I miss doing radio & would like to brainstorm ways to engage with it again. The medium has been in my blood ever since Boston-area college stations opened my ears back in middle school. 5 years of hosting a weekly program on WFMU were incredible–but a huge labor of love. WFMU DJs volunteer their time, and I logged at least 30 hours a month on my show…
If I were to create a new program what sort of things would you like to see? On what sort of platform should it exist? It could be a podcast, a live show happening at some venue, another FM endeavor, or something else entirely… The only stipulation is: it needs to earn money. It requires so much time & prep that I can’t imagine doing it with out a little help. I’ve got mountains of new & old music to share, dozens of interview ideas, and some new things in mind — and would love to hear your thoughts on what you’d like to experience and how it might work.
You can chime in in the comments, @ me on Twitter, or drop an e-mail. I’m especially interested in hearing from the Mudd Up! listeners over the years.
A subscription-based podcast is a format that seems to be working for others. Dan Savage sells access to the extended version of his podcast through his own website and it is available through all the distribution formats any other podcast is accessed through – it just requires a password to subscribe and download, which is what the subscription pays for. Access can be paid for a whole year, or a month at a time, or given as a gift, or however one wishes.
I feel the need to add that I would absolutely pony up for this. I have yet to find anything that fills the whole in my life that Mudd Up vacated.
Ouch, 30 hours a month! But profoundly appreciated Jace – easily the best show I’ve ever heard, no kidding.
Could you combine a WFMU show with regular contributions from Patreon? +Why limit it to just one radio station? I’m sure Resonance FM would love a bit of you. Must be a few more around the world.
Alternatives to a radio show: I sometimes work with an organisation called Arika (arika.org.uk). They seem like a v. good fit for your work, maybe you could collaborate? They did a show at the Whitney Biennial in NY fairly recently.
Personally I think you should team up with Vicki Bennett and Michael Goodstein to run a night called Sufi’s Electro Dada Hop 🙂
discussion (+ music) in podcast form would be the most likely to gain sponsorship, though how much podcast sponsors actually pay i don’t know. Probably not a lot without existing numbers.
Perhaps a Patreon monthly crowd funding model would be better (and easier to pull off than a kickstarter campaign)
I’d certainly like to contribute a few dollars a month to hear you delve deep into things i know nothing about.
Firstly, Mudd Up was for me very important. Everything that I appreciate about Arab, African and Latin American music, I learned that from you, thank you. I miss a lot that inspiration.
I’m not an expert, but it seems that a lot of people crowdfund podcast activities. Maybe you should give it a try?
You probably know about Radiotopia, they also seem to have an interesting funding model, I don’t know how one becomes part of that. They are story driven, and I like that idea – if you could mix music, but also provide a bit of knowledge about what we’re hearing, or maybe mix it with your book-reading interests, that could be very good. good luck.
I don’t know if crowdfunding is better or a subscription model, but I would pony up for either one. As Alek said, I learned so much about music from listening to your radio show. I miss it tons, especially the free and eclectic format.
Just thought: the trouble with subscription/crowdfunding is if you were broadcasting on WFMU (or any station funded by public donation) they’d probably receive fewer pledges for your show come marathon time. So they might be a bit sniffy about that sort of thing.
thanks for the feedback! Mike: you are entirely correct, WFMU on-air DJs are required to volunteer their time, no outside payments accepted! So if my show revives, it would find a home elsewhere in a new/adjusted format.
I was going to suggest Patreon but have been beaten to it. I would happily pay a small amount each month to subscribe to your shows. I hope you can make it happen.
Please bring us more Mudd Up! Thanks to you, I know and love Toto la Momposina, Thomas Mapfumo, Luzmila Carpio & many others. Your show was my best source for music I wouldn’t have found otherwise.
Like others who commented here, I have been unable to fill the void left by Mudd Up’s departure. I would love to see it come back as a podcast. I would even pay a subscription fee. Not sure about other services — podcast’s really the thing for me.
Thanks for introducing me to amazing music!
I really miss Mudd Up! too. It got me into so much great music that there is no way I would have heard otherwise. Would love to have an all new podcast. Not sure how to monetise I’m afraid, but subscription/donation plus a couple of ads seems to work for most podcasts I listen to.
Jaaaaaace i knew you wouldnt last long away from the airwaves,,,,mudd up was the perfrct platform for you to receive and share great music and there is nothing close to replacing it ….i still listen to your old podcasts when i want to discover new stuff…and whenever i meet a DJ i always send them to the archive … an amazing resource… these shows dont seem out of date and are woth keeping up on the fmu website ,,, for a new show i would go for the subscription based podcast ,…i will gladly pay ….you could do a kind kickstart idea where you send out a big mailer asking people in advance to subscribe for a year or six months .. and use that money to set the thing up if needs initial investment …or have a donation button on your site …donations seem to work with democracy now …….I’ll help in any way i can …. hope it happens ….good luck jace
Would it be possible to host a radio show in a live setting? Or have an interview sans an audience for the first part and dance/music party after? At least you would be making entrance fees plus whatever people kick in online for a subscription. Tough gig with such a relatively esoteric aesthetic, but there’s many big fans out there that I think would happily pay.
Jace, I would gladly pay for a new program. As several commenters have noted, there are no other shows that bring the heat like Mudd Up! once did.
If my vote counts for anything, I would love to see a subscription-based downloadable podcast, through whatever implementation. I enjoyed the thematic shows, whether it was strictly music-based, political, or otherwise. Certainly, the breadth of genre and topics was a defining characteristic of Mudd Up!
That being said, I’m sure I’ll enjoy whatever comes next. Best of luck. (As a postscript, I have found it damn hard to get good Cumbia into my life.)
Jace, Like others, I truly miss your Mudd Up sessions, both for the great music you introduced us to and the fascinating discussion. You’ve been the most important music curator for me and I’m missing your guidance. Count me in the “would pony up” crowd. Thanks for considering some new radio-esque format!