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By Catherine Clements
Its motto is "liberation is at hand," and it aims to free the Web-surfing music-loving world from the tyranny of lame commercial tunes by giving unsigned and hard-to-find bands an Internet venue for their wares. Juno Beach (www.junobeach.com ) is a new Minneapolis-based Web endeavor which is home (page) for many smaller bands who otherwise would not be on the 'Net. However, it is more than a garden-variety web page housing a collection of cool indie bands.
In a cyberworld clogged with on-line music stores, Juno Beach stands out because of Radio Juno Beach, a 24-hour netcast radio show featuring the artists signed up with them. Radio Juno Beach plays the entire songs (as opposed to the snippets found on other Web sites) in a "radio show" format. And hey, if listeners like what they hear, they can buy the CD through Juno Beach's secure server, since all bands on Radio Juno Beach also sell their wares on the site.
Since its genesis in September 1998, this project that combines listen-then-order at home convenience (like CDNow) with a 24-hour netcast (like NetRadio) is gaining speed and momentum. "The last two months have seen a real increase in sales. The hits and submissions have really started to grow," says Heidi Marty, Juno Beach's Creative Program Director/DJ.
Both bands and small labels like what Juno Beach offers. "The fact that Juno Beach is also a web radio site that gives the people a chance to hear the material without waiting for downloads" is one of the benefits that Juno Beach offers, says Chris Langkamp of the Milwaukee-based Crustacean Records. Langkamp says his top seller on Juno Beach is the Mad Trucker Gone Mad disc.
Although Juno Beach initially offered mostly Midwestern artists, "we're starting to get bands from all over, and with no concentrated advertising campaign," says founder/CEO Steve Lawson. Currently, more than 140 bands are represented on Juno Beach, ranging from local bands like Minneapolis' Supermodel and Madison's Mad Trucker Gone Mad to national acts such as Ben Folds Five and Ani Di Franco, who have songs on independently-released compilation discs.
The History of the Beach:
By the time Juno Beach went live on Sept. 1, 1998, Lawson, who is the alpha geek behind the operation, had been kicking the idea around for more than two years. "Juno Beach was conceived in 1996, really before the Web was capable of doing what I wanted it to do," he says. "In 1998, we were where we needed to be technically, and I had amassed enough people around me that knew what was going on and had enough talent to make it work."
The crew that joined Lawson included Marty, CFO Wendy Meck and Vice Presidents Mike Zipko and John McEvoy. With the exception of Marty, the five DJs are "pretty much all start-up," Lawson says. The DJs' backgrounds are varied - for example, Bryan Knisely had no previous radio experience but "played in every band in existence" (per Lawson) including Minneapolis big hitters Push on Junior. The other DJ Brian apparently got onto the Beach because staffers felt sorry for him since reportedly he has limited social capabilities and is as frail as a wet kitty.
DJs who are short on experience but long on enthusiasm is exactly what Lawson is aiming for. "I want a lot of raw edges -- which is fun to listen to. You identify with the different DJs," he says. In other words, the listeners can feel like the DJs are "one of them," just a regular Joe who really digs music. "We looked into where the Web is going, and making it more personal and have more of a human face," Lawson says.
The "human face" means each DJ has autonomy to choose his or her show from the Juno Beach music library. Each DJ's 2-hour show is different, from Heidi's acid/space stylings to the rock and rant of the Bryan and Steve show (AKA "Total B-S"). The shows are not live (one of the differences between netcasting vs. radio broadcasting) and play on a 24-7 loop that changes daily. Thus, every time someone hits the Beach they could hear something different, "like a community radio station," Marty says.
How to hit the Beach:
After reaching the Juno Beach web site (again, www.junobeach.com ), users will need to download two free programs (available on the site) to enable the audio player. Users will also need at least a 28.8 modem and a pair of speakers to listen. Once the player has been enabled, listeners can leave it on in the background and continue to play on their computers.
Bands/musicians: how to sell your stuff on the Beach:
Bands or musicians who want to sell your stuff on Juno Beach: listen up.
"We rarely turn people away, if it's interesting or unique and sonically and we think it will work over the Web," says Marty of Juno Beach's screening process. "We've had to turn people down because their stuff is so lo-fi that it's not going to come across the Web," she notes.
In addition to quality, artists must have sufficient quantity of product available. Bands have been kicked off the Beach for not having any product to sell. "We're allowing them the opportunity to sell their stuff with a secure credit card sever … so they have to have some product," Marty explains.
Once the disc is "approved" by the thumbs up/thumbs down process, the band must agree to a consignment agreement. Also, there is a one-time fee of $45 to set up the Web page. "That covers our costs and our time - putting it up on the Web, space to store it, downloading samples," Lawson says.
Bands are paid quarterly for discs sold through Juno Beach.
If a customer buys a disc, it is shipped out immediately from Juno Beach's warehouse, and arrives in the customer's mailbox within days.
Finally, why Juno Beach? Juno Beach was named after a landing beach in the Normandy Invasion of World War II, which reflects not only Lawson's love of history but also to signify the seemingly impossible task of forming a company designed to support small, independent musicians. Do your part to enlist in the effort! Support local tunes and hit the Beach!
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