Just as Scrooge McDuck has a huge vault of gold to swim around in, so do we have an ocean of superior, non-commercial music here in Seattle: the inimitable 90.3 KEXP, our very own alternative station. With professional, knowledgeable DJs (who choose their own playlists) and die-hard community support, KEXP has managed to thrive in the difficult times facing radio these days. But not all cities are so lucky. Ex-Seattelite Gina reports this news from L.A.: "Our indie station here in LA 103.1 has gone off the airwaves and is just online now. So sad."This story broke last month, and while it may not be topping the headlines right now, it should still be a lesson to us all: fringe stations need our financial support. Without corporate financing or intensely creative marketing, independent radio stations are going the way of the dinosaur. The fact that "the" indie station in L.A. - a teeming metropolis with hundreds of trend-setting acts - has gone off the air is a harbinger of more disturbing times to come (along with them even more homogenized Clear Channel slurry.)
Course the irony is that refusing to play the corporate game invites financial hardship - the very thing corporate sponsorship prevents (along with free will), and it's only with our support that these hold-outs can hold out. So pledge often, rally behind the little guy, and God forbid the day we ever have to move to L.A...
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