play / pause / play is connecting local artists with local audiences

There is so much brilliant music being made and performed every day in Adelaide. But until recently, it’s been difficult to discover it. That is where play / pause / play comes in.

12 months ago, with the help of 334 amazing supporters, I launched play / pause / play to celebrate and showcase South Australia’s live music scene.

In the past year, more than 2300 people have downloaded the play / pause / play radio app. We’ve played music from more than 700 Australian artists - more than 250 from right here in SA.

There are ongoing costs to keep broadcasting, and we need your support during this radiothon to keep showcasing what our state has to offer.

play / pause / play is all about connecting local artists with local audiences - and it’s working.

People are telling me they discovered their new favourite band through play / pause / play - and it is pushing them out the door to more live gigs. 

In our recent survey, 80% of listeners said they’d gone on to buy tickets, merch and music after hearing an artist on play / pause / play -  or even approached them to play a show together.

But without your support, we simply can't keep going.

Pledge now, and help play / pause / play keep broadcasting, and maybe your new favourite band will be local.

We know that South Australians love supporting locals.

play / pause / play is proving that South Australians will support local artists, they just need to know where to look. Help us keep going.

Become an Official Supporter in our radiothon and together, we can build a stronger, more vibrant, and more connected live music scene in Adelaide.

play / pause / play phone app front page

The station

Like most major radio stations, play / pause / play uses radio scheduling and automation software to run. I manually enter every song into the rotation, and set the parameters to make sure the most relevant music is on high rotation - artists playing in Adelaide this week, brand new music, etc - ensuring a good mix of South Australian music, as well as culture and gender diversity.

Instead of hosts, listeners hear Artist Messages - artists introducing their own music, gaining insight into the creative process while being kept aware of any opportunities to catch a live performance - as well as regular gig guide spots for partnered venues.

play / pause / play is constantly updated and ready when you are, 24/7, at the press of a button. 

Tune in to the station, submit your music or download the phone apps at playpauseplay.com

Artist Messages

The average listener will give a song seven seconds before changing the station. We can drastically increase that by giving them a reason to stick around. Artists can submit short Artist Messages to be played before their song. Talk about your lyrics, the recording process and, of course, mention any upcoming gigs.

Get more info on Artist Messages here.

The Heaps Good 50

On December 26 last year, after 1100 public votes, we counted down the Top 50 South Australian artists for 2018 [info - Spotify playlist]. The countdown is a great way to share and discover new local music - heard as far away as New York - and by supporting our 2019 radiothon, you'll be helping us run a countdown again at the end of 2019.

Audio Gig Guides

As well as music and Artist Messages, you'll also hear Audio Gig Guides for our partnered venues and events. One of the biggest issues with every gig guide that has existed before - whether online or in print - is that you have to read it. It has to take the majority of your focus. With play / pause / play, you can have it on in the background. Keep up-to-date with the latest Australian music and upcoming Adelaide gigs while commuting, while you're at work, while you're doing the dishes or playing videogames - or you can even listen to Gig Guides on-demand in the app if you're keen.

Audio Gig Guides in the On Demand section of the play / pause / play app

Rewards

Every dollar pledged helps us cover broadcasting costs, including music licensing and software costs, and all supporters will get a shout-out on-air and across our social media channels.

Select the Official Supporter [or higher] reward and you'll get access to exclusive ticket giveaways from our Event Partners, including the Adelaide Beer & BBQ Fest, Scouted and Woolly Mammoth, plus more throughout the year.

PLUS you'll get discounted drinks at participating live music venues, including The Gov, Jive and the Grace Emily, thanks to our mates at Mismatch Brewing.

Super Supporter Selections: Become a Super Supporter and you can pick your Top 5 Aussie songs, record your own intros and we'll broadcast it as yourown radio show at a time and date that suits you!

NOTE: play / pause / play reserves the right to make editorial decisions on playlist content. I'll work with you to make sure your selections meet our quality and content guidelines [not heaps of unnecessary swearing, no hate speech, etc.]

