Je suis Jan Astasia, membre de Radio Sofa, une webradio basée à Paris et résidente de THF Radio à Berlin. J’ai récemment animé un atelier lors de l’événement de TNP Radio à Amsterdam et je voulais partager ce que j’ai appris.

Les stations de radio en ligne sont des terrains de jeu musicaux pour les talents émergents et confirmés. Mais tous ceux qui ont suivi de près les plateformes établies telles que NTS, Kiosk Radio ou Radio TNP conviendront que ces plateformes représentent bien plus. Dans cet article, nous verrons comment les plateformes de radio en ligne peuvent avoir un impact positif sur le monde.

Tout d’abord, jetons un coup d’œil sur des exemples de projets à fort impact réalisés par des stations de radio à travers le monde.

Examples of Impactful Projects

Geo-Political Debates

Genocide in Gaza / Assault in Lebanon

LOT Radio: Organized the “Resistance Stream” to support Palestine Mutual Aid ^{1 2}.

Radio alHara: Broadcasts from Bethlehem, focusing on social change ^{3 4} The mixtape Learning Palestine Until Liberation is a 12 hours sound program created from content downloaded from Youtube “interweaving songs, poems, music, chants, talks, discussions, presentations, and conversations by many, many singers, intellectuals, academics, researchers, musicians, students, and fighters to teach, tell, inform, and to understand the history, the present, and reality of the ongoing struggle for justice and liberation for Palestine” ⁵liberation-radio-alhara-12-hours-program-on-palestine)

Operator Radio Rotterdam: Asking for help for a demonstration ^{6 7}. Operator organized a crucially important manifestation: The Glass House for Gaza. Fundraiser for Lebanon.

TNP Radio: Sharing documentary ⁸

The radio is also active in collecting clothing for the homeless in our studio, collecting laptops for Ukrainian refugees, fundraising money for Gaza, Syria/Turkey + for a music school in Palestine. In Brazil we helped build a football school by raising over €28k. We did campaigns to motivate the younger generation to vote during elections. Recently we also did a radio workshop for refugees.

Root Radio: Calling for a strike for all musicians ⁹

Invasion of Ukraine

Refuge Worldwide: From solidarity party series to community radio(https://refugeworldwide.com/). Refuge was started as a fundraising platform working in solidarity with grassroots and non-profit organisations. In January 2021 we launched Refuge Worldwide, a new radio station to amplify the music and issues that we care about, broadcasting 24/7 from Weserstraße 166, (12045 Berlin Neukölln).

Reminiscing Our Land: A fundraiser by Root Radio & Refuge Worldwide ¹⁰

On November 2nd 2024, Root Radio and Refuge Worldwide will once again collaborate on an event to raise funds for the ongoing assault on Lebanon and Gaza. The event, which takes place at a secret “multidisciplinary venue” in Berlin, also aims to provide a space for collective reflection and raising awareness. Over 1.2 million people have been displaced from their homes, and thousands killed, since Israel has escalated its attacks on Lebanon throughout the past month. Lebanon is now suffering from a nationwide humanitarian crisis, while the situation in neighbouring Palestine also continues to worsen each day. Starting from 3PM and running until 2AM, Reminiscing Our Land will feature a number of live performances and listening sessions, as well as an art market, food and a screening of On Thyme Hills (a documentary about resistant ecologies in London, Lebanon, and Palestine). Musical contributions come from Abadir, Nour Sokhon, Dakn, Peter Kirn, Q, Marylou, Lateef & VEX, Joumana, Sunfear & Lawrence Goodwin, Aalia & Azemad, and Root Radio founder Ahmadshk. The arts and merch sale will include pieces from Aliaa Kurdi, Hildashaus, Sina Opalka, Space Of Urgency, Suhail Nassar + Moayed Abu Ammouna and Diaspora Rising, as well as a vinyl sale organised by Refuge and its resident artists. Entry will be by donation - minimum 10€ is suggested - but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. All proceeds from the event will be donated to a small number of trusted groups working on the ground in Lebanon and Palestine, including a trusted individual facilitating aid and ambulance visits, and organisations supporting migrant workers in Lebanon. Artwork by Rawand Issa.

3ezwa: A new association offering financial support for those facing repression ^{11 12}

Playlist: 2 Years of Ukrainian Resistance ¹³2-years-of-ukrainian-resistance): To uplift and highlight voices from Ukraine, we have compiled some shows from the last two years that celebrate Ukrainian art and resistance. If you’re based in Berlin and want to show solidarity, join Vitsche Berlin today, Saturday 24 February, from 13-15:00 at Brandenburger Tor, and tune in from 15-16:00 to listen to P Kirn & Dmytro Fedorenko’s Ukraine Resistance Radio.

