

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The New Breed Of College (& High School) Internet RadioSurviving The Dinosaur

Listeners will find your station in many ways. Directories or “Tuners”, such as Apple’s iTunes’ Radio, DAR.fm and TuneIn, will help your target audience discover your station, driving listener traffic up dramatically. Get listed.

How do people listen to Internet radio?In order to tune in to, or connect to, yourInternetstation,listenersmusthavesometypeofcomputer,whether it’s a desktop, a laptop or amobiledevice.Itmightevenbeaweb-connectedradioreceiver. Desktops and laptops typically runWindows® or Mac OS® operatingsoftware,andmostformatsofInternetradio are compatible with eitheroperatingsystem.Eachformathasitspros and cons. Today, the dominantformatofstreamingradioisShoutcastcompatible. It has reasonably goodaudioquality,andabigadvantage istheautomaticlistingofstationsinthemostpopularInternetradio“tuners”,suchasTuneIn(mobileanddesktop),DAR.fm and iTunes (College RadioSection). Twootherstreamingformats,FlashandWindowsMedia,havebeenpopularinthepast,butwiththeadventofportabledevices,including smart phones and tablet computers,where battery life is paramount, newerstandardsaretakingtheirplacesincetheseoldertechnologiesareabitmoredemandingoflimitedsystemresources.

AmongthesenewstreamingformatsisHTTP Live,supported by Apple, which promises increasedfidelity,stabilityandnativeaudioplay inHTML5versionbrowserswithoutadd-inapps. Inselectingastreamingsystemorservice,

youshouldlookfortheabilitytohaveanupgradepathtothebestandmostcurrent formats. For instance, sinceSafari® on the iPhone and iPad todaystream HTTP Live, while Safari® ondesktops and laptops isn’t compliantyet, you might choose a service thatdetectswhichbrowsersareconnecting,andservestheproperformattoeach. Clearly,themobiledevicemarketis overtaking the computer marketin virtually every respect, and it isvital to keep this inmind as you planyour Internet station. Remember that

“mobile” includes the automobile, where new3G/4Gapplianceswill replace today’s terrestrialandsatelliteprogrammingwithInternetstations,includingyours. Yourstationshouldbeonyourownorrelevantplayers,suchastheCollegeRadioTunerapp,above,andlistedonallofthepopular

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The New Breed Of College (& High School) Internet RadioSurviving The Dinosaur

Radiohasenteredanexcitingstage,themergingof virtually all digital media. The good news isthat with all its media resources, your school ispoisedtobepartofthattransformation.Thenewparadigm is a combination of radio, newspapersand television, all presented together in digitalformonmobiledevices--forinstance,web-basednewspaperswithembeddedradioandTVplayers. The old radio model was a comfortablemixoftalkandmusic. Recentradiohasbecometalk/newsonAM,puremusiconFM. But todaywiththeInternet,thismixisnotsustainable. It’ssaidthatcommercial(Top40)radioisdyingbecauseeveryonealreadyhasalltheoldandpopularmusic on their iPods. Plus, increasingly,listenerscansitbackandhaveamusicservicelikePandorastreamapersonalizedplaylisttothem. Services like Pandora arewonderful, butthey’re not radio. They do, however, pose anenormous threat to homogenized radio stationsthat rely solely on playing music, especially thesameoldrepetitiousmusic. To find new music, people (especiallystudents) are turning to alternative sources, andthatmeanscollegeradio(highschoolradio,too).ButevencollegeradiostationsarethreatenedbyPandoraanditsclonesaslongasstationsbehavelikefacelessjukeboxes. Consequently, all of these alternativesources nibble away at the audience base ofthe big stations, fragmenting the market intohundreds or thousands of candidate stations –some Internet, somesatelliteorTVmusic, someLPFM.Thus,eachstation,havingfewer“earballs”each day, progressively loses ad revenues basedonlistenership. Market fragmentation is a reality, andit will only become more pronounced. Why?BecausetheInternetjustloweredthe“barrierstoentry”on startingupa station. Your school, forinstance,canstartaprofessional-soundingstationforafewthousanddollarsinequipment,andlessthan$3,500ayearinstreamingplusroyaltycosts.Compare that to themillions it takes tobuyandrunabig,oldterrestrialradiostation.

