JazzGroove to change soon

[TheOldPresbyope]

The Jazz Groove is one of my favorite streaming radio stations.

I have donated to them in the past, but I guess not recently since I just received this announcement:

Dear Jazz Lover,

In 7 days, Unlimited Listening will end for non-members like you (here’s why).


Once you make a donation, your membership is activated and Unlimited Listening is unlocked. Please show your support before time runs out! You’ll receive Hi-Res Audiophile Fidelity, Song Skips & we’ll ship you a gift!

Having an active membership is important; here’s why:


The Jazz Groove delivers two different versions of our radio stations based on whether or not you’re a member:


A: For Members (Pure Music/No Talk & Unlimited Listening)

B: For The General Public (Listening is Limited. Includes Fund Drive & Promotional Talk)

We face a budget deficit that requires the termination of Unlimited Listening for non-members. Do your part, chip in your fair share and to thank you for donating, you’ll receive Unlimited Listening plus a bundle of Premium Plus member benefits.

as they go on to explain

Having an active membership is important; here’s why:


The Jazz Groove delivers two different versions of our radio stations based on whether or not you’re a member:


A: For Members (Pure Music/No Talk & Unlimited Listening)

B: For The General Public (Listening is Limited. Includes Fund Drive & Promotional Talk)

We face a budget deficit that requires the termination of Unlimited Listening for non-members. Do your part, chip in your fair share and to thank you for donating, you’ll receive Unlimited Listening plus a bundle of Premium Plus member benefits.

I have no problem with them trying to stay afloat. The larger message here is, support the work you love---this includes moOde! We used to have a TANSTAAFL society at college --- There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch --- started by arch conservatives of course, but true nonetheless.

Regards,
Kent

PS - it would be lovely if a scheme can be worked out in moOde to allow JazzGroove members to continue to stream directly from moOde (analogously to Tidal/Qobuz/Spotify memberships) but that remains to be seen. We'll be able to access them through a phone or other device and stream via moOde's Bluetooth or Airplay renderers, of course, but that's inconvenient.

[TheOldPresbyope]

And then I wrote

it would be lovely if a scheme can be worked out in moOde to allow JazzGroove members to continue to stream directly from moOde (analogously to Tidal/Qobuz/Spotify memberships) but that remains to be seen.

It turns out to be childishly simple. After becoming a Premium Plus member

Step 1: At JazzGroove.org be signed into your Premium Plus account and click ACCOUNT.

Step 2: Click AUDIO SETTINGS.

Under Premium URL:
• from “Audio Quality" select FLAC (or whatever, but why not FLAC?)
  
• from "Channel" select one of the four choices, one of which is the original "Smooth Jazz".
  
• from "Format" select "Stream URL"
  
• Then click “COPY.” You just copied the URL to your clipboard.
  

Step 3: Either edit the existing Jazz Groove radio station entry, pasting in this new URL, or create a new station entry with it. May as well create several entries with the different channels, just as we have now for several other multiple-channel stations.

I haven't come up with an appropriate set of Jazz Groove station icons yet. That's a task for another day.

Regards,
Kent

PS - For heaven's sake, don't share the URLs with others (or post them publicly, yikes!). Besides it being an act of bad faith, I expect they're keyed to your account and you may find yourself banned. At worst, they may change to a scheme that can't be made to work with moOde.

PPS - The instructions above were adapted from their instructions for other devices and apps so I consider them official.

[DRONE7]

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

[Tim Curtis]

The challenge they will have if they actually go forward with only a payed subscription service is whats called "payment fatigue". There are only so many $10/mo subscriptions people will be willing to accept.

[the_bertrum]

The challenge they will have if they actually go forward with only a payed subscription service is whats called "payment fatigue". There are only so many $10/mo subscriptions people will be willing to accept.

Judging by the way the text on the donation page changes, a one time payment of $100 or more gets an unlimited membership.

[Tim Curtis]

For only one year though. Notice the "Yes, automatically renew my plan in one year" checkbox. Its a bit sneaky.
The one-time $100/yr is a ~15% discount over $10/mo which is for sure a better deal for people that really like the station.

I like the station but maybe not enough to pay for it, I dunno yet. The only Net Radio I'm currently paying for ($10/mo) is SomaFM because I dig their ethos and listen to several of their stations pretty much all the time.

[the_bertrum]

For only one year though. Notice the "Yes, automatically renew my plan in one year" checkbox. Its a bit sneaky.
The one-time $100/yr is a ~15% discount over $10/mo which is for sure a better deal for people that really like the station.

I like the station but maybe not enough to pay for it, I dunno yet. The only Net Radio I'm currently paying for ($10/mo) is SomaFM because I dig their ethos and listen to several of their stations pretty much all the time.

Ah good spot.  Seemed to be oddly generous.

It is a hard tightrope to walk funding these stations.  I listen to AncientFM, a couple of Soma stations, and Dandelion radio mostly.  I've made occasional donations to all of them bar Dandelion, who somehow manage to self fund and don't ask for money.  I certainly couldn't afford to subscribe monthly to all three if they started going down that route.

[Tim Curtis]

Apparently TJG is going to try a daily cap on the free stream. After 30-60 minutes listening time each day it will end. I'm assuming its per user, prolly by ip address or something like that.

They also mentioned in their pledge drive that less than 1% of their listeners contribute $$ i.e. have a subscription, and that they need to get to 1% just to cover their financial shortfall. That 1% figure is prolly typical for listener supported stations or for that matter most other donation based activities. I have some experience in that area.