Residencies & shows

Borshch magazine’s Mariana Berezovska talks to Pledov and Kate Tarabukina (Vitsche Culture), the co-organizers of Kyiv’s Art—Weapon! Festival. The festival is dedicated to Ukrainian art created during the full-scale war and is co-organised with Vitsche Berlin, the Ukrainian civil movement in Berlin. The one-day program features 40 artists and art groups of various genres and will be held at Alte Münze in Berlin on 25 February. Most of the artists are currently based in Ukraine and are travelling to Berlin for the festival. ^{14 15}

Gasoline Radio: Gasoline Radio is a non-commercial media platform, based in Kyiv. Our main goal is to disseminate Ukrainian culture and bring together artists, DJ’s and activists in Kyiv and beyond. We aim to expand our listeners musical knowledge, build a community, and to put Ukrainian musicians in a global context. Rooted in Ukrainian identity and heritage, the project aims to combat deep-seated inferiority complexes and cultivate a proud cultural identity. ¹⁶ Radio Vilnius (Lithuania): the new platform will launch with four hours of experimental and underground music from Ukrainian artists. You can hear the transmission live on Lithuania’s Radio Vilnius from 2 PM through 6 PM CET. After this, the show will be available to stream from Radio Vilnius’s website .¹⁷The Resistance Radio project was set up to amplify the experimental sounds and music of Ukrainian artists and their collaborations with international musicians. Over the past month, Ukrainian producers living inside and outside the country were invited to submit new experimental music, field recordings, noise and other DIY electronics .¹⁸

20ftradio (Kyiv): Independent music radio. Online daily streams on our website. Artist unity, Give a voice to artists. Grains of Peace: Except for guns and bombs, the main weapons of the enemy are fear and anxiety. They poison our thoughts, destroy our strength, and oppress our hearts. We believe that music is an instrument of peace, a medicine, whose power can be felt by everyone and can help to find faith, hope, and peace in this world again. We invite artists from all over the world to sow grains of peace to support the spirit of our country, fill souls with light, and fill the future with meaning. Listen to music and stand with Ukraine. ¹⁹

Mystictrax residency: Mystictrax is the Ukrainian experimental laboratory of sound, run by musician & dj Lostlojic. Started in 2019 as a mystification with “radioactive” cassettes from Chornobyl, the label has now accumulated the capacity of 50 artists from Ukraine and beyond, including Monotronique, Poly Chain, Radiant Futur, Vadim Griboedov, Ufaze, Raavel, Lostlojic himself and many more. ²⁰

Labels:

Standard Deviation (Kyev) Established in 2020, Standard Deviation is a multidisciplinary label platform, working on the intersection of music, art and publishing. We aim to foster creative collaborative exchange between an aspiring Ukrainian scene and a global community. ²⁰ Mystrictrax: Ukrainian Experimental Laboratory of Sound

Kyiv labels Standard Deviation and Mystictrax came together for a charity compilation featuring 65 Ukrainian and international artists, including Laurent Garnier, Alinka and Héctor Oaks. “It’s probably a very strange decision, to [put together] a release during the shelling and the war, but I just didn’t know what else I could do,” said Mystictrax head Lostlojic. “Sasha Zakrevska (AKA Poly Chain) wrote to me, ’let’s put together a compilation,’ and we immediately started contacting everyone we knew. Eventually, we joined forces with Standard Deviation, the Modern Matters agency and others. Everyone was keen to get involved. It was probably the best thing I could have done during this time, and I am very proud of this project.”

Café Político Radio: Based in Colombia, this station discusses Latin American politics, including regional geopolitical developments1.

Eye on Global Politics: A US-based station focusing on international political affairs, providing in-depth analysis of global issues1.

NTS: Hosted a “musique de silence” event in solidarity with the genocide in Gaza.  ²¹ 18th December is International Migrants Day - an annual day recognising the lives and contributions of migrants around the world. We’re marking the event on Sunday 15th December with a 24-hour-long broadcast, recognising the ineradicable influence migrant communities around the world have had on global music, art and culture. Featuring specials on vital contemporary and historic music scenes, illuminating interviews, live performances, and big guests. Raising money for Music Action, helping refugees heal from trauma through music and performance.

Relief and Humanitarian Aid

Root Radio & Metamorphosen: Donation-based event for families affected by the earthquake in Syria. ²²

Root Radio & Metamorphosen: This will be a donation-based event, with the aim of raising funds for families that are still affected by the earthquake that struck Syria last year.

Nile FM (Internews): Provides critical information to communities in crisis.

First Response Radio: Sets up radio stations within 72 hours of a disaster.

