| Broadcast area | Internet |
|---|---|
| First air date | 1999 |
| Format | electronic music, jazz, indie pop, others |
| Language | English |
| Owner | Rusty Hodge |
| Website | Somafm.com |
SomaFM is a listener-supported, commercial-free[1] 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.[2]
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SomaFM initially offered nine channels of music, which has now grown to eighteen. The most popular channel is Groove Salad with well over 4000 average concurrent listeners in 2010. Secret Agent, Drone Zone, and Indie Pop Rocks come in second with over 500 average concurrent listeners. 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.
| Station | Genre | Date Added |
|---|---|---|
| Groove Salad | Downtempo | January 2002 |
| Secret Agent | lounge/jazz with James Bond theme | January 2002 |
| Drone Zone | Drone | January 2002 |
| Cliqhop | Intelligent Dance Music | January 2002 |
| Indie Pop Rocks | Indie Pop/Indie Rock | May 2002 |
| Beat Blender | House/Downtempo | May 2002 |
| Lush | Trip-Hop/Downtempo with a focus on female vocals | June 2009 |
| Digitalis | rock | June 2009 |
| Space Station Soma | ambient | June 2009 |
| Sonic Universe | avant-garde jazz | June 2009 |
| Illinois Street Lounge | lounge | June 2009 |
| Boot Liquor | Americana | June 2009 |
| Tag's Trip | trance | June 2009 |
| Doomed | Industrial/Ambient | June 2009 |
| Mission Control | NASA mission broadcasts and live shuttle coverage mixed with ambient music | August 2009 |
| PopTron! | Electropop and indie dance rock with sparkle and pop | August 2009 |
| Covers | Cover songs | August 2009 |
| Suburbs of Goa | Desi-influenced Asian world beats and beyond | August 2009 |
| Underground 80s | Early 80s UK Synthpop and a bit of New Wave | 2010 |
| 480 Minutes | "What alternative rock radio would sound like had Nirvana never happened." | 2011 |
| Xmas in Frisco | eclectic and irreverent winter holiday-themed music, some which is "NSFW" and offensive. | Seasonal |
| Christmas Lounge | a "family-friendly" holiday channel featuring "Chilled holiday grooves and classic winter lounge tracks" | Seasonal |
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."
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 Somaseek [5] since February 2010. Somaseek is not affiliated in any way with SomaFM and is operated and maintained by a fan of SomaFM.
In May 2002, the DMCA CARP rate ruling came into effect, requiring internet broadcasters to pay a per song per listener royalty to SoundExchange for the performance of the sound recording, retroactively through October 1998. Hodge estimated that the station could have been forced to pay over $1,000 USD per day to continue operations. The royalty was later reduced by half, but that rate still would require payments by SomaFM that exceeded their revenues.
In June 2002, SomaFM ceased broadcasting. Hodge was one of several webcasters who testified before the U.S. Congress in 2002 in the hopes of reducing the royalty rate.[6]
Subsequently, Congress passed the Small Webcaster Settlement Act of 2002 (SWSA) on November 15, 2002[7], which enabled small webcasters to negotiate a lower rate with SoundExchange.[8] SomaFM resumed broadcasting in late November 2002 under this new royalty structure.
On June 26, 2007, SomaFM participated in the "Internet Radio Day of Silence" [9] in protest of the Copyright Royalty Board's recent decision to raise royalty fees for internet radio stations.
As of December 2008, SomaFM has not yet settled with SoundExchange.[10]