RAMP (Radio and Music Pros) LAUNCHES NOW
I had two tours of duty in radio and one tour of duty in the record business in the daze before working at MTV/VH1 and launching My Damn Channel.
There's never a doubt that the music you first heard through the radio played as much a part of creating who you are as the food you ate. In some fashion, you are what you hear.
But radio and the music business has been taking it on the chin for years. Layoffs have been brutal. When the legendary industry trade Radio & Records was shut down after 36 years, more of our friends hit the beach. It was time to put some of the bitching and moaning aside (not all of it) and launch RAMP.
Kevin Carter, Keith Berman & Steve Resnik are the artists formerly known as Street Talk Daily. Their unique brand of accurate reporting - laced with snark and laffs - covers every hot story inside radio and music.
Weekday mornings - before the crack of dawn - RAMP delivers an e-mail blast with news breaking now. If you're a Radio and Music Pro, sign up for a free subscription now at RAMP@MyDamnChannel.com.
RAMP is ad supported by our friends in the music business dedicating to getting new sounds into the ears of radioheads who bring new music to humankind.
The RAMP website is an extra shot in the arm to give My Damn Channel fans access to music videos and to videos made by the best air talent in radio. Videos will promote and link back to bands and radio stations. Find the kitty now at www.MyDamnChannel.com/RAMP
Senior Editor Kevin Carter, his "Evil Minion" Keith Berman, Sales Pro Steve Resnik, and scantilly-clad operators are standing by to take your submissions: RAMP@MyDamnChannel.com.
Posted in
My Damn Channel with tags
My Damn Channel,
Spärhusen,
Easy To Assemble,
Illeana Douglas,
IKEA,
RAMP,
Radio and Music Pros,
Harry Shearer,
Don Was,
Stella,
Grace Crashers,
Keanu Reeves,
Paul McCartney,
Knights of the Round Table on 9/13/2009 7:39:46 PM by Rob Barnett
Those 3 tired words are decades old but Hollywood hopes they help you fall in love
with new shows.
We put quotes around our "new fall season" - knowing we can't fool you into love - but hoping it feels just a little funnier that way.
In two years, we’ve birthed 25 channels of music and comedy…working with
artists we love. We think you’ve taught us how to get talent and new
series worthy of your evil eye.
Help us buy another bag of chips for lunch!
Share the
full press release.
Share these links to our New Series:
Spärhusen
Easy To Assemble: Co-Worker of The Year
Knight Shift
RAMP (Radio And Music Pros)
Harry Shearer: Greed and Fear
Don Was: The Wasmopolitan Cavalcade of Recorded Music (Season 3)
Stella Live in Boston
Unwigged & Unplugged: An Evening with Christopher Guest, Michael
McKean and Harry Shearer
Animation Block (Season 2)
Grace Crashers Presented by Southern Comfort
New Stars:
Illeana Douglas
Keanu Reeves
Ask A Ninja
Sir Paul McCartney
Rob Mailhouse
Sir Sean Connery
Todd Spahr
Sir Richard Branson
Wallace Langham
Ryan Hunter
Taige Jensen
Sir Ben Kingsley
Jeff Goldblum
Stephen Hawking
Brad O’Farrell
Justine Bateman
Tom Arnold
Sir Elton John
Kevin Carter
Keith Berman
Steve Resnik
Prince William
The Queen
Ed Begley Jr.
Craig Bierko
Kevin Pollak
Sidney Poitier
Jane Lynch
Cheri Oteri
Ricki Lake
Tim Meadows
Dave Ahdoot
Daryl Sabara
Eric Lange
It may be wise for us to let the Beatles Rock Band take over the world for a few days before putting out the My Damn Channel 'new fall season' announcements.
We do have a new deal with Sir Paul McCartney - in some fashion. And we'll reveal all the secrets about new, XTRA LARGE talent & a full slate of new series...
this coming Monday, September 14 on www.MyDamnChannel.com
Posted in
Radio with tags
WBCN,
radio,
My Damn Channel,
Boston on 7/18/2009 5:34:21 AM by Rob Barnett
Famous deaths surround us these past few weeks. The nature of heat and fame create imagined personal connections to a legendary news oracle, to a Pop King, or a Pin-up angel. But this time, it's personal.
The death of WBCN is a painful loss felt deeply by everyone of us directly influenced by its greatness.
Every music fan whose ears and taste were shaped by the artists, songs and albums heard on 104.1 lost a friend.