Local Politics and Issues

Mutant Radio: Engages in local political debates. ²³> On April 4th 2025, we’re excited to announce the opening of Mutant’s new home and studio in Berlin! To celebrate, we’re hosting a full-day marathon with our friends and residents. Join us in person at Erlanger Str. 8 or tune in online — let’s kick off this new chapter together!

SHAPE+ is a European platform for innovative music and art. It is artist-oriented, and, every year, it creates a selection of exceptional emerging talent via open call and curatorial voting, to then foster their careers with performance invitations, collaborative residencies, commissions, seminars and networking events. SHAPE+ consists of non-profit venues and festivals, and is co-funded by the European Union and, as of July 2024, Pro Helvetia. ²⁴

Reset! Network: Supports independent cultural and media organizations in Europe. ²⁵

Reset! Live Podcast #5 — Club Culture And The Independent Cultural Sector: ‘Foreign Agents’ ?

Reset! is a European network, initiated by Arty Farty, gathering and supporting independent cultural and media organisations. Reset! aims to highlight the fragile situation and specific needs of these independent players, who are neither under the control of any public authorities nor affiliated with large private groups.

Front électronique: Involved in political debates during French legislative elections.

In preparation for the legislative elections, a movement in the electronic music industry was created, the Electronic Front, to respond with one voice to the rise of the extreme right. The movement brings together 38 artists in the compilation “Siamo Tutti Antifascti”, which is above all a call for mobilization. Faced with an ideology that threatens the independence of the cultural sector and individual freedoms, the Electronist Front recalls that the defence of freedoms through artistic creation will never die.

Empowering Local Communities

Root Radio (Istanbul): Broadcasts feminist content. Root Radio (Istanbul) : Feminist March Broadcast. Saluting the womxn who are fighting for equitable futures and honoring 8 March week as we did in the last years with beautiful and powerful voices of Root’s women & non-binary residents. While we are still mourning, we are also here to remind one another the power of solidarity, and that we will never walk alone.

Radio Vacarme: Focuses on women and gender minorities.

Rinse: Hosts Queer Cult takeovers.

Lyl Radio: Promotes local culture in Paris. Refuge Worldwide: Uses its platform to relay important community messages. Radio Garden: Connects communities and groups living abroad.

Radio Ada: Provides a platform for local talent.

Promoting Sustainability

Radio Sofa: Upcycles clothes, promoting sustainable fashion. Radio Sofa is a collective set up in April 2020, originally as a web radio station. The idea was to continue broadcasting current and electronic music while cultural venues had to stay silent. Our activities have now expanded to include traditional radio broadcasting, production of festive and meditative events, visual arts, and micro-collections of clothing and cassettes.

Radio Sofa creates a space of expression for artists and discovery for the audience. We are committed to pioneering and inclusive programming, showcasing emerging artists with diverse identities and valuing risk-taking and creation. We also aim to minimize the environmental impact of our activities by programming local artists and prioritizing soft mobility and second-hand materials.

iHeartRadio Earth: Encourages sustainable actions. Sustainable World Radio: Focuses on ecology, permaculture, and regenerative farming.

PDF Presentation

Take a look at the Presentation PDF with visual examples

Conclusion

What can we do as Media or Radio Platform? Here are some meaningful actions you can take to address societal issues or challenges.

Empower Local Communities

Create a new show hosted by Radio Team Promote local artists (from record shops, artists that can’t auto-promote) Give a voice to minorities

Find a journalist to create a residency Show a flavor of normal life experience in another country/culture

Activism: Education before Fund Raising

Share more Educational content Interviews, mixtapes, shows, residencies Teaching about geo-political conflicts and the actual lives of people is more important than raising money It’s important that the people giving money are aware and engaged. So they can do it by themselves instead of waiting for something in return from a fundraising event ticket, like a great party/fun time.

Activism: Freedom of Speech

Web Radios are good for democracy and giving resources to artists. They are a great opportunity to avoid social media and big corporations and keep the freedom of speech.

Use the radio station as a relay for people threatened by local authorities If they talk about some subjects, they can use an independent radio station to use their voice

Create or be a relay for content Help people find ways to demonstrate, to be more engaged, like facilitators. People are sometimes interested in being more engaged and being more activists, but they don’t know where to start. Who should they trust? Who’s really independent - saying the truth?

Finance the Radio Studio / Station

Public funding How to deal with funding cuts in the Netherlands and in Germany? Talking about it and sharing potential solutions seems to change things.

Self-funding Try not to be too greedy, avoid capitalistic private investors, have a small business like a cafe/bar, shop, gallery/expo, event space or make money organizing events.

References

• Date: March 13th 2025
• Author: Timothée Dorand
• Telegram/Insta/Soundcloud: @janastasiamusic