After a lengthy process that ended last fall, Indie88, CIND-FM Toronto, was awarded the right to broadcast on 88.1 FM, the frequency that was held for a long time by Ryerson University’s CKLN, which lost its license from the CRTC. The license holder, CKLN Radio Inc., was found to have been in breach of numerous regulations. It was also unable to convince the Commission that it could operate the station “in a compliant manner going forward.” Indie88 provides a listener-driven approach to programming, like some stations on the Listener Driven Radio platform.
Indie88’s Opening Playlist:
Arcade Fire, Ready to Start
MGMT, Electric Feel
July Talk, Paper Girl
Pixies, Where Is My Mind?
Broken Social Scene, 7/4 (Shoreline)
Broken Bells, The High Road
Spoon, I Turn My Camera On
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sacrilege
Cage the Elephant, Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked
Clash, Rock the Casbah
Hannah Georgas, Robotic
Atlas Genius, Trojans
Johnny Cash, Hurt
Austra, Lost It
White Stripes, We’re Going to be Friends
Talking Heads, Once in a Lifetime
Adam Thompson, originally from Ottawa, but whose 13-year radio career has taken him all over the country, spoke to The National Post: “I’m like an 11-year-old on Christmas Eve,” he said, predicting that he would not be getting much sleep overnight. “It was a lot of work to get to this point, so to be at the cusp of it, it’s a little bit overwhelming. In a good way.”
Indie88 beat out 21 other applications for the coveted frequency, thanks mostly to the originality of their pitch.
“This company has been trying to get this license for years, so when it was finally awarded in September, that was definitely the biggest hurdle to jump. From there, it was building the team. Our first hire was a digital director, because our digital strategy is very important. Especially with all the new players coming in — and radio needs to adapt,” he said.
Indie88′s approach to programming is definitely what sets the station apart from others on the FM dial. Using listener input, social media, and analytics, the programmers are able to cater to the musical tastes of all their most vocal fans.
We will look at that data on a weekly basis, and program accordingly. The songs at the top get played the most, the songs at the bottom get dropped.
“It’s all listener engagement, as far as steering the playlist and driving our programing. The onus is on us, in terms of finding new music, and to source what we think is relevant and credible. And we get do that through fun research — looking around on a local level, national level, and international level, to see who’s dropping what and what’s really connecting with music fans,” said Thompson.
“Services like Hype Machine, and blog aggregators, and view counts, and downloads, and stream counts, these are all really good indications as far as what people are listening to. It gives us a good sense — out of the myriad of music being released on a daily basis — what’s really popping through. We’re able to look at those hotspots, judge what’s going to fit on our station, and from there we have active listener engagement to see what people want. We will look at that data on a weekly basis, and program accordingly. The songs at the top get played the most, the songs at the bottom get dropped.”
In addition to being found on the left-most spot on the radio dial, the station will also be broadcast online at Indie88.com. Their first song they went live-to-air with Wednesday was Arcade Fire’s Ready to Start.
“We’re called Indie88 because we’re independently-owned and operated. The term ‘indie’ is impossible to define, in my opinion,” Thompson told the paper. “It’s a really subjective word, and to some people it’s very personal. If I were to provide a definition, some people would take issue with that. So we’re not going to try to define it.”
See the National Post story here
RBR-TVBR observation: Seems like an easy formula for Indie Rock that lets the audience pick their faves. Why not do it for commercial radio? The audience is young and educated enough from years of music discovery on sites like Pandora. This is a way for terrestrial radio to get back some of that audience. Here’s a few more songs from my stash that they could add to the “pickable” playlist:
Beck:
Gamma Ray
Missing
Nausea
Elevator Music
Black Tambourine
Que Onda Guero
Sexx laws
Motorcade
Earthquake weather
Chemtrails
Timebomb
Hollywood Freaks
E-pro
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah:
Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood
Underwater (you and me)
Satan said dance
Over and over again (Lost and found)
Heavy metal
Love Song No. 7
Death Cab for Cutie:
Title and registration
A Movie Script Ending
Why you’d want to live here
Photo Booth
Technicolor Girls
Hindsight
Silversun Pickups:
…All the go inbetweens
Kissing families
Little Lover’s so polite
Lazy eye
Santigold:
Hold the line
L.E.S. Artistes
My Drive Thru (with Julian Casablancas and Pharrell)
Shove it
Creator
Don’t Play no game that I can’t win
Disparate Youth
Mates of state:
I got this feelin’
Ha Ha
Goods (all in your head)
Quit doin’ it
Fraud in the 80’s
Middle is gold
So many ways
LCD Sound System:
Losing my edge
Daft Punk is playing at my house
Never as tired as when I’m waking up
Tribulations
Someone great
Disco Infiltrator
North American scum
I can change
Yeah Yeah Yeahs:
Maps
Cheated Heart
Down boy
Modern Romance
Gold Lion
Elliott Smith:
A Fond Farewell
Needle in the Hay
Coming up roses
New Monkey
The White Stripes:
A boy’s best friend
Blue Orchid
Rag & Bone
We’re going to be friends
Modest Mouse:
Autumn Beds
Trailer Trash
Dramamine
Dashboard
Blame it on the Tetons
She ionizes and atomizes
Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Heart Cooks Brain
The Good Times are killing me
Lounge (Closing Time)
The World at large
Polar opposites
Ohio
Iron & Wine:
Upward over the mountain
Jesus the Mexican Boy
Mother
Beneath the Balcony
Boy with a coin
Cinder and smoke
The devil never sleeps
Bright Eyes:
When the President Talks to God
Down a Rabbit Hole
First Day of Life
Solid Jackson
Magnetic Fields:
I think I need a new heart
Village in the Morning
World Love
The dreaming moon
The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side
You and me and the moon
Please stop dancing
Belle & Sebastian:
Step into my office, baby
Wrapped up in books
The boy with the Arab strap
Your cover’s blown
Mayfly
Lord Anthony
Far away, by my side
Peter Bjorn & John:
Nothing to worry about
Chills
Let’s call it off
Amsterdam
Eels:
Fresh Feeling
Souljacker
Trouble with Dreams
Last stop this town
Snow Patrol:
Run
Chocolate
Spitting Games
Massive Attack:
Five Man Army
Risingson
Group Four
Karmacoma
Interpol:
Obstacle 1
Next Exit
Say Hello to the angels
NYC
Kasabian:
Club Foot
L.S.F (Lost Souls Forever)
Processed beats
The Shins:
Kissing the lipless
Sleeping lessons
The Hives:
Two Timing Touch and Broken Bones
Walk Idiot Walk
Flaming Lips:
Fight Test
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Part 1
Pinback:
Offline P.K.
Good to sea
Seville
Tripoli
Offcell
Neutral Milk Hotel:
Everything Is
In the aeroplane over the sea
Cocorosie:
Promise
Rainbowarriors
Japan
Hot Chip:
Over and Over
Colours (DEA Remix)
Boy from school
Ready for the floor
Ladytron:
Re Agents
Startup chime
Destroy everything you touch
Black Cat
Tricky:
Hell is around the corner
Black Steel
Track Star:
Something very winning
Sooner it dies
The Streets:
Fit but you know it
Lets’ push things forward
CSS:
Let’s Make Love and Listen to death from above
Alala
Clinic:
Harvest (Within You)
Welcome
Walking with thee
The Thermals:
Back to Gray
Test pattern
Joanna Newsom:
The book of right on
The Sprout and the bean
Tarwater:
Rome
Sweethome under white clouds
The Liars:
The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack
Houseclouds
TV on the radio:
Staring at the Sun
Don’t love you
A method
Dreams
Of Montreal:
I was never young
Heimdalsgate like a Promethean curse
Forecast Fascist Future
Arcade Fire:
Wake Up
Rebellion
Say Hi to Your Mom:
Super
A hit in Sweden
Unicorns:
Les Os
Child Star
Tegan & Sara:
You wouldn’t like me
I know I know I know
Pavement:
Father to a sister of thought
Here
Fight this generation
Hit the plane down
Muse:
Supermassive Black Hole
Knights of Cydonia
Time is running out
The Bravery:
No Brakes
An Honest Mistake
Earlimart:
The Hidden Track
Big ol’ black
The Dandy Warhols:
We used to be friends
You come in burned
Tom Waits:
Make it rain
How’s it going to end?
Hang on St. Christopher
Superchunk:
1,000 Pounds (Duck Kee style)
Long Dark (Alt.)
Ben Kweller:
Wasted & Ready
My Apartment
The Faint:
Drop Kick the Punks
Desperate Guys
Peaches:
Boys wanna be her
AAXXX
Simple Kid:
The Twentysomething
Love’s an enigma
Yo La Tengo:
Autumn Sweater
Little eyes
Mirah:
Don’t die in me
Body below
The Moldy Peaches:
Who’s got the crack?
Anyone else but you
Lucky Charms
The Raveonettes:
Love in a Trash Can
Aly walk with me
Lust
With my eyes closed
Hallucinations
Film School:
P.S.
