New Music on VoyagerRadio

June 11, 2003: Recent additions to the VoyagerRadio playlist include the following artists: Dave Gahan (of Depeche Mode), New Order, tracks from the recent Putumayo release, Euro Lounge, Honeyroot, and more. Become a Preferred Member and listen to all this great music ad-free!

A Special Notice From VoyagerRadio

May 21, 2003: A situation has developed which needs to be focused on, so though I'll be updating VoyagerRadio as often as possible, it may not be updated as often as I'd like until things return to normalcy. I'll do my best to keep it you informed about any changes to VoyagerRadio's services. In the meantime, VoyagerRadio continues transmitting, so stay tuned, and I'll get you some fresh downtempo electronica as soon as I can!

Listen to VoyagerRadio, Ad-Free

May 11, 2003: Webcasting can be expensive, so advertisements are common when listening to Internet radio broadcasts. You can listen to an ad-free version of VoyagerRadio. All you have to do is upgrade to a Preferred Membership through my stream hosting provider, Live365. At only 12 cents a day, it's a deal that's hard beat, and it supports VoyagerRadio by keeping costs down.

New Photo Section, Blog Transformation

April 25, 2003: I've added a new Photo section to the website, which will feature images to enhance your VoyagerRadio experience. The VoyagerRadio Blog is also undergoing a transformation.

The Future of Radio

April 8, 2003: KurtHanson of the Radio and Internet Newsletter has posted a series of articles outlining radio's emerging future. The series begins here.

Join the Yahoo discussion group for folks addicted to Internet radio!

Does Internet Radio Have Listeners?

March 25, 2003: An interesting series of articles has been written regarding Internet radio listenership. Paul Maloney's story details the findings of Arbitron and Edison Research's recent report on Internet radio audiences, and makes the assertion that streaming audio is ripe for advertising opportunities. Yesterday, Bob Bellin responded to this story with the assertion that there is a disparity between perception and reality in these findings.

Live365 Introduces Promotional Features for Recording Artists

March 17, 2003: Live365, the the largest network of independent Internet radio stations (which includes VoyagerRadio), has recently introduced a feature which gives recording artists another way to promote their music. The feature, called the "Online Music Library", will allow webcasters to insert songs into their webcasts from a collection of tunes provided by the musicians.

Live365 Stations Back in Arbitron Ratings

March 1, 2003: Live365 has returned to Arbitron's net radio rankings. Live365 stations had been removed from the rankings last year after Arbitron acquired a new measurement technology.

VoyagerRadio Upgrades Sound and Listening Process

February 21, 2003: Over the past few weeks VoyagerRadio has undergone some changes resulting in better sound and a new way of listening to your favorite Internet radio broadcast. Please stay tuned to the VoyagerRadio blog to keep abreast of these changes, and if you are having any trouble listening to the new VoyagerRadio, please review the updated Help page or email VoyagerRadio.

First Portable Internet Radio Tuner Debuts

January 31, 2003: The first official portable Internet Radio tuner has been introduced and is due to arrive within the next six months. The device will allow listeners to tune into Internet Radio stations, MP3 playlists, CDs, and terrestrial (traditional) radio broadcasts, as well as other audio sources. Existing hardware audio players that play Internet Radio stations include the Phillips Streamium, the Turtle Beach AudioTron, and the Motorola simplefi Wireless Digital Audio Receiver.

VoyagerRadio Reaches Top 1000

January 27, 2003: On January 25th VoyagerRadio finally reached its goal of becoming one of the top 1000 Internet Radio webcasts on Live365. Thanks to everyone who's been listening! To show my appreciation I've added a whole bunch of new songs to VoyagerRadio's playlist...and look for a special newsletter in your mail box in the next few days.

So what's next? How about 500? Can this small hobby broadcast do it? It's up to you.

