We all know that WMSE 91.7 FM has long been the granddaddy of independent, community-run radio in Milwaukee. For 30 years the station has served as a tireless supporter of all things local, giving area artists a rare forum to showcase their talents on the air for their fellow citizens to hear. Every Tuesday at 8 p.m., “Local/Live” features a different Milwaukee-area artist performing an entire set live on the air, and the show’s archives are a veritable who’s who of the city’s top bands and solo acts, along with plenty of artists who have yet to make their mark.
What you might not know is that 30 years old in radio equipment years is like 150 in human years. Translation: The stuff they use to record and broadcast bands is getting really old. Listener contributions support the day-to-day functions of the station, but don’t provide enough to upgrade the equipment. But it may be a very new technology to the rescue of their very old stuff, as WMSE has officially undertaken a Kickstarter campaign to raise the $30,000 they need to keep the live music flowing.
Kickstarter.com, which has become a popular means for local bands to raise capital to fund everything from recordings to vinyl pressings to touring, asks random backers to throw in on worthy artistic endeavors. If the target total is reached, the project is on, partly in thanks to you. If not, no money exchanges hands, and it’s back to the old drawing board.
WMSE is offering incentives for different levels of giving. Donate a dollar, and you’ll get your name framed on the walls of WMSE. $75 gets you a Best of Local/Live DVD, CD and T-shirt, while $10,000 or more gets you all of that and the newly outfitted studio named after you! The money must be raised by Dec. 22, and as of this moment, the WMSE campaign has already garnered $2,225 of the necessary $30,000 from 20 backers. So if you love local music and don’t want to see yet another bastion of the Milwaukee music culture slink off into the sunset, you might consider heading over to the website and pledging a few bucks.
Photo by Dale Reince.
