Time flies when you're in the company of amazing listeners, and it's hard to believe that Mushroom FM has been back on-air for nearly a year. It's been fun bringing the Mushroom magic back.
As always, we've been innovating with our special events and trying new things. One thing you can guarantee is that Mushroom FM never stands still. This post has some important details about a new chapter for Mushroom FM, which will begin on 15 August. Because so many of you have been loyal to us on our broadcasting journey, we'll take some time to explain the reasons behind the changes we're about to make.
In June, Mushroom FM introduced voice tracking technology. This allowed us to do away with so many repeats of our live shows, and bring you new, fresh content. It's now not necessary to invest in complicated streaming software, or have a large music library, to host you're own show. We consider the Mushroom Pot, as we affectionately call it, a resounding success in technological terms. But no one gets it right 100% of the time, and the format we chose to adopt when we switched on the Mushroom Pot has been a failure.
The old cliche about being jack of all trades, master of none comes to mind. The reality is that Mushroom FM has sounded like a completely different radio station depending on when you listen. If you listen at 4 PM, you might think we're an all-country station. If you listen at noon or midnight, you might think we're a top 40 station. If you listen at 5, you might think we're an all-50s station.
This may have been fine in an era where blind people broadcasting was a novelty and there was a need to be inclusive, but that novelty has long-since worn off, and there are great choices for on-demand listening.
The result is that we're not really satisfying anyone as a viable listening choice. We're sorry. We screwed up, and we're going to make it right with a clear, decisive new direction.
Based on analysis of the shows on Mushroom FM that are most popular, in other words what people come to us for, Mushroom FM as of next week will be a station that plays four decades of magic Mushroom memories. Our primary purpose will be to bring you music from the 1950s through to the 1980s. So when you tune in, that's what you'll get for the vast majority of the time. No need to look at the clock to determine what kind of radio station we are at this particular minute.
We hope that you'll choose us when you're in the mood for a memory, because our music has also undergone a huge facelift, and has been carefully chosen by people with an intimate knowledge of music from each of those decades. This is not your average gold station with just a few tracks that play over and over. We'll explore the rich tapestry of genres from these four decades, going deeper into album cuts and songs that hovered on the lower end of the charts, as well as all your timeless favourites. So we'll expand your horizons as well as play the songs that make you smile and make you sing
Most of the time, the music will be a mix of all four decades, so you'll never get bored. But some of our shows will specialise in one of these four decades, in which case it will be hosted by a knowledgable fun guy who knows their stuff and can talk intelligently about the music. You'll be amazed by the factoids they'll pass on to you.
We are incredibly grateful to the volunteers at Mushroom Fm who contribute so much. And while some of our team have decided to take the opportunity to move on as we begin this new direction, some shows that do not fit this new format will still continue. There are many stations around the world that have a core format, but depart from time to time for specialised shows, the mighty BBC Radio 2 being a case in point, so we see no problem with this. But a good 90% of the time, you'll be able to hear a consistent, great mix of music from four decades that we're sure will have you listening longer.
In the last week, we've been running a daily blindness current affairs show, The Blind Side. This show has been an incredible phenomenon, but via its podcast, rather than via Mushroom FM. The number of podcast listeners has been quite remarkable. That shows us that there's a real hunger for this content, but people want to consume it on their terms. They want to be able to speed it up, skip through it, and pick and choose what they hear.
The Blind Side will cease being aired on Mushroom FM sometime this week, and will instead be a weekly podcast, sponsored by Mosen Consulting and Mushroom Fm. If you want to join the masses of people who are listening, you can now search for The Blind Side in any podcast client.
I know you have a lot of choice these days, and we appreciate it so much when it is us that you choose. So the best thing for Mushroom FM to do given the changing nature of those choices is to choose one thing, and do it really well.
I hope you'll give us a listen when the new format kicks in next Monday if music from the 50s to the 80s is your thing. We're putting in a lot of effort to do this well, and to earn your support as a regular listener
And remember, if you'd like to join us on this side of the microphone for this new chapter, you don't need a big music library and you don't need complex software. We'll give you the software for free. All you need to do is have a halfway decent microphone, an engaging personality, and a love for all or one of our four featured decades. At this time of renewal, there's never been a better time to join the team.
This is undoubtedly the biggest format change we've made in the history of Mushroom Fm, and I'm very, very excited to get started.
Join us next Monday, as Mushroom Fm becomes the station that brings you four decades of magic Mushroom memories.