I have been trimming my playlist removing some songs that I don't like that much and some stuff really outside the scope of the format. I have too many songs anyways and adding more is redundant as it would rarely be heard. 2000 songs( I have a little more) is a good enough playlist and if a listener(including me) hears a song they really like they want to be able to hear it again sometime. My current playlist is as shown in Salamandra is a bit over 114 hours in length so listening 24/7 it would take over 4 and 1/2 days to hear a song again, could be double that depending where in the rotation it is and songs being 2 to 2 and a half to 3 and a half minutes long.
I am also going to do the tedious job of going one by one renaming the tracks as 500 songs or so don't have the song name and artist and just show as track # or "unknown", just a bit each day. That is so if I ever have to pay for the music license to play copyrighted songs I would need at least the song and singer/band if a log was asked for. But so far no one in Canada cares or knows about BETS-1 stations. I don't even get a reply back when I contact and ask about it.
Why am I going back to FM?, first of all it's easier to get listeners. Second, only FM transmitters are considered broadcasting equipment certified BETS-1 and no AM is, which means I can't broadcast to the public and be free to tell people it's there by flyer or however.
I now have to keep it quiet as I am not supposed to be broadcasting( even a station ID can be seen as intent to target the public) as a Procaster AM is not certified as "broadcast equipment" e.g. NOUO in Winnipeg for broadcasting with a Procaster which means it has to be for me and no one else. There are two certification categories in Canada. You don't have this in the USA.
For the people in the USA we have more allowed field strength here, significantly more than the USA at 3 meters so the main problem is space on the band not too little power to be of any use. I won't be "making AM radio great again", I need a new slogan.
I have a flyer made for the community mail box for when I switch ... had to reduce the size/quality of image to be the size to fit here. I think if you click on image it gets better. I will post a web site I made for free when I publish it with a link to it.
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.... I am also going to do the tedious job of going one by one renaming the tracks ...
I hate that. I remember spending days editing 1,000s of my mp3 music library tags. I think "MP3tag" was the software I used, but I guess they're all pretty much the same, but I remember how tedious that was. I'd hate to do that again, I'm not even sure if I had ever finished.
That is so if I ever have to pay for the music license to play copyrighted songs I would need at least the song and singer/band if a log was asked for. But so far no one in Canada cares or knows about BETS-1 stations. I don't even get a reply back when I contact and ask about it..... I am not supposed to be broadcasting (even a station ID can be seen as intent to target the public) as a Procaster AM is not certified as ".... I won't be "making AM radio great again", I need a new slogan...
Like you said to me; there's never even been any part 15 broadcaster cited for copyright infringement so why even worry about it (which is essentially true so far as individual hobby stations go). I think it's pretty much the same situation with your broadcasting/non-broadcasting thing, it doesn't appear there have ever been any individual hobby stations cited for that either.. so I throw the question back to you; Why worry about it? - Why not broadcast on both AM and FM? Neither option appears entirely legal either way!
@richpowers You have a point, Maybe I should leave the naming of the unnamed tracks till I have to. They are not named because those tracks came from my record collection when I converted all the vinyl to MP3s with a rented machine to do this but I never figured I wouldn't have the song name and artist just the audio. I would do 10-20 a day if I were to do this and it would take a long time! I may scrap that for now. But I am still streamlining my playlist and will keep it to a little over 2000 songs.
As for both AM and FM? Doesn't seem to be a reason to do both and would need 2 processors and a headphone amp and splitter for the audio feed to the two processors, and anyone would choose the FM over the simulcasting AM.
No, there has never been a case of someone being cited for playing copyright music in Canada or the USA on a part 15/BETS -1 station but yes there has been in Canada a few cases which Artisan knows more about with broadcasting with an RSS-210 transmitter which the Procaster is. You know about the Winnipeg guy we talked about here which was not having a BETS transmitter. Albeit if you don't get a visit it doesn't matter but I want to do it all legally.
I don't want to be doing it but having to keep it quiet. Like I have something to hide. We do this to get listeners and every part 15 operator does this to target the public. Just a station ID is intent to target the public.
