Welcome To Dynamic Range Radio

Dynamic Range Radio is an eclectic internet radio station playing a wide mix of commercial-free music 24/7. Broadcasting from Vancouver, Canada, Dynamic Range Radio is committed to the idea of radio as an art form, offering carefully-crafted sets built around themes while focusing on sound quality.

The station is listener-supported, so if you like what you hear please consider making a donation. You won't hear any commercials on Dynamic Range Radio, so the only way I can pay the bills is through the generous support of listeners just like you, or by commissions through affiliates like Amazon. Just click one of the PayPal buttons on the left-hand side of every page, or on any of my Amazon links scattered throughout the site.

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Thanks for visiting the site, and I hope you enjoy the music.

Dynamic Range Radio Is Back

** UPDATE ** There will be a short outage Saturday morning at approximately 8 am Pacific time while I fix a lingering issue from yesterday. The Telus routing issue is supposed to be solved so everything should be normal after that.

My server provider Stream Solutions came up with a workaround that solved the routing issue affecting Telus users in British Columbia, so Dynamic Range Radio is back on the air.

I really appreciate them coming up with this solution for a problem they weren't even responsible for, and on a holiday no less.

The iTunes, Winamp, Windows Media Player, and RadioTuna links are all working as I write this, and the ShoutCast player should reset itself shortly.

After the week I've had I'm almost dreading what might pop up tomorrow. Apartment fire? Meteor strike? Zombie apocalypse? At this point, nothing would surprise me.

More Outages

Another day, another problem.

I woke up this morning to find that I was unable to connect to my servers. The hardware issue I was having this week is not the culprit and my server provider claims everything is working on their end. They can connect to the server but I can't. My internet connection seems to be fine, so all I can guess is that the internet is broken.

** UPDATE** TELUS has confirmed that there is a routing issue affecting customers in British Coulmbia. There is no ETA on when it will be fixed

I've done everything I can think of at this point, so hopefully the issue will resolve itself soon.

Normal Programming Resumed

The guys fixing my hardware issue came through a few hours earlier than expected, and everything seems to be working properly, so normal programming has resumed as of 6:35 Pacific time Tuesday night.

I haven't spent much time testing the new hardware so it's possible that problems will return, but I decided the best way to test everything was to start the broadcast and see what happens. If you notice anything that sounds wrong, like songs that appear to missing or awkward segues, try to make a note of what you heard and let me know at johnerle@dynamicrangeradio.ca

And on a final note, a big thanks to Paul for making a donation today even though the station was silent. That was an unexpected surprise and it'll help cover a portion of today's repair bill.

Major Computer Problems

For anyone who isn't reading my Twitter or Facebook feeds, here's the scoop: Dynamic Range Radio suffered a serious computer crash yesterday that's brought the station to it's knees.

My backup plan for this contingency turned out to have some flaws, so the station is down until Tuesday night at least, possibly longer.

Sorry about the outage and stay tuned for updates.

** UPDATE #1**

I'm now able to broadcast, but it won't be what you're used to hearing on Dynamic Range Radio.

I've loaded up a day's worth of songs and I'm relying on an Auto DJ program to randomly select what songs to play. There will be some awkward segues and the way songs flow together won't be the same, but I figure broadcasting something is better than nothing right now, so I hope you'll all bear with me.

There's still a chance normal programming will resume tonight, but I wouldn't count on it. All I can promise is that it'll be back as soon as possible.

Computer Troubles Over

My new modem is working nicely, and I finally have a new laptop, so I can monitor the broadcast regularly again, and I'll be able to respond more quickly if you're trying to reach me.

The bad news is that I'm $650 deeper in debt, and donations have dried up so far this summer, so if you can afford to spare a little something I sure would appreciate it.

More Computer Troubles

And this time, it does affect the broadcast.

My modem appears to be on its last legs after conking out twice in the last few days that I know of, the last time for more than three hours today.

It's back up for now, but who knows for how long, so interruptions may be experienced over the next 3-5 business days, which is how long my ISP says it'll take to get me a new modem. I'm not at all happy about that delay, so I apologize in advance for any more disruptions.

This has not been a good week.

In honor of all the computer crashes I'm been experiencing this week, here's the latest video by The New Pornographers for you to enjoy if the station goes silent again.

Computer Troubles

My laptop went and died on me yesterday, which luckily won't affect the broadcast at all, but it will limit other aspects of station operations. I won't be able to monitor the broadcast from home, so I might not know right away if a server goes down or starts buffering. If you encounter such problems over the next few days, send an email to johnerle @ dynamicrangeradio.ca and I'll look into the situation ASAP.