More content - Stretch Goals

There is a lot more planned, including podcasts, playlists on streaming services and more website content, but it ultimately depends on funding.

It's relatively cheap to make most of it happen, but it takes a lot of time. Time is money, and since music licensing fees are determined based on revenue, costs start to pile up on top of each other.

To achieve all of that and maintain a viable business, I'd need around $120,000 per year. A huge chunk of that would go to music licensing, then marketing costs, followed by a handful of other software and hardware costs, then insurances and such before wages.

As such, I anticipate doing much of this as a volunteer. The full money breakdown is in the Budget Overview section below, but the campaign will have three stages: the Initial Target [$15,000, I work on the station in my spare time], Stretch Target 1 [$30,000, I work on the station part-time] and Stretch Target 2 [$50,000, I work on the station full-time].

$15,000 [initial target]

• 24/7 radio stream of 100% new Aussie music, with a big focus on artists based in South Australia and artists touring here soon, including regularly updated music rotation, Artist Messages and Audio Gig Guides for partnered venues
• Smartphone app allowing interactivity with the station, including liking/disliking songs to give feedback and keep track of your favourites, listen to on-demand content and ability to record and send in your own station IDs 
• Regular email newsletter updates, including radio playlist updates and music industry news and announcements
• Exclusive ticket giveaways from Event Partners for Official Supporters and above
• Drink discounts at participating venues for Official Supporters and above
• Video livestreams and podcasts of industry panels with partnered organisations

$30,000 [stretch target 1]

All of the above, plus:

• Regular Artist Interview podcasts
• Regularly updated Spotify & Apple Music playlists of artists performing in Adelaide soon
• More written content on the play / pause / play website [new releases, tour announcements, etc]

$50,000 [stretch target 2]

All of the above, plus:

• Regular SA Music Update podcasts, including industry news and announcements, interview and music content
• We'll get some pros to re-build the PPP website from scratch
• Heaps more written content on the website, including paid contributor articles
• We'll host an SA Music showcase gig with cheap tickets for Official Supporters and freebies for Super Supporters

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FAQs

Are you paying artists for using their music?

Yes! The station is fully licensed by APRA and the PPCA. Every time an artist is played, they will get paid for it. 

Will you broadcast on FM/DAB+?

I'd love to, but aside from costing tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars in broadcasting equipment, there's literally no room on the FM spectrum in South Australia for new stations.

Why don't you just run advertising?

Facebook decimated the local media industry, and we're not likely to be as big as commercial radio stations, so it's not likely that Frank Walker will be throwing money at us. We do work in partnership with local venues and relevant music events, but we absolutely need our Supporters to chip in each year to keep going. 

How can people access the stream?

You can listen on any device at playpauseplay.com or through the phone apps on iOS and Android.

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About me:

My name is Luke Penman, and I've been kicking around the South Australian music scene for about 15 years. From all-ages shows in the beer garden of The Austral to studying at Music SA, dabbling in artist management, blogging and podcasting before winding up at community station Radio Adelaide. I was there for five years as a volunteer and staff member, working in the music team and hosting the local music program, Local Noise. I interviewed hundreds of local artists on the weekly show before moving the program to the morning slot, where I produced and presented the three-hour show five days a week for 12 months. I launched play / pause / play last year, with the help of 334 supporters in our first-ever radiothon. Since then, I've studied at SAYES and the New Venture Institute, learned a lot, met a lot of great people, and discovered [and shared] a whole heap of great local music.

The funds will primarily be used to pay for music licensing - meaning artists getting paid royalties for their music getting played.

On top of this, there's software costs such as music scheduling and playout, annual fees for the phone app, audio and image editing software.

I'm also planning on getting some new hardware to make recordings and livestreams more portable, then there's costs of producing radiothon rewards, year-round marketing of the station and Pozible's fees and payment processing charges.

Approximate breakdown of Initial Target is as follows:

Music licensing: 44%

Software: 16%

Hardware: 12%

Rewards production & distribution: 10%

Marketing: 10%

Pozible fees and payment processing: 8%