VoyagerRadio Approaches Top 1000 Webcasts

January 13, 2003: VoyagerRadio has hovered near the top 1000 in the overall ranking for all Live365 webcasts since the beginning of this month. There seems to be some resistance at this point, but stay tuned and VoyagerRadio may soon be one of the top 1000 webcasts! Here's more info. about the ranking system.

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Bringing You Up to Speed on the Internet Radio Story

January 6, 2003: RAIN, the Radio and Internet Newsletter, has posted a story outlining the events affecting Internet Radio broadcasting this past year. This is a great starting point for anyone wishing to catch up on webcasting issues. For those of you thinking, Tell me something I don't already know!, please stay tuned.

Pioneer Spacecraft Lost For Good

February 26th, 2003: It appears that we have heard the last from Pioneer, NASA's 30 year old spacecraft. The Pioneer is famous for being the first spacecraft to take close-up images of Jupiter. Maybe it'll bump into Voyager someday. (Although someone or something would have to change its direction and give it a speed boost before that happens, since Voyager is now farther out in space than any other human-made spacecraft.)

7 Lost in Tragic Ending to Shuttle Mission

February 1, 2003: Seven astronauts died today as Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart in flames over Texas on its way to its expected landing in Florida.

Suggested links:

• NASA - NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration)'s website
• NASA's Columbia - Background information on NASA's Columbia Space Shuttle
• Google News - Search for more news stories on the disaster through Google's news search engine

Planetarium Show Celebrates Voyager

January 31, 2003: I'm not sure what state this is in, but the Hallstrom Planetarium at Indian River Community College is currently presenting a planetarium show devoted to the Voyager Mission. Here's a news story detailing the event, which will run until March 9.

Apple Declares 2003 "Year of the Notebook"

January 7, 2003: Along with new, updated, and integrated software, Apple Computer, Inc. introduces two new Powerbooks at this year's MacWorld: an industry-first 17-inch Powerbook G4, and their smallest Powerbook to date--a 12-inch Powerbook, also sporting a G4, and weighing in at under 5 lbs. Read more about Apple's new products and add your own response to this news at Slashdot.org.

Webcasters, Internet Radio Listeners Look Forward to 2003

December 31, 2002: Webcaster's diligence paid off in November as Congress passed H.R. 5469, the "Small Webcaster Settlement Act", a bill which enables hobbyists and other small webcasters to negotiate fairer fees with copyright owners than those proposed by CARP earlier in 2002. Some Internet Radio broadcasts which had been forced to shut down operations due to earlier copyright legislation have restarted their webcasts, to the delight of Internet Radio listeners worldwide.

Webcasters now need to file an election form with SoundExchange by January 15 in order to remain in compliance with legislation. More details here.

Sign up for the group dedicated to discussion of Internet Radio issues!

Notable Achievements in 2002 For Space Explorers

December 31, 2002: There were some notable discoveries and achievements in 2002 in the world of astronomy and space exploration. Here are some of my favorites:

• The Voyager Mission Celebrated its 25th Anniversary as it continued to plunge into outer space
• The Hubble Space Telescope and other technologies continued to bring spectacular images from space to down to Earth--including the first images from Hubble's new camera and new images of Uranus' rings and moons

NASA Hears From Pioneer

December 18, 2002: The Pioneer 10 spacecraft, launched in 1974 by NASA and rescued earlier this year from permanent loss of communication, has again sent a message to Earth. The transmission, though too faint to recover scientific readings from, demonstrates further evidence of aging spacecrafts' longevity. Spacecraft like the Pioneer and the Voyager series continue to outlive their expected lifespan and in many cases prove useful to space explorers and the scientific community.

Geminid Meteor Shower Underway

December 13, 2002: The annual Geminid meteor shower is underway and has the potential to out-perform the Leonids in the early morning hours.

