Paradise by the Laptop Light by Meg Meyer
When I write, when I clean, when I surf online or chat with my friends, there's one constant - music. The usual source of the music, in my case is an internet-based, commercial free, listener supported, freely available, DJ mixed eclectic radio station called Radio Paradise.
You don't need to register to listen. You don't need special software. You don't get bombarded with a bunch of annoying advertisements.
What you do get is a hand picked mix of music from around the globe, deep cuts, indie artists to serenade you through your life. Sometimes a song will fade into the background, and others will do a running jump into your face. Discover new songs, new artists, even some from a part of the planet you don't think about on a regular basis.
You can see what's playing now, and what you just missed, right on the homepage. Decide to listen (most music is work safe) or log in to the website for more interactive options.
While registration is not required, music fans will want to join in the discussion about what's playing. Like a song? Or did one make your ears bleed in protest? Speak up! Vote! Add a comment.
Click on a song, and be taken to a page where all kinds of information is available. Check out more from the artist, more from the album, see the album art (when available,) get lyrics, see what others think about the song. Purchase the song from iTunes or Amazon, get tour information.
The main thing I enjoy Radio Paradise for is connecting with my long-distance friends. While I listen in Wisconsin, my friends in Texas, Hawaii, Alaska, and Australia are all listening to the same song, at the same time. We've been in the middle of our various daily tedium and a song will come on that we'll get excited about and touch base with each other, via IM and say, "are you listening? What a great song!"
Another thing I credit Radio Paradise with is discovering, and purchasing music, like "Land of Anaka," by Geoffrey Oryema, off of "African Odysseus." I never would have been captivated by that song, or exposed to such a wide variety of artists on mainstream radio stations.
Have music that you think should be on RP? Want to be heard worldwide? Submit your two best songs to the Listener Review Channel. If it fits with what RP plays, you could get featured in the LRC, and voted upon by fans of Radio Paradise, and voted into the regular rotation. Being "discovered" by thousands of people, worldwide, at once, couldn't be bad exposure.
In our global culture, it's amazing to look at the listener map on Radio Paradise and see 11,661 listeners in the USA, 1213 listeners in Canada, 143 in Brazil, 624 in Germany, and even two in Iraq are all checking out the same song as I am, at this moment. There are listeners all over, just take a look!
Bill & Rebecca Goldsmith DJ the station themselves, mixing sets for a smooth flow, resulting in optimum listener enjoyment. Radio Paradise is based out of Paradise, California, and runs on an "innovative programming automation system" that Bill designed himself.
Royalties and copyright fees are high, and have recently increased for all internet radio stations, while AM & FM stations don't have to pay these extra fees, incidentally. Radio Paradise relies on it's affiliate relationships, and loyal listeners to give them the money they need to keep the station going. So you may occasionally hear Bill ask for donations, or pitching Radio Paradise hoodies, as a means to cover the cost of staying "on air." (Or would it be "on stream?")
If you have eclectic taste in music, and like giving your ears new treats, you'll enjoy Radio Paradise. But what you might like most about Radio Paradise is what you don't hear... advertisements.
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The preceding post is an article I wrote on a non-exclusive, non-paid basis. It's submitted to several content banks including:
GoArticles.com.
Constant Content.
Meg Meyer's Lenses.
Meg Meyer's Writing & Business Blog.
The Center of Muse.
MegMeyer.com - Pre-Launch
And, of course, the journals of RadioParadise.com.
Are YOU going to share this on your website? Let me know & I'll add a link to your site!
- Meg Meyer
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