Note: For just the cost of a terrestrial radioconstructionpermit,yourschoolcanrunanInternetradiostationfor50to100years.

Whilecommercialradiocollapsesandpublicradioisforcedtooperatewithfewerofyourtaxdollars,it’simperativetobuildyourlocaland/orloyalfanbase,sincethat’swhatdistinguishesyourstationfromall the others. And you can’t just do thatwith amusic loop. Sure,music is an importantelement,but so is talk.Discussing thehot, localband; discussing school events or controversialissues; introducing diversity of opinion; andcreatingthehumanconnectiontoyourlisteners. AccordingtoradioindustryexpertValerieGeller,PresidentofGellerMediaInternational:

Your listeners want to beinformed and entertainedand have fun. They wantnew knowledge. If they arealone in a roomor alone inacar,maybetheyjustdonotwanttofeelalone.Listenersarehungrytofeelconnectedinasomewhatisolatedworld.

A listener wants a connection or to “feel athome” with the person on air...to feel they“know”thepersononair.Author: Beyond Powerful Radio- A Communicator’s Guide to the Internet Age for Broadcast, Podcast, Internet &

Radio(Focal Press 2011)

RiseAbovetheMusicServices,AddValue Be journalistic, be of service and beinteresting. Engage with your listeners, be partoftheirlives,openupyourphonelinesandtakecalls,createexcitement. Factor the element of talk into yourstation; livewhen you can, voice trackingwhenyouwanttoplayautomatedatnightandduringweekends and vacation. Anyone can put up aplaylistfullofmusicandplayitout.Ittakesyourtalenttomakeitentertaining. Note: Ensure that when you playautomated content, your streaming system orservicehastheabilitytobreakintolive(andback)withoutdroppingyourlisteners’connections.

How to thrive while the big boys wane

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The New Breed Of College (& High School) Internet RadioSurviving The Dinosaur

Elements of Streaming Stations, and how they are ConfiguredMost streaming Internet radio stations consistof three basic elements: Studio, Storage andStreaming. Each element is a counterpart oftraditional radioand isessential forproducingaqualitybroadcast.

StudioIf you run a real radio station, you will, at aminimum,haveastudioforyourlivebroadcasts.Itmightbespaciousorsqueezedintoacloset,butit isavitalelement.Likeanyother radiostudio,youwill needmicrophones and amixingboard,aswellasplayoutdevices,suchasaturntableforvinylandaCDplayer,plusprovisionsforaniPodor other digital devices, and amulti-line studiotelephonesystem.YouwillalsoneedacomputertoaccesstheInternet.WehappentobebiasedinfavorofAppleMacintosh,becauseofitsstability,easeofuse,anditsfriendlinesstomultimedia.

StorageYou can’t be talking live all the time. You willneedtostoreprerecordedcontent.Thisisstoredon your “Server”, which may be on campus or

somewherein“theCloud”ontheInternet.YourserverwillholdyourmusicaswellasallsortsofclipsforIDs,PSAs,ads,announcements,andevenarchivesofpastshows.Thisprerecordedcontentwillresideaspartofthestationwhereeveryonehasaccesstoit,atanytimefromanywhere.Then,duringyourshow,youcanbreaktoa“commercial”usingyourautomationsystem,whichisprobablylocated on your studio computer. At night, onweekendsandduringvacation,allyouneedtodois run autogenerated playlists or archived “bestof”programsusingyourautomationsystem.

StreamingAnother function of the Server is to be your“transmitter”tothe Internet. Theserverallowseach listener to “connect” to your station, andwhenthathappens,yourserverlogstheconnectanddisconnecttimes,tellingyouwhenandhowlongeachlistenerwasconnected,andfromwhere(City,State,Country)thatlistenerwasconnected.Fromthisinformationandyourplaylogs,younowhaveveryimportantinformationastowhatsong,spot or news itemwas listened to, fromwhereandforhowlong.

Backbone Radio stations are cloud-based, with all storage, automation and streaming listener connections made in the cloud. Your studio is self-contained in a Macintosh computer, so all you need is “a Mac and a mic”.