VoyagerRadio Made Legal

November 27, 2002: Discovering I was out of compliance with Live365's new linking/listening procedures, I removed the illegal listening method from my Help page, which had previously listed how to bypass the Live365 Playlist and listen solely with your MP3/audio player. This method has been determined to be illegal because it does not properly report the source of the webcast, which is Live365's servers.

Any questions? Contact me.

Communications Satellite Lost in Space

November 26, 2002: The Russians lost a massive satellite in space today. The apparent cause was the decades-old Commodore 64 the Russians were using as the guidance system for the craft.

Leonid Meteors Wow Skywatchers

November 19, 2002: Did you watch the meteor shower?

No Live Webcasts on VoyagerRadio This Week

November 5, 2002: Voyager will be travelling through a heavily populated region of space this week, so we probably won't be receiving live transmissions from the space music explorer this Thursday, Nov. 7, nor Monday, Nov. 11. We expect to hear from Voyager again on Thursday, Nov. 14.

Until that time, check the VoyagerRadio weblog just in case a transmission gets through. I will post a transcription of any communications I receive there.

New Help Page for VoyagerRadio Listeners

November 4, 2002: I have doctored up my Help page with a new, (hopefully) easier-to-use interface. The link for listening via your MP3 player has also been changed. Let me know if it still needs improvement.

Sign up for VoyagerRadio's free newsletter and receive announcements about upcoming VoyagerRadio webcasts!

Dress Rehearsal for Comet Probe

November 1, 2002: The Stardust spacecraft flies past an asteroid today in a dress rehearsal of its future mission of collecting samples from a comet.

New Webcaster Forum Established

November 1, 2002: A new organization for webcasters has been established, aptly named The Webcaster Alliance.

Russians Launch Rocket

October 30, 2002: The Russians are back in business--space business, that is--with the successful launch of a manned Soyuz spacecraft Wednesday. The astronauts are on course to dock with the International Space Station.

Temps in Space?

October 29, 2002: NASA, in seeking to increase productivity, has decided to recruit a few good temps for the International Space Station. Before you start racing down to Apple One, however, you should know these temps will be drawn from a future shuttle crew, not your local temp recruiting agency. NASA's financial woes have caused Congress to inflict them with severe limits on how much they can spend on the space station program, and the space exploration agency is responding by stretching its resources in interesting ways.

Live365 Files Emergency Motion

October 25, 2002: Live365, the most-listened-to network of webcasts (according to Arbitron), has filed a motion to stop the impending webcasting royalties they will have to pay in order to comply with the Library of Congress' webcasting determination. VoyagerRadio uses Live365's services to transmit to Earth.

Webcasters Granted Extension on Royalty Payments

October 20, 2002: Internet Radio broadcasters expecting to pay thousands of dollars in retroactive royalty fees were granted an extension on payment. Well, sort of. Webcasters still have to pay up to $2,500 in fees by Monday, with the rest due later. Still, that's a far cry from the tens of thousands of dollars some webcasters would otherwise have had to pay immediately.

Sign up for the group dedicated to discussion of Internet Radio issues!

Small Webcaster Act Fails, Royalties Due Sunday

October 18, 2002: Although the Senate put a hold on a bill that would have softened the blow for Internet Radio broadcasters, all hope is not lost for webcasters. SoundExchange can still deliver on its promise of creating a space for hobby webcasters.

Meanwhile, Internet Radio royalties are due Sunday.

Microsoft Caught in a Scam?

October 15, 2002: Microsoft released their own version of Apple's Switch advertising campaign, but some wary individuals discovered that the makers of Windows were less sincere in their advertisements: they were using stock photos to depict the "testimonials" in their ads. Some would even call Microsoft's advertisiment an attempt at scamming the public.

Apple Buys Big Blue's New Processor

October 14, 2002: With Apple Computer's expected purchase of the new IBM processor technology, some folks may be lead to believe the differences between Apple Computers and PC's are becoming less apparent. Don't be fooled by misinformed reactions--Apples are still Apples. Read my commentary for my own reaction to this news.

