Mass Music Radio: 2020 Recap

FROM THE DESK OF THE CEO, SHLOMO BOWE

In the course of a year, a lot of wonderful and tremendous things have happened here at Mass Music Radio. We began working on several podcast productions during the Fall and Winter of 2019 ,and were looking forward to bringing more shows onto our network as the Spring rolled in. Our DJ’s worked hard to play the absolute best music in the world, and kept the energy right regardless of what was going on in the world. As you all are aware, Covid hit Massachusetts really hard in March ,and our studio was closed down for several weeks. We spent months regrouping, planning, and investing back into the station. Despite the restrictions in place and the limited availability at the studio, we were still able to record and publish over 126 podcasts in 2020!


We began with a brand new program called Highly Optimized, hosted by Ryan Sprague, which focuses on the lives and experiences of some truly incredible and inspirational people. In the Spring, we jumped back into the Heel’s Turn wrestling podcast for Season two with JQ and a new co-host in Scotty G. Following that we had another Season two return with the Steele & Nazz Sports Podcast. As these shows began to flourish, we saw the need for some community building that would bring the station and network together as a whole, so we tapped into the talents of an old friend to help make that dream a reality. In comes Antonio Agcaoili, the Executive Producer of Remember When in the 2010’s: another Podcast that began in the winter. Under his direction, we launched MMR Talks, a show that covered a variety of topics, and features many of the people who call Mass Music Radio home. Additionally, one of the newer faces is Eifion Griffiths, a.k.a. the Bloke. He is the host of the Across the Pond Podcast, a brand new show where we feature some of the greatest Hip-Hop and Grime artists from the British Isles.


One of my favorite things about running this station is that I’ve been able to hear a plethora of different genres of music. Our DJs truly have such an expansive ear to the wide world of music. When DJ Vo joined MMR, he not only came with some dope innovative ideas and effective marketing schemes, but he introduced me to my newest favorite genre, house music. One of the longest reigning DJs on the station is Garfield, who runs a show called Feel Good Friday which airs every week from 8-10PM EST. His catalog of records includes Dancehall, Reggae, Afrobeats, and so much more! Speaking of DJs with a sick crate of records, we are blessed to have the one, the only, DJ Kris Crosse! Kris has been the maestro of the Morning Mix which is featured on every single episode of the Mass Music Morning Show.


The Morning Show was created in the Fall and officially launched in November. We wanted to create a new live program that aired during the week and could showcase the different aspects of the station in a single package. We have DJFAMOUSHAMUS curating the Mass Music Minute, which highlights different local artists from our community who have been making exceptional music. Shamus has also become our Programming Director and the Editor-In-Chief of our Blog! - Mans been workin’! Another incredible addition to the Morning Show has been Jake Liberty - who brings ideas and energy that electrify the studio every time he comes in. Jimmy Askins has been killing it as a content creator for the Morning Show & the Steele & Nazz Podcast. Jimmy has also been helping out with processing orders for merchandise through our brand new online shop that launched in November!


Our merchandise was a big part of the business that kept us up-and-running this year, and we’re so thankful to everyone that bought everything from hoodies, to beanies, to sponsored bricks! A huge shoutout to Andy Luong, our Executive Designer, for creating several of the pieces that we released this year including my favorite Skooby in the Sinbin Crewneck! Learning the business of merchandising, and subsequently branding, has been such a fun and rewarding part of this journey. I want to send a special thank you to our friends at the SelfMade Designs, LuckyHouse MFG, Imperial Promotional Embroidery, and Will Palacios for helping make everything possible! I’m truly looking forward to this year and seeing what else we can accomplish together!


Speaking of this year, I have very high hopes and expectations for Mass Music Radio. As the vision grows, I’m looking to bring in more people as we expand the platform. One of my goals is to train more audio engineers to help produce podcasts and, in turn, bring on more podcasts to the network. Eventually I would like to open up another recording studio that specializes in podcast production and teaching folks the ins and outs of podcasting. Another goal is to continue to increase our listenership on the radio stream and utilize our reach to help businesses in our area promote to our audience through sponsorships and ads. We have built strong relationships with Bravo Pizza & Kerry Phelan Designs this year, and are definitely looking forward to many more in 2021!


Again, I can’t thank my team enough for the work they’ve put in this year, and I’m eternally grateful to everyone that has been rocking with Mass Music Radio from day 1! Cheers to 2021!


Shlomo