I'll also have less time for web browsing, so if you leave me a message in the chatbox or on Facebook, don't be offended if I take a couple of days to get back to you.

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.

Dynamic Range Radio Needs Your Help - No Matter Where You're From

Approximately 40% of my listeners are from outside North America, but since the pledge drive began in April I haven't received a single donation from Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, or Africa.

My fellow Canadians have been pulling their weight, and my American listeners have made their fair share of donations as well, but the same can't be said for listeners from the UK or Germany, who use up nearly 10% of my bandwidth while giving nothing in return.

My PayPal buttons are for Canadian Dollars, US Dollars, or British Pounds, but you can use whatever currency PayPal accepts and your donation will automatically be converted into something I can use. So I'd very grateful if my international listeners would start to send me some Euros, Francs, Yen, Rupees, or Pesos.

And keep on sending me those Twoonies and Greenbacks as well. I need all I can get.

April was a great month for donations, and May was pretty good too, but June and July have been dismal, and you can't blame it on summer vacation because the number of listeners has been about the same. The recession affects us all, myself included, so whatever you can afford would help a lot.

Dynamic Range Radio Still Needs Your Help

April's pledge drive managed to stop the bleeding and Dynamic Range Radio covered its monthly expenses for the first time ever, but another month means another round of bills, so I wanted to remind everyone that your donations are still needed if Dynamic Range Radio is going to survive.

Last month's donations were a great start, but as of May 19th I'm only 40% of the way toward this month's goal, so anything you can afford would be greatly appreciated.

In addition to making one-time donations of whatever amount you choose, you can now set up a recurring monthly donation of $10 which will be automatically deducted from your PayPal account until you choose to cancel the subscription. And the first month's donation is a mere $5, so you can try it for a month and see if it's something you feel comfortable with.

Having recurring donations would be a great way for me to know that there'll be at least some money coming in each month, so if that sounds like something you'd be interested in, the buttons are just a little bit to the left. And if you'd like to make a recurring donation for a different amount, let me know and I can set that up for you.

So thanks again to everyone who's made donations so far, and hopefully those of you who've been on the fence will seriously consider making your first donation in the coming weeks.

Dynamic Range Radio Needs Your Help More Then Ever

Ever since getting added to the iTunes radio directory last fall, Dynamic Range Radio's number of listeners has been steadily rising, which is great, but the amount of donations has not increased at all, which means I'm losing money faster than ever before.

Dynamic Range Radio has always lost money, so that's nothing new, and when I originally started I thought it might take 3-5 years before I even came close to breaking even, but right now I'm losing too much money too quickly, so something's gotta give.

In the near future, you'll hear new station IDs featuring yours truly making more blatant calls for donations. I don't like the idea of Dynamic Range Radio sounding like PBS during a pledge drive, but it's better than continuing to bleed money or going off the air completely.

So if you've been enjoying Dynamic Range Radio for a while now and want to see it prosper, please consider making whatever donation you can afford. If just ten of my regular listeners were donating $10 per month each, that would cover the bulk of the extra expenses I've incurred since being added to iTunes. Twenty regular listeners donating $5 per month each would also do the trick.

Breaking even doesn't sound like an unrealistic goal, so whatever you can do to help would be greatly appreciated.

PS - A big thanks to Sid from Ladysmith for making the first of what I hope will be many donations this month, less than 24 hours after I posted this message. You rock, sir, and I wish there were more like you.

PPS - And another big thanks to Warrior X for her very generous donation and the kind words that went along with it. (Happy BDay to you!)

That puts me more than halfway to my modest goal of $100 in the month of April, which happens to include my birthday in its final week. I can't think of a better present than reaching and then surpassing my support goal for the month.

** UPDATE April 19th**

Thanks to a sizeable donation by Kelly B. from Ontario, April's support goal has been reached, and surpassed! Thank you, Kelly!

I've been very impressed by how quickly the target was reached, and by the size of the donations that people were willing to make. Three people was enough to push me over the $100 mark, so thanks again to each and every one of you.

Since my modest goal of covering April's server expenses has already been reached, it's time to set the bar higher and see if I can't cover some of those other expenses, like my decicated internet connection, web hosting, and maybe even my valuable time.

I'm still several donations short of breaking even for the month, and I don't even want to think about how much money I've lost over the past three years, so if any more listeners are still thinking of making a donation, I would still very much appreciate whatever you can afford to part with.

A Note To Confused iTunes Listeners

The Halloween broadcast is now over, and I've alerted iTunes of the change, but the Hallowen show is still listed for the time being, even though it points people to my regular broadcast. You aren't missing any hidden subtext in these songs. They've got nothing to do with Halloween.

