If you're anxiously awaiting the next word on the fate of WOXY, you can rest a little easier tonight. The rumored deal between WOXY and used CD upstart La La isn't a rumor anymore, and WOXY's streaming radio goodness will return tomorrow marking not only a return to operations, but the beginning of a plan to make WOXY a major player in social music recommendation and put La La squarely in place to become a major force in the music revolution
I'll say this loud and clear, just once.. right here at the top. WOXY returns 10/10 at 10:10am Eastern.
When WOXY took what was supposed to be its final bow, exiting the streaming radio space to occupy a place in internet radio history, it wasn't expected to return. WOXY's staff was out on their ears, and had started looking for other ways to pay the bills, WOXY's listeners were saddened at the loss and went in search of another place to get their musical fix. It looked bleak for internet streaming; After all, if WOXY's well respected programing couldn't manage to pay the bills, what could keep an independent streaming station alive? Brian Jay of WOXY explains, "Money wasn't going to fix the problems we had," explaining the more fundamental problem at hand, "Ad revenue alone wasn't going to cut it." When Jay was approached by La La's CEO he was already clear about what WOXY needed, although he was skeptical of what La La could offer. Money and help had already been laid at the feet of WOXY when it shuttered its doors over a month ago but, as he put it, "We were looking for a bigger play."
In walks La La's Bill Nguyen. La La built a really intriguing model for used CD sales and it's CEO is a rugged entrepreneur who's no stranger to doing things a little differently. Taking the used CD store and bringing it to your browser, La La gives music lovers a way to recycle unwanted CDs and discover new artists all at the same time. What it didn't do, but will starting tomorrow morning, is offer a gateway between the record store and the radio station.
The reinvigorated WOXY, acquired by La La, will mesh tightly with La La's mission to spread new music love among music fans. Brian Jay of WOXY tells me that everyone who made WOXY what it was before is coming back with the notable exception of Barb Abney, who took a job with Minnesota Public Radio's "The Current".
Plans for revival include augmenting WOXY's studio in Cincinnati with other studios in Austin, San Francisco, Seattle and Chicago to better capture the emerging artists around the US, and the differing sounds of the various regional music scenes. In addition to this live and local element, which is still in planning stages, WOXY's getting a social music recommendation style shot in the arm in the form of contributed playlists from La La's users. It's a plan that, if well executed, could put La La and WOXY right up against Last.FM and Pandora, only with a clear idea on how to monetize.
La La users will be able to build playlists for listeners of WOXY, as well as socially spread and promote their selections. Just to spice it all up Web 2.0 style, playlists will be rated by listeners, creating a two way street between the fans and the music. John Kuch of La La told me, "Over the next few weeks, we'll be tweaking it and will do a slow roll, allowing lala.com members access and eventually, by sometime in November, we'll open it up to everyone. functionality and library will be refined, but the basics are there. We wanted to get it out there for people to play with, so we could have music fans guide us in its development."
