Trouble At WOXY

Sad news in the world of internet radio today. WOXY.com has stopped broadcasting despite a relatively high profile, lots of industry connections, a brand that dated back to the early 80's, and a loyal fanbase. The timing is especially surprising since they had just moved operations from Cincinatti to Austin, a hotbed for the indie rock that was WOXY's bread and butter.

WOXY was one of the stations that initially inspired me to create Dynamic Range Radio because I was impressed by the uncompromising integrity of the playlist yet left wondering why the sound quality had to be so awful.

Still, WOXY will be missed. A quick look at their playlist always pointed me in the direction of what was new and exciting in the world of indie/alternative rock, and their vintage channel would have been ideal if not for the aggressive compression.

Here's the terse message that was posted on WOXY's website yesterday:

WOXY Listeners, Fans and Friends...

Due to current economic realities and the lack of ongoing funding for WOXY's operations, we've been forced to suspend our live broadcasts as of March 23rd. We're continuing to explore options to keep The Future of Rock and Roll alive. For business inquiries, please contact Bryan Jay (bryan@woxy.com) or John at Future Sounds (john@futuresounds.com).

Thanks for your years of dedicated support.

- Mike, Shiv, Joe, Paige, Brian and Bryan Jay

So it sounds like they haven't completely given up, and they've been rescued from oblivion once before, so there's still hope for WOXY, but that sudden blackout sent a shiver down my spine and made me wonder how much hope there is for Dynamic Range Radio and the entire industry in the long run.

DRR's expenses are much lower than WOXY's so I'm in no danger of folding up shop anytime soon, but WOXY's apparent demise is a grim reminder of how important it is to support your favourite internet radio stations while you can.