Ms. Connection
American Analog Set:
Gone to Earth
Don’t wake me
Weather report
The Innocence Mission:
Tomorrow on the Runway
Bright as Yellow
McClusky:
Rice is nice
She Will Only Bring You Happiness
The Kills:
The good ones
U.R.A. Fever
What New York used to be
Portishead:
Elysium
Sour Times
Mysterions
Machine Gun
Strangers
Rainer Maria:
Artificial Light
The Seven Sisters
Clouddead:
Pop Song
Rifle Eyes
Soul Coughing:
Screenwriter’s Blues
The Incumbent
Wilco:
Pot Kettle Black
California Stars (with Billy Bragg)
The Postal Service:
DC sleeps alone tonight
Such great heights
Brand new colony
The starlight mints:
Margarita
The Twilight Showdown
Radiohead:
Climbing (fila brazillia)
Reckoner
All I need
Lily Allen:
Smile
LDN
Placebo:
Meds
Runnin’ up that hill
Panda Bear:
Take Pills
Comfy in Nautica
Devendra Banhart:
Bad girl
Lover
See Saw
Chinese Children
Vivian Girls:
Where do you run to
Tell the world
Black Lips:
Veni Vidi Vici
Starting Over
Big Black Baby Jesus of Today
Cold War Kids:
Hang me up to dry
Something is not right
Joseph Arthur:
Even Tho
Creation or a stain?
The Russian Futurists:
Precious Metals
You dot, me dot, T dot
Cat Power:
Cross Bones Style
He war
Beat Happening:
Down at the sea
Bewitched
Architecture in Helsinki:
Heart it races
Do the Whirlwind
Matt & Kim:
Daylight
Good Ol’ Fashion Nightmare
Lykke Li:
Dance, Dance, Dance
Little bit
The Beta Band:
Dry the rain
Number 15
The Blow:
True Affection
In my room
Sleigh Bells:
Rill Rill
Infinity Guitars
The Hidden Cameras:
Ban Marriage
Smells like happiness
Boys of Melody
Animal Collective:
Summertime clothes
Brother Sport
What Would I Want? Sky
My Girls
Deerhoof:
Fresh born
+81
The Vaselines:
Jesus don’t want me for a sunbeam
You think you’re a man
Vampire Weekend:
Diplomat’s son
White Sky
Tune-Yards:
Gangsta
Sunlight
Bizness
The XX:
Infinity
Crystalized
Surfer Blood:
Catholic Pagans
Drinking problem
Cloud Nothings:
Our Plans
Strummin’
The Dead Weather:
Cut Like a Buffalo
Treat me like your mother
Tame Impala:
Feels like we only go backwards
Foxygen:
San Francisco
Temples:
Shelter song
Suuns:
Bambi
Magik Markers:
Risperdal
Lord Huron:
Time to run
Eternal Summers:
It’s easy
Harsh Realm:
Think about you
Mark Adams:
Oil on Mars
Three Oh Sees:
Carrion crawler
Lantern:
Bleed me dry
Cass McCombs:
Love thine enemy
Das Racist:
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha JK
Pond:
Elegant design
Band Of Skulls:
Sweet Sour
Sleeper agent:
Get it daddy
White Town:
Your woman
Big Pink:
Velvet
Spacemen 3:
Come down easy (demo)
Harlem:
Friendly Ghosts
Stint:
Good Morning Captain
Atlas Sound:
Walkabout
EMA:
Marked
305 Bluebonnet:
Bosque Brown plays Mara Lee Miller
Sonny & The Sunsets:
Too young to burn
Smog:
A jar of sand
Jay Reatard:
Frances Farmer will have her revenge
Bedhead:
Roman Candle
Sparklehorse:
Don’t take my sunshine away
Dog Door
Beach Fossils:
Vacation
Bran Van 3000:
Drinking in LA
Whitey:
Wrap it up
BlakRoc/FT Jim:
What you do to me
Magic Arm:
Boosty Bootsy
Tiny Masters of Today:
Pop Chart
The Baptist Generals:
Alcohol (Turn and Fall)
Dump:
When you were mine
Julian Plenti:
Fun that we have
Sea Wolf:
The Garden That You Planted
Datarock:
True Stories
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros:
Home
The Spinto Band:
Oh Mandy
The Polyamorous Affair:
Fashion
Sonic Youth:
Antenna
Alexandra Hope:
Dangerous
Lightning Dust:
I knew
Fever Ray:
When I grow up (Lissvik remix)
Papercuts:
Poor and Free
Say Hi:
Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh
James Pants:
Finger on the knife
Sigur Ros:
Gobbledigook
Koushik:
One in a Day
Vetiver:
You may be blue
Le Tigre:
Hot topic
Women:
Black rice
Chad VanGaalen:
Bones of man
Yellow Fever:
Alice
White Denim:
Sitting (LP version)
City and Colour:
Sleeping Sickness
M.I.A.:
Paper planes
Shotgun Jimmie:
Bedhead
Pop Levi:
Never Never Love
MGMT:
Electric feel
Mia Doi Todd:
Autumn
Liam Finn:
Second Chance
Kunga 219:
Could it be me?
