Last week we had 12 hits during the broadcast. This is a far cry from what we enjoyed on our previous platform on blogtv before they sold out and shut down.
What's worse? This has been pretty typical on our webs.com site since it opened back in June. I'm really at a loss as to how I might increase traffic to the show and I could really use some suggestions if anyone out there has any.
The obvious solution would be to move to an actual site that hosts shows similar to blogtv. As I mentioned in my previous blog posts I've explored this option and because of the terms of service on almost any broadcasting site out there right now it's just not a viable option for the show. I can't "sub-license" other peoples content to another entity it's not mine to sub-license.
I will say that as it stands right now, I am only moving the show one more time. It's been a rocky road since blogtv shut down. First we tried the awdio.com/tinychat format and it didn't work, mostly because people didn't want to have to open two websites to enjoy the show and the chat, and we didn't have video capability. I found an embedded player that the hosting sites rules didn't restrict what I could do on the show as well as chat code that worked and built a page to broadcast on. Sadly right now since I'm not a part of a broadcasting site the promotion for the show is limited, mostly what I can do myself. Because of all the drama that frequently happened on blogtv Deb and I had often toyed with the idea with just creating our own broadcasting site. Well I can say that I'm the guinea pig for this since blog shut down and I have to be honest I really have to wonder if it's going to work. The current stats say otherwise.
So with all that being said here is where I am as far as the future of the show and there are a couple of options;
1) Continue with our current site until Ivlog.tv opens. We've been in contact about my concerns with their terms of service and I am really hopeful that they will work with us, but if they don't then the only way I would feel comfortable broadcasting there would be if I didn't play music licensed to the show and went with all Creative Commons licensed music only. I wouldn't like having to do that for the simple fact that I would have to say goodbye to several musicians that have been with us since we switched to a music format but don't license their music this way but have licensed to me for airplay on the show. Again, it goes back to the sub-licensing issue. Right now as for as broadcasting sites, at least Ivlog returned my email, and we've been in continuous contact since. Even if I decide to not do my show on there, I am and will continue to be a diehard Ivlog supporter, really super awesome folks there putting that together. I really hope that we can work the issues out. Why is this so important to me, and why should the folks putting Ivlog together care? I'll make it really simple, remember when MYSPACE was the place for independent musicians? It stopped being the place when the major record labels bought them out. Copyright laws are confusing as hell because the major music industry likes them that way.
2) Continue and try to build my current format on my own site. The best way to do this is to enlist musicians and try to score some interviews. This is a double edged sword to be honest because people want to promote themselves but as it stands right now I don't have the web stats to back someone to come onto the show and while they will bring their own fans they would prefer to not put their time and effort into an interview unless they can reach a new audience as well. While our current audience has been awesome as far as promoting the show it's only going to go so far and I'm wondering if it has. I don't know if the show is going to be as big as it needs to be to accomplish this on our current format although I will agree that we are young as far what we're doing and how we're doing it, we've only been on our own site for a couple of months.
3) As much as I hate to say it, I've considered just saying the hell with it and pulling the plug on broadcasting altogether. This is the first time since I began internet broadcasting in January 2008 that the thought has crossed my mind as far as ending it. I've really enjoyed it to be honest but lately I've been feeling that the magic is gone. Way back when I began doing my first show NewsTalk I would get goosebumps when I would hear "blogtalkradio" which signified the beginning of the show. Later on blogtv I'd get pretty pumped up setting up for my broadcast (it was really almost a ritual) and doing the show, for the longest time you never really knew what would happen, if a musician would pop in and we'd get them on to play, a random skype chat with Deb and Rob or whatever. I started with a plan and some nights, well I'd have most of it left. Then we have now, I still have the same ritual before I start a show, but much of the fun is gone right now. I don't know if it's because we have such low traffic that the "random" factor is gone or what. I really just don't know. While I don't hate doing the show by any means I have to be honest and say that I don't enjoy it near as much as I used to. The chatroom is not near as lively with far fewer people and while I still seek out, find, and play new music there are far fewer people listening to it and I'm starting to wonder if it's really worth it. Should I check out now, leave the scene at my prime and blame the blogtv shutdown for the shows demise? I could easily do that and not really feel guilty about it.
I've met some great folks doing Spotlight, spent many hours playing music by some seriously kick ass musicians and hosting more than a few of them live on the show. It's been one hell of a ride but over the last couple of weeks especially I'm starting to wonder if Indie Spotlight has jumped the shark and maybe it's time for me to find something else.
Please keep this in mind, I will NEVER stop promoting independent music, or independent musicians. If I decide on #3, which while it has crossed my mind I'm still not ready to throw in the towel just yet, I just want to make it fun again. Don't get me wrong, there are still musicians that deserve exposure and airplay, in my heart of hearts I want to keep doing this. I think that the million dollar question is, how can we get back to being the cool show? The awesome show the internet broadcast that people feel like if they miss every other live show on the internet then that's ok because dammit they made it to Indie Spotlight?
This is why I'm starting to wonder if the show has lost it's magic because I just don't know if I can reboot the show one more time. And make no mistake, my next move is the last one, if it's move and be a part of Ivlog.tv's opening or just saying the hell with it and shutting down, my next decision will be the last one.
As for me right now I'm really thinking option #1, and because Ivlog isn't planning to open with a co-host option I hope that they get it online pretty damn quick. Right now it's a time game, will Ivlog come online before I decide to hang up my headset for good? I hope they do, I would love to be on the ground floor of something that I think is going to kick some serious ass. Their goal is to be the site that people want to broadcast on, as opposed to the site they had to broadcast on.
I've kept in touch with other blogtv broadcasters and many of them ended up on sites that they had to broadcast on. I guess the same can be said of me right now. I tried going back to just being an audio broadcaster, it didn't work, mostly because the site that I found that could accomodate the show was operable maybe half the time. I've tried my previous blogtv format on my own site, 12 hits last week tells me that isn't working either.
Like I said, I will never, ever stop promoting independent musicians, if I decide that maybe it's time to say goodbye to the broadcast I will keep the other mediums that have been tied to the show going. I will keep up and promote the Indie Spotlight Live presence that we have on Facebook and try to grow it. I will refocus my energy on this blog page, I won't reboot it as I did when we transitioned from NewsTalk to Indie Spotlight.
My love for the indies will never die, I was a lover of Independent and Unsigned Musicians before I began playing their music online and my affair with them will continue beyond my broadcasting their music.
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