This document brings you a new idea. At present it is a call for thoughts, ideas and comments from a very small group of people. Comments and suggestions for panel members may be added at the foot of the proposal below.

Issue Date: 14th January 2006


The Problem

The problem with podsafe music is that it will rarely create any big stars or big success for the musicians because there is no mechanism to promote individual artists through consistent airplay. Everyone chooses what they want and plays what they want, and while this is excellent for choice it doesn't give any artist a real 'push' into public consciousness very often. There are exceptions of course, such as Brother Love, but these are few and far between. Even 'stars' like Matthew Ebel haven't been able to 'give up the day job' just yet. This is the role normally played by the record company in the real world, where having a record contract means promotion, plugging and the appearance of your song on a playlist where it gains familiarity through 'rotation'.


The 'problem' is more a fragmentation - so much great stuff is being heard on multiple podcasts. We've all heard some exceptional stuff on smaller podcasts and then not heard that artist again. In a way the proposal is working on an ad hoc basis, it would just be nice to put 'edges' around the framework. There are some who use the music as 'garnish' in podcasts rather than really deliberate over quality and content. Others spend many hours getting two or three pieces of music that are just right. But as one podcaster influences another we believe the opportunity is there for a promotional mechanism to operate.


Of course, no-one would want a world where every podcast plays the same music, so the challenge is to create a system that would enhance the visibility of a selected set of songs over a set period, without in any way inhibiting the choice and variety a podcaster may wish to bring to their show.

 



THE PROPOSAL

The proposal then, is to create a panel of podcasters and listeners who each submit a set number of songs to each other every month. The panel then reviews these podsafe tracks and selects (by voting) a limited number of songs (say 10), in this way creating the Panel's official playlist for the following month. Only members of the panel have the right to submit tracks and vote, and all panel members must agree to play all of the playlisted tracks at least once during the month. The playlist will be published so that other podcasters may choose to play songs from the playlist as well.



Objectives


The panel's sole objective is to assist in the promotion of podsafe artists by increasing their exposure over a given period. No restrictions are intended other than the agreement for each panel member to play the songs on the playlist. 


Familiarity in podcasting circles does not breed contempt, rather it assists the hard-working and best liked artist. We know that this suggestion will work. Why? Simply, because of the rise of such stars as The Lascivious Biddies, Brother Love, Hollow Horse, Matthew Ebel and others.



RULES