The Thievery Corporation:
The state of the union
Kyle Andrews:
Your tester bunny
Oxford Collapse:
B-roll
Willoughby:
I’m losing you
Cruel Black Dove:
Love song
Prinzhorn Dance School:
You are the space invader
Stereolab:
Metronomic underground
Akron/Family:
Ed is a portal
Weezer:
Tired of Sex
Cinemascope:
Desert Inn
My Morning Jacket:
Cobra
Beirut:
Nantes
Great Lakes Swimmers:
Where in the world are you
New Buffalo:
You’ve gone my friend
Major Lazer:
Hold the Line
Flecton:
Summer down flames
Sunset Rubdown:
Up on your leopard
Midlake:
Roscoe
Noah and the Whale:
5 years
The new pornographers:
Myriad Harbour
The Strange:
Texas
Metric:
Police and the Private
M’s:
Ultraviolent men
White Rabbits:
The Plot
Low:
Sunflower
Kate Nash:
Pumpkin Soup
Calvin Harris:
Acceptable in the 80’s
The 1990’s:
You’re supposed to be my friend
The Sweet Homewreckers:
Wild America
The Saint Alvia Cartel:
Don’t wanna wait forever
The Notwist:
Shrink
Serge Gainsbourg:
Cargo Culte
!!! (Chk Chk Chk):
Take Ecstasy With Me
The Radio Dept.:
1995
Grand Analog:
Around this town
Half right:
Heatmiser
Yael Naim:
New Soul
Tone:
Sticks
Amy Honey:
Old Reliable Death
Bat for Lashes:
A forest
Corrina Rapp:
No one’s telling
Thurston Moore:
Psychic Hearts
Black Fiction:
Magic Hands
Dr. Dog:
The Old Days
The Good, The Bad and The Queen:
History Song
The Pink Mountaintops:
Can you do that dance?
Michael Franti and Spearhead:
Yell Fire
Dinosaur, Jr.:
I want you to know
Autolux:
Angry Candy
Damian Marley:
Welcome to Jamrock
They Might be Giants:
I’m impressed
Tim Armstrong:
Into action
The Ponys:
Double Vision
The Polyphonic Spree:
Running Away
Regina Spektor:
Edit
Mew:
The Zookeeper’s Boy
Annuals:
Carry Around
Great Lake Swimmers:
Where in the World are you now?
Hot Chip/Rolling Stones:
I’m Free
Gisli:
Go Get Em Tiger
John Vanderslice:
Exodus Damage
Radar Bros:
Capital Gain
Tommy Guererro:
Tomorrow’s Goodbye
From Major to Minor:
Heartbeats
Jose Gonzalez:
Heartbearts
Dead meadow:
Sleepy Silver Door
Lou Barlow:
Yawning Blue Messiah
Jennifer O’Connor:
Exeter, Rhode Island
Annuals:
Carry Around
Teddybears:
Punkrocker
Band of Horses:
The funeral
Grizzly Bear:
Knife
Page France:
Chariot
White Williams:
New Violence
Why?:
Good Friday
The Long Winters:
The commander think aloud
The Grabs:
Already forgotten
Man Man:
Top Drawer
Block Party:
This modern love
The Ting Tings:
Shut up and let me go
The Wolf Parade:
You are a runner
Eames Era:
Could Be Anything
Band of Bees:
Horsement
Love As Laughter:
Pulsar Radio
Corinna Repp:
No One’s Telling
Built to spill:
Strange
Hopewell:
Calcutta
Elliot Brood:
The Valley Town
The Asteroid Galaxy:
XXXX
Make Out Club:
You Were the First One
The John Spencer Blues Explosion:
She said
Viva Voce:
Business Casual
Lali Puna:
Clear Cut
Transplants:
Gangsters and Thugs
Stephen Malkmus:
Baby C’Mon
Mark Lanegan:
Hit the City
Superchunk:
Late-Century Dream
West Indian Girl:
Trip
Bloc Party:
Banquet
Karen O:
Hello Tomorrow
Mark Farina:
Cali Spaces
Seam:
Inching toward Juarez
Charles Douglas:
Splitting the Atom
Apples in Stereo:
Strawberryfire
The Wanteds:
Confess
The French:
Canada Water
The Libertines:
Campaign of Hate
Scrabbel:
Riot Series
Faultline:
Where is my boy?
