KCRW Kicks Off Special June Programming to Celebrate Music Library

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.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: KCRW

CONTACT: Rachel Reynolds of KCRW, +1-310-314-4625,
rachel.reynolds@kcrw.org

Web Site:

http://www.kcrw.com/

-------
Profile: intent