Cloud-based stations enable easy live remotes from anywhere you can get an Internet connection. Add a mixer and you have an entire multichannel remote broadcast in a backpack.

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The New Breed Of College (& High School) Internet RadioSurviving The Dinosaur

The Make/Buy/Rent DecisionNowthequestionlooms:Shouldyou(you,beingyour collective club or media department) tryto build the station yourself? Or should yououtsource the technical elements and focus onprogrammingandproduction? Granted, there are a lot of sharpindividualsinyourschool,andsomeofthemmightbefullycapableofcobblingtogetherastreamingserver. Infact,youcangetafreecopyofAppleQuickTime®StreamingServersoftware,orsimilar,streamingsoftwarethatcanbeconfiguredbyyourComputerScienceDepartmentorITDepartment,if they are motivated and responsive. (Exampleof DIY instructions) There are also a numberof cheap DJ assist software products you canconfigure for simple playlists when you are liveor if you want to keep your desktop computerrunningaroundtheclock. Remember,whatyoubuyorbuild thisyearhas tobemaintainedandsupportedbyfuturestudentswhomaynotbesocapableormotivated. Also,factor inthecapitalcostofaserver,it’ssupportcostsandtheongoingoperationalcostofalotofbandwidth.

Withthepossibilityofhundredsofsimultaneouslisteners, your server should be located wherethere is plenty of bandwidth available. If youlocatetheserveroncampus,youwillprobablyruninto IT issues,especially ifyourstationbecomessuccessful. Your campusnetworkprobably isn’tbuiltforheavyloads(e.g.,>20Mbps)ofsustainedoutboundstreaming. If it is,youradministrationwillbereluctanttogiveitalltoyourstudentradiostation. It’s cheaper and easier to have yourserverhostedinthecloudwheremorebandwidthisavailable. There is also the reliability factor toconsider.Ifyourserverisoncampus,whetherit’sonyourstudiocomputeror inanotherbuilding,your station isonlyas reliableas thatparticularbuilding’sInternetconnection.Havingaserverinthecloud,on theotherhand,means thatwhenyourlivebroadcastisinterruptedduetocampusissues,your remoteserverkicks intoautomatedmodeandplaysyourautogeneratedplaylists foryourlisteners.Rulenumber1:Nodeadair.

Comparing Two College Radio Hosting AlternativesInmostcasesyouwillfindthat itmakesthemostsenseforyourstationtobehostedbyacompanyorgroupthatspecializesinInternetradiostreaming;onethatprovidesyoueasy-to-usesoftwareforyourautomationand/oron-airtalent.Herewecomparetwocandidatesforthispurpose:Live365.comvs.IBSStudentRadioNetworkbyBackbone.

Assumptions:• MonthlyListenerHours:15,000• Streamingrates:56to64kbpsor128kbps,optional• Program/MusicStorage:250Hrs(5GBor10GB)• IBS-SRNpricingincludes25%Non-Commercial,Educational(NCE)discount

Monthly IBS-SRN Annual Monthly Live365 Annual

Basic Hosting (@15khrs/mo., 56k) $225 $2,700 $507 $6,084

Basic Hosting (@15khrs/mo., 128k) $488 $5,850 $966 $11,592

Radio Automation Software Free, MAC OS N/A

250 Hr Storage (5GB @ 56kbps) Included $220 (600MB incl) $2,640

250 Hr Storage (10GB @ 128k) Included $470 ($5/100MB) $5,640

SX Royalty Fees (disputed) $600 Included

Web page, player, stats Included Included

Total Annual Cost @ 56kbps $3,300 $8,724

Total Annual Cost @ 128kbps $6,450 $17,232

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The New Breed Of College (& High School) Internet RadioSurviving The Dinosaur

