I am perusing various radio production related Indiegogo campaigns. There are so many that it is hard to keep track of them as they come and go. Some succeed. Others flop. Still others have trouble getting above about 65 percent of their goal. The good news is that Indiegogo lets you keep whatever money you raise. We’ve already written about Radio Free America’s campaign to develop a platform that helps put college and community radio station online with steady live streams and on-demand archives. Now RFA has raised its $20,000 goal, almost two weeks ahead of schedule.
Here are some other open campaigns:
Subhash Kateel’s Let’s Talk About It radio campaign is still active. The show, which deals with issues like immigration, gun violence, and similar topics has run for the last three years on Miami’s business station, WZAB (880 ” the Biz “). “Now, we are looking to build a new home,” LTAI’s Indiegogo project page says. “We want to create our own studio space and buy our own equipment that will allow us to broadcast the real talk that you have come to expect whenever and where ever we want and you need.” This campaign seems to be doing well. As of this writing it has reached 70 percent of its $8,000 goal.
Then there is the Pissed Off Radio Underground Compilation Volume I. Pissed Off Radio describes itself as a “DIY weekly radio show that plays unsigned and independent punk, hardcore and metal. It began as a hobby, explains host Ken Kelleher, but “when a few people started actually listening, I figured I could do some good with it.” PO’d Radio then got a bunch of Punk and Hardcore bands to contribute tunes for an anthology. All the money goes to St. Jude’s hospital for kids with cancer. So far PO’d Radio has reached $708 of its $1,000 goal.
Other open campaigns: Loud Mouth interactive RV mobile radio wants $85,000 for new equipment for an RV mobile station; San Francisco Bay Area KCSM jazz deejay Jim Bennett is running a campaign to fund his live local jazz recording project; the TMOTTGoGo Internet Radio Station wants to expand its live programming; Aloha Radio Theater in Kihei, Hawaii is producing a pilot program to publicize its work, Radiofrequez.com needs cash to upgrade its studio; Block Report radio is running a campaign for an Internet radio station.
The rest of the campaigns on this list are closed.
The Survival Radio Network offers shows about the challenges of running a small business: “SRN also serves other genres ranging from women’s empowerment, indie music, arts, life coaching, meta physics, holistic medicines and much more,” the project page notes. The Indiegogo campaign sought funds for radio equipment, campaign costs, and a permanent studio location. By October it reached 53 percent of its $1,000 goal.
The members of Autonomous Interactive Radio said they were raising cash for a plane ticket to Ljubljana, Slovenia to attend a conference panel at that city’s Digital Media Workshop. “Then we will make our own community radio in Nairobi, Kenya,” the project page continued. AIR is backed by arts organization Wasanii Mtaani Ni Sisi, a coalition of more than 50 artists from various tribes based in Nairobi. “We provide a platform for underground Emcees who are both visual and verbal artists while at the same time creating positive social change in our society.” The campaign made $595, sixty percent of its goal.
By July of 2013, Aeon Byte Gnostic Radio 2.0 had raised a bit over $11,000, around 64 percent of its funding objective. “For over seven years, Aeon Byte Gnostic Radio has been the leading voice in bringing the mysteries of ancient Gnosticism and other alternative traditions to a modern meaning,” the Aeon Byte campaign page began. But: “With the demands and opportunities of a changing landscape in media and technology, Aeon Byte Gnostic Radio needs to adapt in order to reach farther and even survive.” The project sought $17,500 to update Aeon Byte’s website, release a new version of its book Voices of Gnosticism, obtain better software, and computer equipment.
Blunt Youth Radio hails from Portland, Maine. “Every week, we create a live show from scratch—hosting, producing and engineering—taking on topics that interest us, from our own perspectives,” noted the project page. “We’re raising money to fund an epic trip to the Digital Waves Youth Media Festival in NYC. Not only is the festival an awesome opportunity to meet other youth producers, learn from professionals, and hone our craft as media makers—but we’ve also been invited back to host our signature event—the Media Slam.” The campaign ended in October of 2012 and reached a little over half of its $2,000 goal.
Maui, Hawaii based BSOS – Camp Exotica Radio is a live streaming Internet and Low Power FM radio station. “We are looking to fund the first year of broadcasting and live streaming on the internet,” the campaign page explained. The project sought funds for a remote broadcasting studio, automation software, hosting/streaming, a micro broadcaster license, and station hardware. By February of 2012 it had raised $1,260 of its $2,500 goal.
Other campaigns: Old Time Radio, the Web series raised about 60 percent of its goal; the Save Local Radio T-shirt fundraiser took in $325 of its $500 goal.
Read about more projects by inputting “radio” into Indiegogo’s search engine. We cover social music sharing communities every Monday in our Internet DJ feature.
