User:Mstaples44/IndieFeed

IndieFeed is a music discovery service that delivers audio shows featuring independent artists, which are available as downloadable mp3 files, and delivered through podcast, website, Twitter and FaceBook. Each show includes a single full track of music, followed by a narrative that describes the music and where to find more. .

The IndieFeed network comprises six music channels: Alternative / Modern Rock, Blues, Dance, Electronica, Hip Hop and Indie-Pop. A spoken word Performance Poetry Channel was also introduced in 2008. Each channel is managed by a host who delivers programming within the constraints of the genre and features a new artist at least once a week (2) (6).

New and archived shows are available at no charge for download and subscription at the IndieFeed Website and iTunes Music Store. Show notifications are also posted on Twitter and Facebook (3).

IndieFeed was named one of Apple's Best Podcasts in 2007 (4) and 2008 (5) and identified as one of the best podcasts by Business Week Online in 2005 (6). Four IndieFeed channels – Alternative / Modern Rock, Electronica, Hip Hop and Indie-Pop – are regularly included on iTunes’ list of top 50 music podcasts (7) and together have nearly 4,000 five star user ratings (7).

Founder and host Chris MacDonald is Chairman of the Executive Committee for the Association for Downloadable Media, former Executive Vice President of Business Development and Operations at Libsyn - Wizzard Media (8) and frequent speaker on matters of downloadable and new media (9).

Listenership
IndieFeed averages more than 2.5 million Nielsen verified downloads a month (11), and 20,000 listeners per week, per genre, with nearly twice that for the longest running Alternative/Modern Rock channel. Altogether, Indiefeed has delivered more than 88 million Nielsen verified features since its inception (9).

According to a recent survey, 65% of surveyed IndieFeed listeners reported making purchases directly related to IndieFeed referrals and 84% reported going back to the band’s websites as recommended (11).

Content Submission
IndieFeed receives and reviews content submitted from artists through its website. All featured content is rights cleared, meaning that the owner provides permission to publish through IndieFeed (11).

Music Genres
Today, IndieFeed offers six music channels: Alternative & Modern Rock (Link): Intense, rocking and vibrant, where guitars meet driving brilliant vocals and memorable groundbreaking rhythm. Example features include: Tokyo Police Club, Delta Spirit and The Constantines (13). Indie-Pop (Link): More accessible, lyrics- and pop- driven indie music, plenty of emotion, with special emphasis on singer-songwriter and melody. Example features include: Beirut, Calexico and Julianna Hatfield (13). Hip-Hop (Link): Underground, unearthed and urban. IndieFeed steers clear of gangsta/mysogeny and rediscovers the lost art of Hip Hop. Example features include: Souls of Mischief, Kool G Rap and Tobacco ft. Aesop Rock (13). Electronica (Link): Wide range of breaking styles exploring the amazing world of digitally created music. Example features include: School of Seven Bells, Heyoka, Yacht (13). Blues (Link): Rootsy, classic and time-proven. Example features include: Elvin Bishop, Damon Fowler and Big Bill Morganfield (13). Dance (Link): High energy club and related genres that get your feet moving. Example features include: Kerri Chandler, Tosca and Jay-J (13).

Performance Poetry
In 2008, IndieFeed introduced the Performance Poetry channel. The channel features content from cutting edge spoken poetry artists and seeks to provide poets a chance to make a living with their work through increased exposure (12). IndieFeed Performance Poetry Channel content is made available at the IndieFeed Performance Poetry site and through iTunes subscription (12). As of early 2009, the channel boasted a total download count of over two million episodes. The show is also consistently listed as one of the top poetry podcasts on the iTunes music store (12).

Hosts
IndieFeed is run by a collective of curators, who host and produce shows featured on the IndieFeed network. Current hosts include: Chris MacDonald – Founder and host of multiple IndieFeed Channels, Chris is also the acting chairman of the Association for Downloadable Media (ADM), and frequent speaker on matters of downloadable and new media, having spoken at: NAB Radio Show, South By Southwest Interactive, Dow Jones Venture Voice, Future of Music Coalition Policy Summit, Social Media and Government Conference, Corporate Podcasting Conference (London and Silicon Valley) iBreakfast NYC, American Petroleum Institute New Media Summit and VONx (9). Dirt E. Dutch – Longtime host and producer of the IndieFeed HipHop Channel, Dirt E. Dutch is also a member of the underground record label Little Ax and the CT hip hop coalition Antfarm Affiliates. In addition to releasing two LPs with NYC rapper Breez Evahflowin, he has contributed to numerous artist releases, including releases for Emskee of the Good People, Phenetiks and Rising Sun Quest (15). Eric Gordon – Host and producer of the IndieFeed Dance Channel, Eric is also Assistant Director Audio & Video Systems & Services at American University with BS in Audio Technology and nightclub DJ (16). Hieronymus Murphy – Host and producer of the IndieFeed Blues Channel and Murphy's Saloon Blues Podcast (17). Wess “Mongo” Jolley – Host and producer of the IndieFeed Performance Poetry Channel, Mongo is a poet and poetry promoter (12).

Recognition
Recognized as one of Apple’s Best Podcasts in 2007 (4) Recognized as one of Apple’s Best Podcasts in 2008 (5) (14) Recognized as one of Apple’s Best New Podcasts in 2008 with the introduction of the IndieFeed Dance Channel (2) (5) (14) Recognized by Business Week in 2005 as a "Best Online Pick” (6)