There’s a fourth “S”…Softwarefor Automation, Scheduling and Logging/ReportingYour stationmay be one of the lucky ones thatalready has a nice, expensive radio automationsystem.Ifso,youhavethebasisforeasy,powerfulstation control. Most automation systems arepretty much the same in that they all have asimilarlookandfeel,theyplaysongsinsequence,they allow for a professional flow between liveandrecordedcontent,andtheyhaveagraphicaluser interface that allows you to drag ‘n dropclips inordertorearrangeyourshowonthefly,if necessary. The features that distinguish oneautomation software system from another –featuresthatwillbe important foryour Internetstation -- are the ones that integrate functionsthatarespecifictowebstreaming. Program scheduling, for instance, canbe tedious, taking hours and hours of humanintervention, selectingmusic and programs thatwillplayautomatedinthefuturedaysorweeks.Someoneorsomethingmusttelltheautomationsoftwarewhattoplay.Ifnotaperson,thenyoucanpurchaseanoutsideserviceorsoftwarethatcancreatemusicschedulesforyou,suchasRCSSelector,thelargestsuchprovider.Alternatively,you can opt for software that automaticallygenerates playlists as part of the integratedInternet automation software (e.g., BackboneRadio), eliminating the extra cost and steps ofusing a separate software or service. Look for

other features, like Backbone’s audible promptsand keyboard shortcuts for visually impairedstudents. Inclusion isvital toaradioclub’sspiritandtoyourschool’smission. Your software also must keep track ofhow many people listened to each song yourstationplayed, includingsongmetadata,suchasartist,songtitleandalbum,andgiveyoustatisticson listener location and connection times foreach “performance”, as defined by the RIAA’sSoundExchangeroyaltycollectionsorganization.Note: Even if your school qualifies for the

SoundExchange’s (highly challengedby IBS, see http://tinyurl.com/9drsvn6)$500/$100 annual performance royalty fee(noncommercial, educational, nonreportingqualifiers), this information is still incrediblyimportantforyourstation’smentalandfiscalhealth. Itcanbethebasisforyoutosolicitclub funding from your administration, toboost team spirit in your club, and to helpyou find some local underwriting to offsetyourstationcosts.Whatpizzashopwouldn’twanttocontributeasponsor’snoteonyourstation’s website or on the air when yourlistenerbaseistheirprimetarget!

MAPS: Logging and reporting of listener metrics helps keep your station compliant and gives you valuable demographic data for your marketing, morale and fund raising. A Google mashup of listener data in the form of a zoomable world map yields a graphical view of how your station is doing for the last hour, day or week. Post this on your website along with your Top 40 and Last 10 songs.

Keep zooming in to pinpoint where your listeners are.(To play with the zoom and pin-rollover features of a current map, click here)

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The New Breed Of College (& High School) Internet RadioSurviving The Dinosaur

Covering Remote (Mobile) EventsSports, News, Concerts

When your station is hosted in the cloud, yourmobilestudiocanconsistmainlyofyour laptop,suchasanAppleMacBookPro,andyoucaneasilypackanentireremotestudiointoyourbackpack.When you get to the event venue, such as aconcertoranawaybasketballgameatyourrival’sschool, you only have to set up yourMacBook,attach a fewmicrophones into your USBmixer,connect to wi-fi (or 3G/4G, using a “hot spot”device,ifyoucan’tconnecttowi-fi). At this point, you will be talking intoyour microphone attached to your mixer, alongwith a couple of effectsmics, and maybe one foranother announcer, andyour USB mixer plugs intoyour laptop. The laptopsends your signal overIP to the server, which inturn broadcasts it out toyour worldwide listeners.When you want to go to“commercial”, and ID orPSA, use the automationconsoleinyourlaptop,andthe appropriate clip playsoutfromtheserver.Whenit’s over, you go back tolive play-by-play from thearena.

Using this same concept, Baltimore’sGoucher College Radio equips students withMacBook Pro laptops during their semestersabroad so they can broadcast live from othercountries. They simply connect viawi-fi to theGoucher server (in the cloud), and they aregaining foreign correspondent experience oncollegeInternetradio. You can also cover other events oncampus, like your college President’s speeches,and interviews with visiting dignitaries. Makeyourownnewsandbuildyourlistenerbase.

Your station’s radio player can be embedded into a web page about your music and program-ming. Streaming images show album art and artist/album info. Give your listeners a peek of what they just heard, or missed, and show them what’s at the top of your playlists. They care, becuase college radio stations are usually the “tastemakers” on campus. Also, include a blog — talk to your audience. Use this page as just one element of your social media mix.

