20 YEARS AGO

JUNE 11 2004 – it was 20 years ago this week that I sat behind a studio console at a widely unknown community radio station and broadcast the first episode of Jazz Boulevard Radio Show. I remember thinking at the time this would be a “stepping stone” to a more professional (and remunerated) broadcasting career. Little did I know …

As the internet kicked in and content moved onto the web, “real” jobs in broadcasting came under pressure, positions evaporated and people actually employed clung more and more to existing positions.

Along the way, I found other reasons to keep doing the show – it was fun, kept me plugged into current production technologies, it was something I appeared to be good at – it was an entertaining hobby with a few enjoyable perks, and in some ways, I was still putting my Music degree to good use.

At one point as the station started to “wobble” under questionable management, I decided to start making the show available to other stations and so began the growth of a syndication network of stations… now extending across Canada, and into other countries.

As well, a growing number of people around the world continue to discover podcasts of the show via the show’s free MixCloud channel.

Via Mixcloud, for the 1st time, a paid tier option allowed offering podcast subscribers a superior audio quality and other benefits for – as I say – “the price of a cup of coffee.” Most of the contribution (65%) actually goes to musician’s rights organizations sending money to the musicians themselves. The rest is split between the website and the radio show.

A small group of greatly-appreciated jazz lovers stepped forward to help support the show in this way, resulting in contributions that ultimately equate to about the cost of being on the website in the first place. Despite multiple stations broadcasting the show (offered for free to the stations) and hundreds of followers on the web, the “stepping stone” gig continues to be a “labor of love” as we say …

Looking back over 20 years it’s odd to think about that expense of time, creativity, money, and tech that goes into producing high-quality content (computers, storage, studio gear, processing apps, websites, networking …) — It’s probably the equivalent of a couple PhD’s of effort in exchange for the positive feeling of contributing something to make the world a bit of a better place to live, and supporting the World of Jazz music.

A lot of great (but not always great) music comes into the show each week for consideration for airplay. It’s been a voyage crafting and curating each show to create what I hope is an entertaining listening experience and an escape from the less entertaining aspects of daily life.

The show will soon head into its summer hiatus with rebroadcasts of popular shows and a 21st season beginning in September. If folks would like to drop a comment, an email (long-time listeners or new fans) — it’s always a pleasure to hear from people.

And if anyone wants to subscribe to the show, free or support … or drop a one-time 20th-Anniversary “tip” into the “tip jar” – these things are greatly appreciated and highly motivating …

Here’s to more seasons of great jazz coming your way — JBRS20 ! Cheers!