Don't believe everything you hear from Spinal Tap. Boston IS a college town. If you've ever called this city "home," you owe respect and appreciation for the fun, the spirit and the sounds that BCN put into Boston.
My first college internship was at BCN. I remember the intense electric feeling as my heart beat way too fast on the first night inside that studio. That internship was the first step onto a path chasing dreams. I'll always be grateful.
If you're a fellow mourner, do you accept all the nice nice talk about change being inevitable, or can you imagine a new kind of radio powerful enough to make hearts beat way too fast?
Seth Godin once said that one of the problems with radio in the modern age is that it should no longer be called "radio."
What would we call it?
How could we forge a new model for "radio" with the honesty, passion, brains and balls to a co-create a business too powerfully protected by its fans and artists to be stopped?
Where would you launch such a thing?
Just asking.
Posted in
Don Was,
Wasmopolitan Cavalcade of Recorded Music with tags
Don Was,
Nicole Sandler,
Stand By Me,
Air America,
Radio or Not,
Was (Not Was),
Andy,
Jon Bon Jovi,
Richie Sambora,
John Shanks,
My Damn Channel,
Ben E. King,
Wasmopolitan,
July 4th on 7/4/2009 6:50:15 AM by Rob Barnett
Happy 4th!
The method to our madness at My Damn Channel has always been simple. We put independent artists we love & trust in charge of their own channels to bring you free comedy & music.
Don Was conjured up mighty free magic with the release of "Stand by Me," a new version of the Ben E. King classic - made for the people of Iran - by Iranian superstar Andy, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, John Shanks, Don Was & friends.
"Stand by Me" is only one week old today and we're closing in on the first million views worldwide! THANK YOU for sharing this song and video and free mp3 and for moving it across continents and into Iran.
Here's the first, in-depth interview with Don about how this all came about by Nicole Sandler. (giving me trouble on IE - fine on Safari?! - must need more beer)
Nicole has one of the most impressive careers in radio. She's broadcast on some of the best music radio stations across the country. A true music fan with fine taste. You can find Nicole talking music, politics and more on Air America and we also recommend her blog at RadioOrNot.com.
Nicole spoke with Don Was about putting together the "Stand by Me" project - about Was (Not Was) - and about creating, producing and curating the Wasmopolitan Cavalcade of Recorded Music here on My Damn Channel.
I'm listening to Adam Carolla online in NY this morning. I'm filled with sadness, anger, disappointment, and other badness because Fri 2/20 is the last morning the Ace Man broadcasts from 97.1 FREE FM in LA.
I hired Adam for this job back in 2004. For the past four years he built one of the best morning radio shows in the country. Adam is being so gracious this morning to all the enemies of good radio that it's....well....too gracious.
Over four years ago, nobody could 'replace' Howard Stern, he could only be 'followed.' Adam followed better than anyone else ever could. A caller to his show remarked that Howard may not be the same man in real life as he is on the air. Adam is an unusual talent. If you were sitting at his house, poolside, with a beer - you'd be hearing much the same man you'd hear on the radio. He'd be grabbing every, seemingly small detail of the oddities of life and pulling you inside the inately funniest aspects of all of it.
Adam Carolla is an entertainer, a radio host, an improv artist, an actor, a writer, a producer, a boxer, a filmmaker, a carpenter, a car nut, a husband, a father, a dancer, a brilliant brain, and above all ... an extremely decent human being.
You won't find many of those in the radio business in 2009. The magic of truly free thinkers and the music stations many of us all fell in love with long ago is all but dead. There are too many killers to name.
Instead, thanks and respect go to Adam, Teresa Strasser, Bryan, Angie, The Mikes, Kimmel, Dixon, Brusca, Dameshek, every affiliate that helped create big numbers in markets all over the country, and to the fans who embraced all of it.
As a fan, I'll keep tracking the movement at www.AdamCarolla.com.
As an new media outlet, truly FREE, without any job justifiers, or weak-kneed corporate suckass wannabees....the doors of My Damn Channel will always be open to you my friend. You're a class act Carolla.
Posted in
My Damn Channel,
New Media with tags
Corporate layoffs,
insurgency,
online video,
Big Fat Brain,
You Suck at Photoshop,
Agency of Record,
TIME magazine,
Lost,
Mad Men,
30 Rock,
Colbert,
Harry Shearer,
Suhaila Suhimi,
Flight of the Conchords,
STELLA,
GraceNMichelle,
Heather Fink,
Lapdance,
Kurt Loder,
Back on Topps,
atom.com,
FACETIME,
Ed Helms,
Kerri Kenney-Silver,
Sam Seder,
Sarah Silverman,
David Cross,
Andy Dick,
Isla Fisher,
A.D. Miles,
Mark Malkoff on 12/18/2008 2:38:49 AM by Rob Barnett
We started My Damn Channel in the wake of an earlier round of big corporate layoffs as traditional media tried to wrap its arms around the intense insurgency of online video.
