Everyone here obviously uses the internet to find good new music (at least to some extent). However, most colleges/universities have radio stations that can help expose great local acts, or simply introduce people to artists that might not be discussed as much on these boards or on the internet in general. That said, I was wondering if anyone here listens to a local radio station(s) on a regular basis to find new music? Or, even better, is anyone here involved in their local radio station (as a DJ, etc.)?
I'll go first: Over the summer, I had a 1.5 hour radio show once a week at my college radio station. Since September, I haven't had a regularly scheduled show, but I've filled in for other people a few times. It's been an awesome experience - it's such a great way to meet people who have similar musical tastes (which can be difficult otherwise), and I love being able to play stuff I love for other people who might not have heard it otherwise. As for the other way around, I've been exposed to a few artists I may not have checked out any further otherwise (the only one I can think of at the moment is The Lovely Feathers).
I think it will be funnier to talk about the concept and/or the creation process of a radio show. Because it's normal to discover some band or artists on college or university radio stations...and I prefer to mention the name of the bands I like without talking each time about how I specifically discovered the band...but hey, it's just a suggestion.
My show was a rather loosely genred 'indie rock/pop' show, so I basically got to play whatever I wanted, although there were requirements for playing albums new to the station and Canadian content. Anyways, I'd usually try to do sets that had some sort of running theme (by country, genre, or by stuff like song title, the same contributing artists, etc.). I would also have a segment each show that was new Canadian music. Not only did this fulfill my requirements (which was the main reason I started doing that ), but it forced me to play more than just the artists that I was already familiar with. What I found particularly frustrating, though, was when there was something I wanted to play but the station didn't have it. Some of the more surprising omissions from the CD collection were any Neutral Milk Hotel, You Forgot It In People, Girls Can Tell, and (believe it or not) Slanted and Enchanted... but it's definitely possible that those titles got stolen, too.
