Ending an Era - Beginning a New One
At 5:55 PM today, Radio Free ArtMachine officially went dark.
That’s the time that Live365 confirmed the cancellation of the account behind the radio station. Originally intended as an extension of the music end of the ArtMachine, RFA was plagued by irregular update schedules and a clunky interface. In the end, the station was too difficult to maintain properly and too expensive to keep up for a site that brings in little to no money.
In the coming week, I’m going to be testing out Rogue Amoeba’s Nicecast as a new delivery system that might allow Radio Free ArtMachine to continue broadcasting. So far, the price is right ($30 dollar one-time fee, no monthly cost), and the interface makes it insanely easy to update the playlist (it runs off of iTunes). And that’s not to mention that it’s easy to broadcast live voice-overs, making live broadcast – once a financial and technological impossibility for yours truly – a very real option.
Until I figure out exactly what’s going on, however, Radio Free ArtMachine is officially off the air. It’s been a long, strange trip. Thanks for coming along.