As SomaFM’s first intern in January of 2008, Meghan Logue began the overwhelming task of organizing SomaFM's immense CD collection into a cohesive library of music. Assembling and sorting the approximately 7,000 titles of diverse music genres became an interesting, albeit challenging, endeavor. It was finally completed a year and a half later, and now stands as a structured assortment of music, cataloguing the growth of various genres. Initially built on station founder Rusty Hodge’s CD collection started in the mid ‘80s, the collection formed the musical basis for the launch of SomaFM in 1999.
Our music library is now an impressive store of sounds that provides the diverse selection of tracks played on SomaFM, on favorite channels such as Groove Salad, Secret Agent, Drone Zone, and more. With everything from ambient to classic rock to worldbeat to jazz among many others from independent and major labels, there is plenty to choose from when looking to the CD library to program a particular channel’s playlist. The library also includes a large number of now extremely-rare, out-of-print electronica CDs from the 90s.
Organized alphabetically and then separated into single musicians/bands and then compilations, it has become much simpler to look for a particular artist, song, or type of music. Although the library is vast in terms of musical style, the common thread is the unique qualities of each CD featured. Scanning the shelves is a veritable demonstration of the diversity of music that is part of the SomaFM experience. The collection includes such mainstream staples as the groundbreaking album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band from The Beatles, the legendary Miles Davis recording Some Kind of Blue, and many titles from seminal English electronic duo Everything But the Girl, to name a few. The visceral rock of Led Zeppelin sits close to the dance punk project LCD Soundsystem, while the classic crooner Henry Mancini lives a few shelves below.
Different discs evoke different musical spaces in time, with Blondie from the ‘80s, Ice Cube emerging in the early ‘90s, and recent ambience from Icelandic band Sigur Ros. Different areas of the world are represented with electronic artist and producer Coppe from Japan, Algerian dj Cheb I Sabbah, and vintage tunes from French musician Serge Gainsbourg, for example. The many compilation sets also encompass a wide range of musical madness, including Dr. Demento’s collection of novelty songs, sets showcasing a particular genre such as United States of Ambience, hits separated by decade, and world music samplers from different regions like Desert Grooves. The vast array of Christmas music speaks much to the popularity of SomaFM’s holiday stations, with a Raffi Christmas album alongside Christmas Rap and Christmas with the Rat Pack.
One of the best things about the newly ordered musical landscape of the CD library is the accessibility. Being able to easily handpick from this broad spectrum of music is beneficial to SomaFM and its listeners. People tune into the station because virtually any musical thirst can be satisfied while perusing through the various channels, from Boot Liquor to Cliqhop. The variety of genres displayed by the CD library is a symbol of the diversity being played on SomaFM everyday. This range of sounds contributes to exciting radio that plays listeners’ favorites as well as introduces them to new artists. The CD library contributes to SomaFM never compromising its intention to play what is outside of expected radio programming.
Labels: In Studio, Indie Music, san francisco, SomaFM