Pitty Sing:
Radio
Astaire:
L-L-Love
Despistado:
A starsticks prediction
Takiko Minekawa:
Never/More
Silver Jews:
There is a place
Wormburner:
Skinny Leather Tie
Basement Jaxx:
Where’s Your Head At
Nic Armstrong & The Thieves:
Back into that room
Tilly and the Wall:
Fell down the stairs
Throwing Muses:
Ruthie’s Knocking
Guided by Voices:
Choking Tara
Sea and Cake:
The World is against you
John Wilkes Booze:
Meanwhile, at the Hideout
Mosquitos:
Dream Awake
Mouse on Mars:
Mine is in yours
Bishop Allen:
Rain
Ween:
Transdermal Celebration
Windsor for the Derby:
We fight til the death
The Hidden Cameras:
Doot Doot Plot
Singapore Sling:
My life is killing my rock ‘n’ roll
Tim Booth:
Wave Hello
The Walkmen:
Little House of Savages
Keane:
Bend and Break
Isidore:
Sanskrit
Moby:
Alice
The Wrens:
Happy
The Cardigans:
Erase/Rewind
Scissor Sisters:
Take Your Mama
Go Sailor:
Silly
Secret Machines:
Nowhere again
Tulsa Drone:
Red’s Theme
Secret Square:
Sparkly Green Couch
Calexico:
Attack El Robot Attack!
Dirty three:
I offered it up to the stars
Elefant
Sunlight makes me paranoid
22-20s:
Devil in Me
The Nationals:
Abel
The Rogers Sisters:
Fantasies are nice
Tiger Saw:
RU Courageous?
Will Johnson:
Closing Down My House
Tilly and the Wall:
A Perfect Fit
Pedro the Lion:
Foregone Conclusions
Macha:
Smash and Grab
The Go Find:
Bleeding Heart
The Concretes:
Say Something New
All Time Quarterback:
Why I Cry
Queens of the stone age:
Turnin’ on the screw
The Parkas:
Filthy rich kids
Kings of Convenience:
Misread
Devin Davis:
Giant Spiders
A Whisper in the Noise:
Silence
Midnight Movies:
Strange Desire
Camper Van Beethoven:
51-7
Flipper:
Sex Bomb
Rilo Kiley:
Ripchord
All Time Quarterback:
Send packing
Brightblack Morning Light:
Everybody Daylight
Her Space Holiday:
Tech Romance
Boyracer:
We were wrong
Preston School of Industry:
Get your crayons out!
Mojave 3:
Bluebird of Happiness
Calla:
Don’t hold your breath
Electrelane:
On Parade
The Futureheads:
Piece of Crap
Matthew Dear:
Dog Days
Stars:
Look up
The Operators:
The old man doesn’t like it
Nouvelle Vague:
Heart of Glass
Broken Social Scene:
Anthems for a seventeen year-old girl
Thao with the get down stay down:
Bag of hammers
Lilys:
Elizabeth Colour Wheel
Her Space Holiday:
My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend
Dismemberment Plan:
What do you want me to say?
Midwest product:
motivator
Unrest:
Isabel
Will Oldham:
Antagonism
Virginia Dare:
Ship go down
Portastatic:
Drill Me
Spoon
Don’t you Evah
Dead Confederate:
The Rat
Manchester Orchestra:
Golden ticket
N.W.A.:
Express Yourself
Classic Alternative/90’s Indie:
The Velvet Underground:
I’m waiting for my man
Venus in furs
What goes on (closet mix)
Pale Blue Eyes
English Beat:
Twist and Crawl
Mirror in the Bathroom
The The:
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
The Halo Benders:
Virginia Reel Around The Fountain
T. Rex:
Mambo Sun
The Ramones:
Blitzkrieg Bop
David Bowie:
Fashion
Blur:
Beetlebum
Donnie & Joe Emerson:
Give me the chance
Bjork:
Human Behaviour
Hyper-Ballad
The Church:
Invisible
No age:
Everybody’s down
The Flying Lizards:
I Want Money (That’s What I want)
The B-52’s:
Mesopotamia
311:
Don’t tread on me
The Pixies:
Where is my mind?
Devo:
(I can’t get no) Satisfaction
Blondie:
Dreaming
Bauhaus:
Bela Lugosi’s Dead
The Vapors:
I Think I’m Turning Japanese
The Cure:
A Forest
The Cowboy Junkies:
Sweet Jane
Ultimate Spinach:
Mind Flowers
Sparks:
Beat the Clock
Sounds of Liberation:
New Horizons II