College Radio Silenced Due to High Webcast Royalties

October 11, 2002: Today the USC (University of Southern California) reported their Internet Radio station has shut down due to the high royalty fees instituted by the Library of Congress. Rival UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) also recently declared hiatus of its Internet Radio station. Looks like college stations will have to return to limiting its broadcasts to short-range FM and AM transmissions.

Is the IWA Working for the RIAA?

October 10, 2002: Is the International Webcasting Association (IWA) representing the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) or us webcasters? That's what an inquiring mind wants to know. Read an Open Letter to the IWA Board of Directors expressing concern about the IWA's intentions.

Sign up for the group dedicated to discussion of Internet Radio issues!

Shuttle Relaunch

October 9, 2002: In case you missed that Shuttle launch the other day, you can watch it again in high-quality Quicktime format at the Shuttle Missions page on Space.com. Check their story and multimedia archive if the link disappears from that page.

Atlantis Rising

October 7, 2002: The film Apollo 13 was recently re-formatted and re-released for the Imax experience. Now, watch the real deal as NASA launches the Shuttle Atlantis, equipped with on-board cameras to give you the experience of lifting off! Watch the event on NASA TV.

Internet Radio Staying, Awhile

September 27, 2002: Big news for Internet Radio broadcasters and listeners: The House of Reps introduced a bill which would allow a six month stay on the royalty rates. This means webcasters like me will be able to continue broadcasting until the courts figure out a fair royalty rate. The future of Internet Radio now depends largely on your support.

Happy 25th Birthday to the Voyager Mission!

September 5, 2002: On this date in 1977 NASA launched the Voyager Mission, a series of unmanned space probes designed to explore the planets of our solar system. Today, Voyager continues exploring the far reaches of our solar system, and is currently deeper in space than any other human-made object. Read more about Voyager and other great space events in this older Space.com article, or read about the latest in space flight technology at Space.com's Space Flight page.

Help Save VoyagerRadio!

September, 2002: VoyagerRadio launches the VoyagerCafe in order to raise funds in order to keep VoyagerRadio alive! Please visit my store to see if I have anything you'd like to purchase -- at a steal of a deal!

No, It's Not the End of the World...

August 16, 2002: Here's comes the asteroid! That big flying rock in space we've been hearing so much about in the media lately is getting closer, and we should be able to see it this weekend. Wanna know how?

The Sky is Falling!

August 14, 2002: The stars are falling from the sky, and if you haven't seen them yet, check out these tips on how view the Perseid meteors -- before they're gone for another year!

Annual Meteor Showers in August

August 9, 2002: There's nothing quite like driving out into the desert in August to watch the Perseid meteor showers . The Perseids offer a spectacular view of up to 50 or 60 meteors and hour. If you haven't seen this yet, what're you waiting for? Get out there!!!

Voyager, Pioneer Still Going...and Going...and Going...

July 23, 2002: The Voyager and Pioneer missions of the seventies and eighties have left spacecraft floating out in space. Surprisingly, these craft are still alive and operational. The Pioneer, in fact, has recently been rescued from permanent loss of communication with Earth.

United We Sound

July 22nd, 2002: A live event -- a national concert webcast to save internet radio.

When the Music's Over...

Internet radio broadcasts have been dying off rapidly since the June 20th announcement. Some are already gone, leaving only a ghostly reminder of their former existence. Others are making plans to disappear soon. The list grows daily...

The End of Internet Radio? Or the Beginning of a Long Legal Battle?

On June 20th, 2002 the Library of Congress made their decision to reject the Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel (CARP)'s original proposal, establishing royalty rates for internet radio broadcasters which are one-half of the originally proposed charges. One-half, however, is still a heavy levy -- especially for small webcasters such as VoyagerRadio . Clearly, many internet radio broadcasters will go out of business unless these rates are overturned in a court of appeals. Visit SaveInternetRadio.org for more information.