Hopefully iTunes will decide to keep the regular broadcast listed, but that's beyond my control. iTunes only lists a small percentage of the stations that are out there, so getting the Halloween show listed was something of a coup, and very much appreciated.

If, for whatever reason, Dynamic Range Radio disappears from the iTunes listings, that doesn't mean it's gone off the air, and there's nothing stopping you from bookmarking the server or tuning in from this website.

But hopefully it will stay listed and I'll be enjoying this nice boost to my listenership for a long time to come.

Halloween Another Stunning Success... And It's Not Over Yet

Dynamic Range Radio's Halloween broadcast rewrote the record books yesterday, setting new high water marks in nearly every way imaginable.

At its peak, the Halloween broadcast was reaching more than 1,200 listeners, which shattered the old record set by last year's Halloween show.

Having 1,200 listeners pushed the Halloween show into the top 30 of all internet radio stations worldwide according to SHOUTcast, and it may have even cracked the top 20 at some point. The highest ranking I saw was #21.

Among eclectic stations, which is the standard I usually measure Dynamic Range Radio by, the Halloween broadcast ranked #2 at its peak, kicking KCRW's ass and breathing down Radio Paradise's neck. (Now that it's Saturday, I'm back to having my ass handed to me by both of them.)

Looking at web hits, I tallied almost 1,000 unique page loads on Oct 31, doubling the record set one year ago. And those 1,000 hits mean that I had more page loads in one day than I've had in any single month up until now.

But despite all the people listening, and all the people visiting the website, the one area that wasn't overwhelming was the number of donations. I didn't get nearly enough to cover my expenses, so that kind of puts a damper on things.

If only 10% of the people who listened had donated $10, I would have been in good shape. Even 5% donating $5 would have been great, but when less than 0.1% choose to make a donation, that means I'm going deeper and deeper into debt.

Still, I hope that all the exposure yesterday will lead to more people tuning in to the regular broadcast over the coming months, and maybe, someday, the goal of breaking even will finally be reachable.

As for the rest of the weekend, I plan to leave the Halloween show running until Sunday night at least. To me, Halloween isn't over until the Simpsons' Treehouse Of Horror Special is broadcast, and there are still enough people listening to keep the Halloween show among the top 10 of eclectic stations on SHOUTcast, which is not too shabby.

Once I shut it down, all the servers will switch over to the regular broadcast, and hopefully iTunes will decide to keep it listed. :fingers crossed: The regular broadcast could really use the same boost that the Halloween show received.

Dynamic Range Radio's Halloween Show Now On iTunes!

Yes, I received some exciting news today. Dynamic Range Radio's Halloween show is supposed to be listed in the iTunes radio directory starting sometime tonight, so welcome to everyone who may be discovering Dynamic Range Radio for the first time.

I know that some other internet radio stations have experienced sudden tremendous growth after being added to the iTunes directory, so tomorrow could be an eventful day for Dynamic Range Radio, but unfortunately I won't be around to witness it.

I started some gruelling training for a new job this week, so I'll be unavailable for at least twelve hours on Thursday, and maybe more.

If there is a sudden growth spurt tomorrow there's always the possibility of growing pains as well, so I apologize in advance if anything goes wrong when I won't be around to fix it. I've done my best to prepare everything tonight, and I'll deal with any issues that may arise as soon as possible.

Not that I'm expecting problems, but I wanted newcomers to understand why they won't get an immediate reponse to their queries if something should go haywire.

But hopefully everything will go smoothly and Dynamic Range Radio will have lots of new listeners tomorrow who come away with a positive first impression and have nothing but nice things to say.

What a nice treat that would be.

No More 15 Minute Time Limits!

As of August 11th, I'm no longer limiting Dynamic Range Radio to fifteen minute listening sessions. The goal was to try and encourage people to subscribe by giving them limited access to the music for free and full-time access if they subscribed, but it wasn't working so I'm returning to a pay-what-you-think-it's-worth model.

In other words, listen to your heart's content, and if you like what you hear, I encourage you to make a donation to help keep Dynamic Range Radio broadcasting.

Some people would say that's an insane business model. They'd say that no one will buy the cow if you give the milk away for free, but I've found that until people develop a taste for milk they won't even buy a carton of the stuff.

So I'm back to giving it away for free and hoping that people will eventually want to donate out of the kindness of their hearts, and since my listenership has increased in less than 24 hours since getting rid of the 15 minute limit, hopefully the fanbase will grow more quickly this way.

