March 23rd, 2010WOXY.COM ceases operation ?
Rumours started surfacing on my trip back from this year’s SXSW that a serious situation was brewing at US indie station WOXY.COM and having just checked their Internet streams we now fear the worst has happened and WOXY.COM have ceased broadcasting. This appears to be following the ending of their funding by current owners Future Sounds of California and the lack of any suitable buyers. With the impending possible BBC6Music axing, it feels like indie music itself is under attack.
For those who are not already aware, WOXY.COM is probably one of the 5 true indie stations in the USA along with the likes of KEXP, KCRW, The Current, WFMU etc. Pretty much all other stations have moved over to AAA & chart music only. Only these few stations still exist who, like 6Music, are the sole places where new music can get onto the US airwaves. Indeed WOXY.COM is probably the best exponent of this and must have now given thousands of bands their first airing on radio.
This terrible news of WOXY.COM’s closure comes immediately after what was probably their best week of SXSW hosting artists from Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings to Frightened Rabbit to Surfer Blood to We Were Promised Jetpacks to name but a few.
From a personal point of view, WOXY.COM was the main catalyst for Heist Or Hit Records being formed following hearing a track called Radio Nurse by the first artist we signed being played on the station. Several influential commentators have suggested that 6Music’s natural match in the USA is WOXY.COM, both stations having similar ethos. There has already been an amazing response from artists, labels etc to the attack on 6Music but I fear that the situation with WOXY.COM is far worse, possibly irretrievable.
Heist would urge all those artists who have enjoyed airplay on WOXY.COM or anyone who believes in truly independent radio to email, blog and just generally shout to anyone who will listen to see if we can find some white knight to step in and save the station even at what would appear to be past the 11th hour.
WOXY.COM’s station ID is “WOXY.COM – The Future of Rock & Roll”. We sure as hell hope so!
Mick/Heist
Ref: http://www.woxy.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WOXY.com
