RIG wants online production marketplace

A proposal to create an online match-making service between UK independent radio producers and global broadcasters will be suggested this week.

The Radio Independent Group will propose the idea, rather appropriately, on St Valentine’s Day.

A seminar hosted by the RIG at the BVExpo in Earls Court, London will introduce the concept of an online ‘public radio exchange’ to an audience of audio and radio professionals. It will be presented by the project’s initial proponents, radio consultant Grant Goddard and totallyradio.com’s Daniel Nathan.

Modelled on the successful PRX in America, a similar British system would enable UK producers of radio and audio to showcase their work to broadcasters and other content buyers, with the option to purchase online using an automated process that includes payments for rights-holders in order to minimise overheads.

Mike Hally, Chair of RIG, said: ‘Daniel and Grant approached us some months ago with the idea, and the potential for the UK independent radio production sector was obvious. RIG is delighted to be associated with this project and to give it whatever support we can. Independent producers retain many of the rights to our programmes and we are keen to see them more widely distributed, both to help grow our industry and to increase their availability to consumers.’

The American PRX describes itself as ‘an online marketplace for distribution, review, and licensing of public radio programming and is also a growing social network and community of listeners, producers, and stations collaborating to reshape public radio’. A British version would not be limited to ‘public’ radio, nor would it target only UK broadcasters, as British radio is respected around the world and there are many countries broadcasting wholly, or significantly, in English.

The seminar at the BVExpo at 11am on 14 February 2012 will be entitled ‘A PRX for the UK? – A scheme to improve the sales of audio from producers to broadcasters’. It marks the unveiling of this significant project proposal for which RIG are now seeking appropriate funding and technology partners. The objective is to provide the hundreds of independent radio producers in the UK with a prominent online showcase of their award-winning productions and the opportunity to market their programmes to radio stations around the world.