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The New Breed Of College (& High School) Internet RadioSurviving The Dinosaur

Joining a Radio NetworkThe term “network” gets used often in Internetradiowithoutmuch respect forwhatanetworkreallyis. Inonecase,anetworkmightbesinglestationthatbroadcastsseveraltalkprograms.Inanother,itmightbeawebportalthatsimplylistsanumberofstationsofacertaingenre. And inyet another, it’s a collection of channels, eachwithadifferentsetofcontent, runby thesameindividualororganization. Inourviewatruenetwork isatwo-way(peer-to-peer)affiliationofstationsthatcanshareprogramming content with each other, as wellassharingapoolof syndicatedcontent, suchasmusicandnews.Whenweapplythisconcepttocollege radio, itopensup thehorizon towhatastationcanbewhenithasaccesstoawealthoffresh,newcontentonadailyorweeklybasis.

It’s easy to understand why so manystations default back to loops of tired music:It takes substantial time and effort to find newmusic,reviewit,loaditandprogramit.It’sevenhardertocreateyourownnewsmagazinearticlesor political commentary for air play. Andwhenyou do create a segment of value, whether it’stopicalnewsorahot localband,youwant it toget played as widely as possible. In a networkenvironment,youmerelyhavetopostyourcliporprogramornewmusic,andshareitwithallofyoursisterstations(otherschools)onthenetwork. In the same fashion, one of your sisterstationsmightpostaSpringBreakpieceandshareit (in a shared digital database), and youmightwanttoreviewitfor“correctness”,andifyoulikeit,youplayitonyourstation,withattributiontothecreator,ofcourse.Whenyourlistenershearit,thecreatorofthenewsitemshouldgetareportofwhenyouplayedit,howmanypeopleheardit,andfromwhere.

The RADIO NETWORK: In a shared Network environment, multiple school stations share content (yellow arrows) provided by 3rd party syndicators and from one another. Programs (red arrows) indicate produced radio programs streamed live and/or automated to listeners. A network data warehouse provides metrics reporting (blue arrows) to recording artists, producers and providers, telling them how many people heard their material, over which stations, at what hour, and from where in the world. (See MAPS)

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The New Breed Of College (& High School) Internet RadioSurviving The Dinosaur

Syndication Content Delivery from the CloudColleges,universitiesandhighschoolsarefertileground for new and emerging musical talent,servingas“tastemakers”forthemusicindustry.Sinceradioairplayprovidesvalueforartists,itisonly logical that independent music promoterswant todeliver you thehottest,newestmusicaltalent for you to play on your Internet station.While the conventional method of deliveringthismusic to your station has been via CD, thenewmethods take advantage of digital deliveryover the Internet (in the “cloud”), saving time,manpower, materials and postage. When yourstationispartofatruepeernetwork,thismusiccanmagicallyshowupinyourmusiclibraryeveryweek,readytopreviewand/orplaywheneveryouwant. Inasimilarvein,yourstudent-runstationprobablydoesn’thaveaccesstoavast libraryofnews stories, especially current, topical stories.Imaginehavingawidevarietyofclipsavailableforyoutobuildyournews,sportsorhumaninterestprograms. It’spossiblewithanetwork thatcanattractsyndicatedcontent.

Note:FortheIBS-SRN,Pirate!Promotionshasbegun digitally delivering dozens of new,quality “indie” music tracks every weekto member stations’ automation libraries,so no need for juggling and ripping CDsor downloading files. Songs just appear.The networkwill continue adding contentsourcestohelpstationsbuildtheirlibraries.

Finally,fundingisalwaysahurdlewhenitcomesto student-run radio, and Internet radio is noexception.Whileyourindividualstationmaynothaveaneasytimeattractingfinancialunderwriting,anetworkcreatestheaggregatesizedaudiencetobegintoenticepotentialsponsors.IfNPRcandoit,whycan’tyou!

