OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://somafm.com/
FACEBOOK PAGE: SOMAFM
TWITTER: SOMAFM
SomaFM is a listener-supported, commercial-free Internet-only streaming music station, which started broadcasting out of founder Rusty Hodge's basement garage in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California. SomaFM broadcasts electronic music, indie rock and lounge music, among other genres.
SomaFM began as a micro-power radio station broadcast at the Burning Man festival in 1999. The response to the project was sufficiently positive that Rusty Hodge launched it as a full-time internet radio station in February 2000. Taking its name from the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco and Soma, "perfect pleasure drug" from Brave New World, and marketed entirely by word of mouth, SomaFM's twelve channels reached a peak listenership of 10,000 concurrent listeners by 2002. SomaFM reported over 6 million listener-hours in December 2008.
Programming
SomaFM initially offered nine channels of music, which has now grown to eighteen. Most channels play genres that are rarely heard on commercial radio or are "not being done right" according to Hodge.[3] Thus it plays a certain role in creating genres or keeping them alive. The following table shows how the programming evolved over time. Launch dates are approximate.
As of January 2002
Groove Salad: ambient electronic with beats
Secret Agent: lounge/jazz with James Bond theme
Drone Zone: ambient electronic without beats
Cliqhop: blips and beats (Intelligent Dance Music)
Added by May 2002
Indie Pop Rocks: Indie Pop/Indie Rock
Beat Blender: house/downtempo
Added by June 2009
Lush: female vocalists
Digitalis: rock
Space Station Soma: ambient
Sonic Universe: avant-garde jazz
Illinois Street Lounge: lounge
Boot Liquor: Americana
Tag's Trip: trance
Doomed: scary Halloween music
Added by August 2009
Mission Control: NASA mission broadcasts and live shuttle coverage mixed with ambient music
PopTron!: Electropop and indie dance rock with sparkle and pop
Covers: Cover songs
Suburbs of Goa: Desi-influenced Asian world beats and beyond
Added in 2010
Underground 80s: Early 80s UK Synthpop and a bit of New Wave.
Seasonal stations
Xmas in Frisco: a wide range of winter holiday-themed music, some "NSFW"
Christmas Lounge: a "family-friendly" version of "Xmas in Frisco"
[edit]No longer broadcasting
Squidradio Downtempo (1/2002-6/2002)
Squidradio drum'n'bass (1/2002-6/2002)
Soma House Party (1/2002-6/2002)
We are Electro (5/2002-6/2002)
Jazz Masterz (5/2002-6/2002)
The most popular channel is Groove Salad with well over 4000 simultaneous listeners in 2010. Secret Agent, Drone Zone, and Indie Pop Rocks come in second with over 500 listeners. The others are more or less niche channels. There are also seasonal channels such as the Christmas music channel.
Awards and Credits
DJ Elise Nordling, Music Director and DJ of SomaFM's "Indie Pop Rocks!" station, was awarded the San Francisco Bay Guardian's "Best DJ of the Bay" award in 2005, 2007, and 2009. In 2007, they wrote, in part: "DJ Elise is renowned for her impeccable taste, encompassing everything from bleeding-edge unsigned bands to classic small-label favorites... Because of this pioneer's curatorship, Indie Pop Rocks! has become required listening on a global scale."[4]
The San Francisco Bay Guardian also awarded SomaFM a "Best of the Bay" award in 2005 for "Best Way to Avoid the Top 40."
Track History
Although SomaFM makes a short track history list for each station available, longer last-played track listings and station history are largely unavailable. In 2009, song history for each station was available through per-station Twitter accounts, but this was eventually discontinued. Extended song history and station history search is unofficially tracked by [5] since the February 2010. Somaseek is not affiliated in any way with SomaFM and is operated and maintained by a fan of SomaFM.