Remember that doing this in Canada is rare. In the USA part 15 per capita with 8 times the population is more common and there are WAY more pirates so that's why so many more visits and NOUO's, but never for not paying for playing copyright music without a license.
But I think like you. I want to dot the I's and cross the T's so to speak and do this up and up legally and that means if I can't broadcast with RSS-210 and I need BETS-1 for that then that's the way it is and I can advertise it freely. But it leaves AM out.
As for playing public domain songs without a license it is not required in Canada for over the air unlicensed stations. So unlike the USA where it is with BMI this is not required here. BMI is not here. So on an unlicensed micro powered station in Canada it is not illegal to play copyrighted songs.
And with BETS-1 I am supposed to be making "announcements" of local community things of interest like a house for sale, a garage sale, some event in the neighbourhood so on my flyer if you notice I put community news in the wording and I will mention to my listeners that if anything is happening around here I can announce it on the radio. But what happens to announce around here in range? Not much!
By the way I would have no problem with paying the small fee for the license to play music. You(general term) can still play whatever you want, you still run your own show with your station, all they want is a log once a year for a few days, a week, and Salamandra, Zara, Play it live etc whatever you use as automation does it all for you. You just have to have the song and artists with the tracks.
Later this weekend when I switch I'll post the web address for you to see the site.
... As for both AM and FM? Doesn't seem to be a reason to do both and would need 2 processors and a headphone amp and splitter for the audio feed to the two processors, and anyone would choose the FM over the simulcasting AM...
Well, .. correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the majority of part 15 transmitters broadcast only on a single channel? I think so, but I may be wrong. Anyway, my point being you could use a single processor one channel set for the FM Procaster and the other channel set for your AM Procaster... Isn't this correct?
As for who would listen to AM over FM.. keep in mind their a lot of part 15 AM broadcasters out there that do it not as a means of public performance, but because they are avid antique radio collectors and want something to listen to on their beloved antique radio.. So, in my way of thinking why not provide both? (There's actually a couple existing Drive-ins today that offer both FM and AM). Also, the vintage car enthusiast, they would be caught dead with anything other than the original AM radio in their dashboard. And if I'm correct about using a single stereo processor to feed both transmitter then you won't even be using more energy (other than an additional tenth of a watt).
No, there has never been a case of someone being cited for playing copyright music in Canada or the USA on a part 15/BETS -1 station but yes there has been in Canada a few cases .. ...Remember that doing this in Canada is rare. In the USA part 15 per capita with 8 times the population is more common and there are WAY more pirates so that's why so many more visits and NOUO's, but never for not paying for playing copyright music without a license. ... .
Well there was something back in the 1970s where campus stations (part 15 carrier-current) didn't think they had to pay royalties, I don't think anyone actually got in trouble but they did have to change their practices and -- well, actually I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure they still do, they're may be some that disregard it, I don't know. It's very clear that the majority of college campus cc stations paid music royalties during the 1940s through the 1960s.
As for playing public domain songs without a license it is not required in Canada for over the air unlicensed stations. So ... So on an unlicensed micro powered station in Canada it is not illegal to play copyrighted songs.
And with BETS-1 I am supposed to be making "announcements" of local community things of interest ...By the way I would have no problem with paying the small fee for the license to play music. ...
To be clear.. I don't think it's what you meant to indicate when you said that playing public domain songs without a license is legal in Canada unlike the U.S! - No, that's the whole point, public domain songs require no licensing anymore than the part 15 transmitter does, that's goes for Canada as well as in the US.
As for paying royalties, nothing wrong with that. Realistically, I think, it's shouldn't be a concern or issue unless you actually have a regular listening audience.. which frankly, few do. If your part 15 audience consist of 5 people then your probably doing more than most. That little fabricated factoid however has no relevance to the potential a good part 15AM offers, it's just got to be the right situation. Like maybe a popular vintage record store station..
Oh yeah, you said your supposed to be making "announcements" of local community things of interest ... So do that! Does it say you can't play music between such announcements?