A two-way peer network also allowsstations to share live streamswithoneanother.For instance, if Station A were to announcethey were doing an exclusive live interviewwith a controversial figure, they could instructthe software to share the live interview streamwithall sisterstationswhowantedto insert thestream into their live webcasts. And you cansimilarly share your events of interest. Good,strongcontent,whetherloanedorborrowed,willlegitimizeyourstation.

Network-WideRemoteEvents AnotherexampleistheannualnationwideIBS-Palooza music festival, which is held oneweekend a year across the IBS Student RadioNetwork(IBS-SRN).Schoolsbringemerginglocaltalentandbandstolocalvenues,suchasacluborpark,toputonafreeconcertforstudentsandthecommunity.(SeeXTSR@Paloozaphotooncover) Using the same “Macbook + Backbone”RemoteEventcapabilitythatmajorconcerteventsuse,studentemceesbroadcast(andrecord)uptotwofulldaysofnewmusic liveontheir IBS-SRNstation for worldwide play. While each stationprimarilyfocusesonitsownlocaltalent,schoolscaninterceptstreamsfromotherstationsandplaythemduringlullortransitionperiodsoftheirown

concerts.Theseevents

providevaluable

internationalexposureforlocalbands

whilehelpingtosolicit

donationsfordeservingcommunitycharities.

See video at http://www.studentradionetwork.org/wjz/WJZ.mp4

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The New Breed Of College (& High School) Internet RadioSurviving The Dinosaur

The Dreaded Royalty QuagmireProbablythemostconfusingandproblematic issuefacing InternetradiohasbeentheCopyrightBoard’sperformance royalty rate or “Performance Tax”, as it’s been labeled by the National Association ofBroadcasters(NAB).ImposedbycongressandlobbiedbytheRIAA,anannualroyaltyisleviedonallInternetradiostations,theextentofwhichdependsontheamountofmusicplayed,thenumberoflistenersintheUSA,andthecategoryofthestation’sownership.TheauthorizedclearinghouseforthesepaymentsisanorganizationcalledSoundExchange(SX). The purpose of the royalty is to reimburse artists for the on-air use of their recordings. Thereciprocal valuesof air play tobothparties, aswell as theeffectivenessof the reimbursementprocess,

is a hotly disputed topic, especially as these royaltiesnowthreatentoreachtheheretoforeroyalty-immunebusinessofterrestrialcommercialradio. It is the commercial Internet radio stations andgroupsthatfacethemostexpenseandadministration,since theymustpayby theperformance (1 song to1listener). In actuality, a performance could also benonmusical, such as a track from a comedy albumorothercopyrightedrecording,butwerefertosongs. There is a special flat rate for noncommercial,educationalschools,howevervalid(seenextpage).Thisspecial$500annualrateismentionedinthefollowing

paragraphfromtheSXWebsiteratespage:

NONCOMMERCIAL EDUCATIONAL WEBCASTERSServices that are “Noncommercial Educational Webcasters” (generally, student-run radio stations ataccreditededucationalinstitutionswhichareeithersimulcastinganAM/FMsignaloroperatinganinternet-only radio station)have ratesand terms thatmirror the regulationsenactedpursuant to theWebcasterSettlementActonAugust12,2009.For2011-2015,thoseservicespayaminimumannualfeeof$500perstationorchannel.Ifthestationorchannelstreamslessthan159,140aggregatetuninghoursinasinglemonth,thenthereisnoadditionalroyaltyobligation.Ifthestationorchanneldoesexceedthisthreshold,theratesforthatexcessliabilityare:

2011: $0.0017 (per performance)2012: $0.00202013: $0.00222014: $0.00232015: $0.0025

Furthermore,servicesthatstreamlessthan55,000aggregatetuninghoursinanygivenmonthmayelecttonotsupplythequarterly(or,insomecases,monthly)reportsofusethatarerequired.ThisreportingwaiverrequiresthetimelysubmissionofaNoticeofElectionanda$100proxyfeeperstationorchannel.

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The New Breed Of College (& High School) Internet RadioSurviving The Dinosaur

Even $500 is too much, not to mention questionableTherecentIBSlegalvictoryruledtheCopyrightRoyaltyBoardtobeunconstiutional,vacating(canceling)the$500minimumwithoutprovidingareplacementrate,sotheredoesn’tseemtoactuallybeavalidminimumrateatthispointintime.However,youmaystillwanttotaketheeasypathandmoveonbysimplypayingthevacated$500toSoundExchangeunderduressasan“insurancepolicy”.