In the immediate future I'll be focusing more on trying to get sponsors on board, and as the audience grows it'll be a lot easier for me to do that.

I still hope to have a two-tiered system in the future where people tuning in for free will have to listen to an ad before the music starts up, while subscribers get to skip the ad and head straight for the music, but for now everyone can listen for as long as they want and hopefully I'll get a few more loyal listeners that way.

And if you like the station, don't forget to tell a friend.

Possible Service Interruptions

I'm going to be reconfiguring the music streams over the next day or so. Everything should be back to normal by the end of the day on Wednesday Thursday (Friday?) but there will be temporary interruptions until then.

EDIT: The company that provides those servers came through late last night when I was nestled all snug in my bed while visions of a steady income danced in my head.

Everything seems to be working properly now, so no further interruptions are planned.

The good news is that the free 128k streams will be returning, with a catch. Listeners will be limited to 15 minutes per session, then they'll be kicked off the server. Of course, people who set up a subscription will receive unlimited access to the 128k password-protected servers. People listening for free will have to decide whether fifteen minute chunks are enough for them, or whether they feel Dynamic Range Radio is something worth supporting.

It actually costs me more to offer the 64k stream, which very few people are listening to, so I've decided to do away with it as a cost cutting measure due to the impending financial crisis.

The fifteen minute previews of the 128k stream are probably a better selling tool than the 64k stream ever was since it gives listeners a taste of DRR's best audio quality, and since it's cheaper to only offer 128k, it seems like a logical decision to do so.

Free 128k Stream Shutting Down April 7th

It’s crunch time for Dynamic Range Radio. If I don’t start earning a decent income from the station within the next month or two, I’ll be forced to take an outside job, which means a lot less time spent adding music to the playlist, and less time spent on all the other things that go on behind the scenes to keep the music flowing.

I’d love to be one of those “pay what you think it’s worth” type of stations, but it can take years to build up the kind of listener loyalty that encourages people to donate money out of the kindness of their hearts, and I can’t afford to wait that long.

So, as of April 7th, the 128k stereo stream will be reserved for supporting listeners only, while the 64k mono stream will remain free for everyone to listen to.

To learn more, read the subscription FAQ.

The free 128k servers may return if I can find sponsors to help cover expenses, so if you run an online business of your own and want a low-cost way to reach an expanding international audience, I’ll be posting more info on that soon as well.

And for those of you who’ve been tuning in for free during the beta testing phase, I hope you’ve enjoyed what you’ve heard and will consider becoming a supporting listener.

12 Hours Of New Music Added

For the past month, I'd been spending a lot of time on marketing and other behind-the-scenes activities which, unfortunately, meant that the playlist wasn't being updated as often as it had been in the past. But this week I focused entirely on the music, which is the part I enjoy most, and managed to add a whole bunch of fresh tracks into heavy rotation, including brand new stuff from the terrific Sons And Daughters album, This Gift.

What an incredible record! If there were any justice in the world, This Gift would be a huge success, but since my tastes are rarely in step with the mainstream, Sons And Daughters will probably have to settle for a devoted cult following, of which I'm a member. And with songs like this, you should be too...



Look for Gilt Complex and at least one other song from This Gift in heavy rotation starting this week.



Or buy from Amazon.ca (Canada)

Also keep an eye out for new music from two terrific Canadian artists, Stars and Caribou, as well as British Sea Power, The Black Kids, The Helio Sequence, Raheem DeVaughn, Pinback, The Hot Toddies, Beirut, Hard-Fi, The Go! Team, CSS, and more.

I've also added a bunch of old music from seminal Vancouver punks The Pointed Sticks, and assorted older music from artists as varied as Human League and Chick Webb.

Is The Music Industry Dying?

Here's a look at the state of the music industry today, written by Nate Anderson.

It suggests that

• The major labels are in big trouble (boo-hoo)
• The CD is nearly dead (no big deal)
• The music industry is thriving, if you understand the new economy

I've read a lot of stories like this lately, but this part was particularly fascinating:

An anecdote in a recent Economist perfectly summed up the problems facing the major music labels. After EMI, the smallest of the Big Four, invited a teen focus group to its London headquarters in 2006, it wanted to give the teens something for their time. The response is worth quoting in full.

At the end of the session the EMI bosses thanked them for their comments and told them to help themselves to a big pile of CDs sitting on a table. But none of the teens took any of the CDs, even though they were free. "That was the moment we realised the game was completely up," says a person who was there.

When you can't even give your product away, you're in big trouble. Believe me, I know of what I speak. That $5 I've made from Google ads over the past year isn't exactly paying the bills.

Read the rest of the article here.