KZSM: Discover or Share Something New Every Wednesday
What’s new at KZSM 104.1 and KZSM.org? The music you’ll hear every Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. on our newest show, “It’s What’s New”! We receive music files every day from the community and beyond and play the most recent, giving both new and established artists an opportunity to share their work. “It’s What’s New” offers solid music, with no DJ and no commentary. At present, Station Manager Rob Roark chooses the music, sometimes without listening to it first, trusting that performers will respect community standards. “I’m not recording” Rob notes. “This is just going out. You may never hear this ever again, so you’ve got to tune in to hear what’s new.”
The variety of music submitted reflects local tastes and interests. For instance, San Marcos, Wimberley, Dripping Springs, and Martindale form “a new circle of Americana that is going on right now, and that’s a lot of what we’re getting.” Last week we received music from Semi Helix, an Austin Band that Rob describes as “kind of reminiscent of the 80s, with taste.” Producers in training like Maximus Emperador and Cooper Shield have been sitting in on the show and helping curate the music; future shows will reflect their choices, for even more variety.
Music comes from all over the world, often beginning with a local connection. “Little Red Box,” by Vicki Genfan and Sally Barker, comes from England. Vicki spent time in San Marcos caring for their children after her brother and sister-in-law, popular Farmer’s Market vendors, perished in a flash flood. The Scottish performer Mensa contacted KZSM when he spent time in Austin. He’s now performing back in Scotland, “sending us Americana that sounds like it is from here—with a Scottish accent,” Rob notes.
To have music featured on “It’s What’s New,” send .MP3 or .WAV files to KZSMSanMarcos@gmail.com. Send no more than two or three songs, and include a contact and a little bit of information about the artist and where they’re playing next, if they’re performing locally. Most importantly, all songs must be radio edit and conform to community standards. They must not include any language that the Federal Communications Commission finds offensive. You’ll find the guidelines at Obscene, Indecent and Profane Broadcasts/Federal Communications Commission (fcc.gov). Whether you have music to share or just want to discover something new, check out “It’s What’s New” Wednesdays 7-9 p.m. on 104.1 or KZSM.org.