Evenpriortothisruling,thecourtshaveruledthata$500minimumisan“arbitraryandcapricious”rate.On a per-listener basis, a $500minimum royalty is vastlymore expensive than what NPR stations, forinstance,pay.IfyoudodecidetosignupfortheSX$500dealandbedonewithit,it’shighlyunlikelyyouwillexceedthemonthlyaggregatetuninghour(ATH)thresholdof159,140specifiedinthatrate.Youwilllikelyfallwithinthe55,000ATHnon-reportinglimit,aswell,asmostschoolsdo.

So, should you opt for the $100 proxy fee or report?Theanswer is that itdepends. Ifyourstationhascomprehensive loggingandreporting features,aswediscussed,thenyoualreadyhavethedatatosendSX.Savethemoney.Ifyoudon’t,thenthe$100ischeapcompared to theman-hours required to compile thedata. However, consider theconsequencesofnotreporting.IftheprimarySXobjectiveistopayartists,andiftheonlydatatheyreceiveisfrombig,commercialstations,thenmostofthemoneywillbepaidouttotheultra-popularartists,likeKatyPerryandTaylorSwift.Yourstation’s favoriteartistsmayneverevenregisterwithSX ifyoudon’treport,andthatflies inthefaceofcollegeradio’sspirit.So,ifyoureallywantyourlocalbandsoryournewindiefavoritestobecompensatedandrecognized,report.

Should you pay it yourself or outsource payment?Oneansweristhatyoucoulduseahostingservicethatautomaticallyrollsroyaltiesintoyourmonthlybill,butthatisaveryexpensiveoption,evencomparedtosimplypaying$500onceayear(see page 7).Makingyourownpaymentmeansthatyouestablishadirect licensebetweenyourschoolandSX. Outsourcingpaymentlocksyouintoaperpetualcontractwithwhoeverpaysyourroyaltiesforyou,anditmeansyourstudents(andfacultyadvisors)willneverhavetheexperienceofestablishingalicensearrangementwithSX.

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Partner URL About Our Missionhttp://ibsradio.org/ IntercollegiateBroadcasting

System(IBS),yourtrustedresourcefor70yearswithover1,000IBSMemberSchools.

Jointoday.

Asyourinternationalvoiceforcollegeradio,IBScontinuestolobbyfortheinterestsofmembersbothinWashingtonandwiththerecordingindustry.

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http://www.collegemedia.org/

TheCollegeMediaAssociationistheprofessionalassociationdedicatedtoservingtheneedsofcollegiatestudentmediaprogramsandtheiradvisers.

Educateandinformadvisers.Tohelpthemadviseandteachstudentsabouttheproductionofcollegiatebroadcastmedia,especiallyInternetradio&TV

http://www.prx.org/

http://www.remixradio.org/

PublicRadioExchangeisanonlinemarketplaceandsocialnetworkdedicatedtoreshapePublicRadioontheInternet.

PRXandBackbonehaveteamedtodistributePRX’sRemix Radiostreams,bothontheInternetandonsatellite’sXMChannel123.

http://www.piratepirate.com/

Pirate!Promotionsisamusicpromotion,publicrelations,marketingandmanagementcompanywhoworkswithartists,brands,recordlabelsacrossNorthAmerica.

Pirate!andBackbonehaveteamedtoinvisibly,digitallydeliverthelatestandhottestnewartistsandmusictoourcollegeandhighschoolIBS-SRNInternetradiostations.

http://www.tunein.com TuneInisafreeservicethatletspeople listen to over 70,000streamingstationsfromallovertheworld.

TodelivercollegeandhighschoolInternetradiostationstoworldwidelistenersonover150differentdevices.

http://dar.fm/ DAR.fmisaservicethatletsyouusetheInternettorecordradiostationsandshowssoyoucanlistenwheneveryoulike.

Tomakethelargestnetworkofcollege&highschoolradiostations(IBS-SRN)recordableforanytimelistening.

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