I've gotten several emails about this, but resisted the idea for a while.
I've tried to run the Sounds of Christmas like a real radio station, and real radio stations generate their income through advertising. The difference being that I'm not trying to make a living with this station, or even a profit, really. I do it because I really love the music, and just feel like there's so much great Christmas music out there that never gets played.
As a Christmas music fan, and a radio listeners, I used to get really excited when Christmas songs started to make their way onto my favorite station. And while I love the most popular ones, it gets old hearing them over and over, when there are so many more songs out there.
Bing Crosby recorded more than just "White Christmas",after all.
So I've run the Sounds of Christmas so others who love Christmas music would have a free place to hear their favorites along with lots of other holiday faire they may have forgotten about, or didn't even know existed.
It's also been a great way to share new Christmas music, both from popular singers and bands as well as new performers you may not have heard about.
Any, by radio station standards, I charge modest ad fees, which basically cover the cost of the station. My goal hasn't been to make a lot of money. It's been more like a goal of not having the station cost me a lot of money.
I limit the advertising to artists who, for the most part, appear on the station anyway. Not a pay-for-play deal. Just a way to help them promote themselves beyond having their songs getting airplay.
In an effort to defray some costs, I've gone the route of crowdfunding sites before, but they didn't work so well. Kickstarter has gotten so busy that by the time they approved me, the season was over. And I've tried a couple others, but had lots of tech issues (on their end) so I don't even know how well those worked.
But I've heard from several listeners who like what I do here, and want to help out. And I resisted that idea until today.
One lesson I've had a tough time learning is that sometimes, you have to be brave enough to ask for help. And you also have to be willing to let someone help you.
So I'm asking.
I want you to feel like the Sounds of Christmas is your station. After all, I'm sharing this music with you in hopes that it makes your holiday season a little better. And it's very humbling to see that people all over the world are listening and sharing at least part of the season with us.
In hopes that I can continue to do that, I've added a button on the front page (and also a little lower on this page) to accept donations.
I know things are tough all over, and at this time of year, there are so many other worthy places for you to lend a buck.
But if you do enjoy what I'm doing, and you'd like to help us wrap this season up and come back next year, we'd be grateful to have your help!
Thanks for reading this, and spending some of your holiday with us! I hope you've enjoyed, and continue to enjoy, the Sounds of Christmas. As usual, we'll be on through Epiphany, so there's still plenty of great Christmas music to come!
And may you always believe in Santa Claus!
Ken
I've tried to run the Sounds of Christmas like a real radio station, and real radio stations generate their income through advertising. The difference being that I'm not trying to make a living with this station, or even a profit, really. I do it because I really love the music, and just feel like there's so much great Christmas music out there that never gets played.
As a Christmas music fan, and a radio listeners, I used to get really excited when Christmas songs started to make their way onto my favorite station. And while I love the most popular ones, it gets old hearing them over and over, when there are so many more songs out there.
Bing Crosby recorded more than just "White Christmas",after all.
So I've run the Sounds of Christmas so others who love Christmas music would have a free place to hear their favorites along with lots of other holiday faire they may have forgotten about, or didn't even know existed.
It's also been a great way to share new Christmas music, both from popular singers and bands as well as new performers you may not have heard about.
Any, by radio station standards, I charge modest ad fees, which basically cover the cost of the station. My goal hasn't been to make a lot of money. It's been more like a goal of not having the station cost me a lot of money.
I limit the advertising to artists who, for the most part, appear on the station anyway. Not a pay-for-play deal. Just a way to help them promote themselves beyond having their songs getting airplay.
In an effort to defray some costs, I've gone the route of crowdfunding sites before, but they didn't work so well. Kickstarter has gotten so busy that by the time they approved me, the season was over. And I've tried a couple others, but had lots of tech issues (on their end) so I don't even know how well those worked.
But I've heard from several listeners who like what I do here, and want to help out. And I resisted that idea until today.
One lesson I've had a tough time learning is that sometimes, you have to be brave enough to ask for help. And you also have to be willing to let someone help you.
So I'm asking.
I want you to feel like the Sounds of Christmas is your station. After all, I'm sharing this music with you in hopes that it makes your holiday season a little better. And it's very humbling to see that people all over the world are listening and sharing at least part of the season with us.
In hopes that I can continue to do that, I've added a button on the front page (and also a little lower on this page) to accept donations.
I know things are tough all over, and at this time of year, there are so many other worthy places for you to lend a buck.
But if you do enjoy what I'm doing, and you'd like to help us wrap this season up and come back next year, we'd be grateful to have your help!
Thanks for reading this, and spending some of your holiday with us! I hope you've enjoyed, and continue to enjoy, the Sounds of Christmas. As usual, we'll be on through Epiphany, so there's still plenty of great Christmas music to come!
And may you always believe in Santa Claus!
Ken
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