For the past few weeks I've been working on creating my own public radio station (it's been a dream of mine since I was a kid). Well now it's up and running but I don't know what to do with it. So I thought I'd see what Lemmy thinks about the concept, before I go all in and start investing in licensing fees, better servers, and more listener capacity.
If you're interested, we'll need curators to add songs to the rotation when no DJ is on air. It's simple and straightforward. Just click "Suggest" on the top right of the website and enter the Artist + Song Title on the form.
We will also need DJs and presenters to volunteer any freetime you're willing to give up and help make this happen. Click "Join" to get started.
All styles and genres are welcome. Hop on the airwaves anytime you want. Take requests, or don't. Mix and scratch, or just play one tune after another. Host a talk show/podcast if it suits you. Up to you. You can either use your own DJ/broadcasting software, otherwise there is a Web DJ interface for those with no software/experience.
https://radiolemmy.com | Temporary URL if the first one isn't working
Click Join to sign up to be DJ/presenter, or Suggest to submit your own song suggestions for regular rotation (no signup required to suggest a tune).
FAQ for potential DJs
Lemmy Community: [email protected]
Discord
EDIT: Thanks for all the song submissions so far! I've added them to the rotation. Feel free to suggest any tunes for removal as well.
EDIT 2: Looks like I'm going to have to upgrade web servers sooner than expected. If you're having issues connecting, try the temporary URL
EDIT 3: Gonna take awhile to go through the applications. I'll take care of as many as I can tonight. Check your inbox (and don't forget the @ in your username when applying. I can't reply if I don't know what instance you're using.)
EDIT 4: All DJ applications have been processed so far. Check your inboxes! Gonna spend the next few hours uploading more of your song suggestions. This takes awhile because I have to manually check every tune to make sure it's suitable for airplay! Upon approval, your tune(s) will play at regular intervals. It may take a few hours for it to play for the first time. BTW, remember to use the "Submit" button. "Request" is for one time requests when a DJ is live. I'm brainstorming ideas on streamlining this so that the tune always goes to the right place.
EDIT 5: Well this blew up bigger than I could have hoped for. Gonna call it a night, but I'll be back tomorrow to upload more of your suggestions!
Also I'm going to dust off the turntables and do a live show tomorrow @ 7-9pm EST (00:00-02:00 GMT, check the schedule on the website). Requests accepted. Catch you on the airwaves then!
FWIW, it's cause I've been planning this exact concept since 2002 lol. Finally worked up the courage to make it happen. I remember the days of using Winamp and running the entire thing off your own PC. We've come quite a long way.
Speaking of which, there is a way to request tunes from the database when no DJ is connected. it's kind of hidden, but if you scroll down to the bottom of the webpage, you'll see a "send an Auto DJ request" link just below the live DJ request form.
i had these tied to company intranets, so running on big ol' internal servers.. employees could dedicated songs on the company radio, and the user would get an email letting them know their dedication was playing soon, etc.
its a lot more interactive/fun with IRC though
For now the current plans are to use Discord due to its robust bot support. But it wouldn't be a bad idea to use something less-corporate like IRC. No promises yet.
theres nothing more amazingly connective that irc! its so mature, and the OG bot writing. i once wrote an IRC to AIM connector that let me sit on IRC on a a gen1 t-mobile sidekick
Well you'll be the first person I contact to help set this up should I decide to migrate to IRC.