KCRW Kicks Off Special June Programming to Celebrate Music Library

Throughout the month of June, KCRW DJs will delve into the music
archives featuring rare tracks and exclusive performances, newly preserved
in state-of-the art digital format.

SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- KCRW's campaign
to restore and preserve more than 60,000 albums and live performances
housed in their Music Library in state-of-the-art digital format is coming
to a close and the Santa Monica-based public radio station is celebrating
by airing gems from the archives.

During the month of June, KCRW DJs will integrate selections collected
over the last three decades and dating back to the 1940s, many of which
have not been played for years. With the new digital delivery system in
place, it is now as easy for DJs to play rare and obscure pieces as the
latest releases. Also, KCRW Librarian and DJ Eric J Lawrence will choose
one song a day from the archives to feature streaming on KCRW.com,
showcasing the diversity of the archives, including; exclusive live
performance tracks from My Morning Jacket, Badly Drawn Boy, Dori Caymmi,
and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, as well as rare and unusual recordings from
Peter Gabriel, Serge Gainsbourg, Baz Luhrmann, legendary Los Angeles Lakers
announcer Chick Hearn, and more.

KCRW (89.9Fm and KCRW.com) has a reputation as one of the most
progressive radio stations in the world. KCRW was "alone in the wilderness"
when the Santa Monica-based public radio station launched its eclectic
format 30 years ago, according to General Manager Ruth Seymour. However,
with Music Director Tom Schnabel at the helm, KCRW forged ahead and helped
introduce world music to the American public and began building an
incomparable music library of rare vinyl from across the globe. For many
years KCRW, was one of the few places on the dial introducing new artists
and the library is filled with hand-inscribed demos and songs that are
otherwise unreleased.

KCRW's "hand-picked music" ethos has also helped build a library based
on a wide variety of musical tastes and every title had been deemed
important enough to be part of the permanent collection.

Tucked away in a corner of the station, tended by devoted volunteers
and a heroic staff librarian, the Music Library is a precious resource that
was endangered by both environmental and space issues. Every DJ uses the
library every day, and it was getting harder and harder to find the album
or artist they wanted to play.

The station launched the Music Match in June 2007 to raise the funds
needed to restore and preserve the titles in the Music Library and create a
system that would enable the station to present the collection's rich
musical treasures to audiences on air and online. More than 24,000 KCRW
subscribers contributed to the effort and a number of individuals,
companies and foundations (see below) went the extra mile and became Major
Music Matchmakers.

Tune in during the month of June to hear gems from the Music Library on
air and visit http://www.kcrw.com/music/music_library for a special
selection of streaming tracks from the archives each day.

Special Thanks to our Major Music Matchmakers

The Annenberg Foundation

Stolaroff Foundation

The GRAMMY Foundation

Stephen Gunther & Glenn Cardoso/New Urban West, Inc.

Nonesuch.com

Scott Milano & Foodchain Records

Occidental Petroleum Corporation

RealNetworks

RGK Foundation

Doug Ring & Cindy Miscikowski

Anton Segerstrom

SonyBMG

Universal Studios BluWave Audio

Tom & Janet Unterman

Adele Yellin

and to those who prefer to remain anonymous.




See Also

• STANTON MOORE
• Marilyn Manson’s Absinthe ‘Kills’
• Shahram Nazeri
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - Red Hot Chili Peppers Take A Year Off