Many major media companies took a shot at chasing YouTube's brass ring, but they couldn't ride their horses fast enough to get into the lead ahead of all the upstart brands racing onto the field.
We ran fast in our first year. Some of our best competitors like Super Deluxe didn't make it. We loved their work. We stayed determined to keep costs low, but still bring the best talent - treat them well - and let them deliver quality, original web video which is getting seen by an audience growing faster by the second.
In the past 24 hours, we've had the #1 video on all of YouTube - thanks to Big Fat Brain, creators of "You Suck at Photoshop" and their NEW web series, "Agency of Record."
This week, TIME Magazine honored us in their Top 10 Everything of 2008 - twice! They put YSAP in the Top 10 TV Episodes of the year next to Lost, Mad Men, 30 Rock & Colbert. And they honored Sir Harry Shearer for one of his Katie Couric Open-Mic Moments that we call "Found Objects."
Maria on our team just told me we passed 42 million total views yesterday.
This week, we added Suhaila Suhimi to lead the advertising team bringing more top brands in to sponsor all of our new programming.
Here's a list of what's NEW & what's coming for the year ahead with immeasurable thanks for every second you've stopped your world to take a look at www.MyDamnChannel.com:
Flight of the Conchords HBO premiere episode next week on My Damn Channel - 3 weeks before it airs on HBO !
STELLA - new channel just launched
GraceNMichelle - new channel just launched
Agency of Record - new episode tmrw/Fri
Heather Fink channel
new episodes of LAPDANCE with KURT LODER
new videos from atom.com
new episodes of BACK ON TOPPS - every Tuesday
new episodes of FACETIME
and a lil tease of more/new magic wonderments:
ED HELMS
KERRI KENNEY-SILVER
SAM SEDER
SARAH SILVERMAN
DAVID CROSS
ANDY DICK
ISLA FISHER
A.D. MILES
MARK MALKOFF
and....
S P I N A L T A P 2 0 0 9
Posted in
Coolio,
My Damn Channel,
Radio with tags
Coolio,
My Damn Channel,
Radio on 2/12/2008 9:35:00 PM by Rob Barnett
Episode 2 of "Cookin' with Coolio" will debut next Wednesday, Feb. 20.
Our newest My Damn Channel man will be on your dial that morning across the land. Details on the way.
If you're a radio pal & want him on the air email me or Gary@MyDamnChannel.com.
Merry Christmas to all. A few more days of relative calm before we return to battle.
Our band of merry rebels won't take anything away from the mega success of the self-help phenom: "The Secret." But an obvious lesson learned in old media fuels our web war machine for '08: Corporate secrets are poisonous.
When I started in rock radio, the first wave of FM freedom fighters were under attack by a small handful of wolves dressed in corporate clothing. A few ex-disc jockeys and program directors cut their long hair, dressed up in fancy new suits, and jumped up on a new pedestal as self-appointed "consultants." These bad boys devised plans to rake in megabucks by convincing radio owners and general managers they possessed secret formulas for ratings success. Veteran radio warriors earned scars and stripes as we watched these wise guys disappear behind the closed doors of power and suck the spirit out of an industry built on innovation and creativity. Originality was replaced by cookie-cutter formats with identical playlists making stations separated by thousands of miles sound exactly the same.
A number of these same consultants invaded other bastions of cool and followed some of radio's best & brightest to new fronts fighting for mindshare of the pop culture planet. It was surprising and sad to see these wise guys show up in the hallways of MTV. More secret meetings, more secret memos, more secret sauce to romance executives into dishing out fat retainer fees to the con-sultans.
We have a few important rules in our rebel army. "Dirty Hands" means anyone who works with us has to produce actual work. We can't afford the luxury of paying people to navel gaze and dispense wisdom. The new world moves too fast and our gang is too skeptical to be sucked in by snake oil.
We've got another pretty old-fashioned rule for My Damn Channel.
"No secrets." Everyone in our community has direct unfiltered access to our people and our site. Everyone who works with us - our artists - staff - interns - co-conspirators - and backers - get the buck naked truth. It's easier. We're unafraid of what lies ahead and too psyched to be bogged down by bullshit.
