It is fair to say that most people have struggled during this recession and we are no exception. We have therefore had to take some tough decisions. We have decided to stop the Roots Channel today due to lack of funds. We will however, continue with our Frukie Channel with a greater concentration and focus.
I want to say a big thank you on behalf of myself and Amanda for all the support many of you have given us. We will be sorry to see the Roots channel go but we also look forward to bringing a greater focus to our Frukie Channel where we are continuing to discover new artists and offer a great variety of music.
And finally…a message for Frukie listeners. If you care about what we do, Please try and support us, we really do need your support. Click here to find out how you can help.
Thank you
Alex and Amanda
update: since posting this this morning we had to turn off the channel earlier than desired to avoid further billing.
{ 29 comments }
We’re having to turn it off sonner than later to avoid new billing cycles. Sorry folks.
Personally you could have give people like me a longer notice period as regards the service.
Understand the financial situation but my payment is half way through this month so in my opinion you should have give customers who subscribe a full months notice
Tony O’ Neill
I sent a personal email to all monthly donators this morning Tony. I’ve refunded your donation for this month. Just to confirm: this isn’t a subscription service. Thanks for your past support. Alex
Alex,
I am sorry for you and your faithful listeners that the roots channel has gone silent. Having been a long time Frukie fan and having experienced a similar loss in the past I can certainly understand the disappointment of those listeners. The services you provide are so unique and I find the Frukie service to be so refreshing compared to most U. S. commercial outlets. I sincerely hope that this is just a temporary situation and the fans of your Roots programming will once again enjoy the fruits or your labors.
Best wishes,
Lewis
Thanks Lewis.
I only discovered this service a week ago. So sad to lose it so quickly, especially in the U.S. where folk music is difficult to access. Let us hope these bad times do not last.
Alex, Amanda
I can only imagine how difficult this decision must have been, I know how you both put your heart & soul into this site. The benefits it brings aritsts and listeners can’t be measured, your dedication to the music since starting FRUK can’t be quantified.
I’m sure the sacrifice will help make the Frukie channel just as important to new music as the Roots channel was to traditional music. And I’m certain that even more listeners and artists will enjoy the benefits.
It’s unfortunate visitors like Anthony (above) put perceived consumer rights before love of the music. Most of us who donate do just that – donate, not subscribe.
All the best wishes in the world, from all the family xx
Roots was a great radio. Like Lewis said, I hope that this is just a temporary situation.
Hello there! I’m from Patagonia Argentina (sorry for my English!) and I’m a very big fan of your site. I’m sorry I couldn’t make any financial support as I don’t have credit card. But I think your work is huge. I just love this site.
Thank you for the wonderful music, for the dedication you put in your Roots channel. I hope it’s only temporary, but if it is not, well, thank you anyway.
Frukie is playing all day long on the north shore of Quebec.
I liked the Roots channel more than Frukie… very sad. There doesn’t seem to be an alternative either… hope to see it back soon!
I had just added your Roots station to my Reciva feed last week. Frankly, I thought it was the best Folk station I had ever heard on internet radio. I was considering a donation, but I understand that probably wouldn’t have solved your financial problems. I’m not a big fan of ‘Frukie’-just different tastes. I applaud your hard work and wish you success. If you decide to revive Roots let me know. I would be willing to help out. Best luck, TJ
The support just wasn’t there. Plenty of listeners mind…
What a hard choice to make. I have been listening to Roots for so long and it is a part of my daily listening. There is no replacement to what you provided. I hope at some point you will bring it back and/or combine the 2 in one.
Marsha
Ah, sadly missed already. Just recently found Roots and was so impressed and happy to donate. It was unique an impossible act to follow.
Will give Frukie a try, its ok, but it ain’t roots. Never mind you may change my listening habits.
Or perhaps as Marsha said combine the two??
Keep up the great work
David
I was both surprised and sad about the demise of your Roots stream. I was surprised because I thought Folk was thriving and as you said you had plenty of listeners. I was sad because you were making a genuine cultural contribution. If I had my hands on the purse strings I would give you a Arts Council grant. I guess my surprise was born out of naivety and should you manage to resurrect Roots I will contribute 2nd time around.
You probably know a lot more than I do about this, but if you look at Folkalley.com’s funding page you may find some ideas for yourself.
what a loss! ;(
I’ve been listening to this station for a few months now and it was one of my favorites. (well, all except for that shipping jingle which, honestly, got fully on my nerves after the 2nd or 3rd time hearing it!)
too bad that you could not keep this service alive. it will be missed and I have not found any other that is really like it.
Sad as hell. I’d been listening to Roots most days when I work from home and it tuned me in to so many new sounds. But on the bright side, I’ve changed to Frukie and that’s opening my ears to even more stuff! Yin and Yang, and all that kind of thing, eh?
I’ve been listening many months to Roots from Holland, and I’ll really miss it! If you guys decide to go online again, then I’ll certainly contribute! Let me know if that will happen.
What a shame, there’s nothing out there like this anywhere. Last time you closed Frukie and kept the Roots. Why not combine the two?
Doubtlessly I was one of your most faithful listeners from Germany and now since Roots is gone I dont’ know where to go. Regarding choice, combination and quality of music and broadcast there’s nothing comparable out there. Simple as that.
If you ever decide to go on with Roots I certainly will do my part this time and donate.
I agree to my fellow listeners up there: If you see a chance on combining Roots and Frukie I’d me more than happy to tune in.
Irrespectively what you guys do, I owe you at least a big Thank You for your awesome job!
I recently discovered your Roots signal when I went looking for a good source of folk after my favorite folk DJ (Matt Watroba, Detroit) went off the air. I was thrilled for about a week. Unfortunately, I did not discover your website until your signal went away. I was ready to subscribe but there was nothing to subscribe to.
I only recently started listening to internet radio, through applications on the PC, the web, and android mobile phone. Perhaps if I had heard an occasional message telling me the staion needed money and where to subscribe I (and others) might have known in time to make a difference.
I am used to public broadcasting in the US and they never shut up about money, so it would not bother me if you made an occasional appeal, especially when there is a need. Because of these new applications, we listeners are disconnected from the sources, they even tell you about the song and artist, and may need to be educated about support for our favorites.
I probably will not listen to Frukie as much, I can get similar sounds on local radio (WXPN Philadelphia). But thank you for a week of great music and if you decide to revive the roots broadcast I will be a subscriber.
I have already purchased music I discovered on your station, from scotloads of all places. Ours is a niche audience, and market, and I would think it would be worth something to artists, labels and distributors to help sponsor a broadcast like yours.
I never comment on websites, so the fact that I am moved to comment here, and to write such a long comment, is a measure of my disappointment.
Good luck and much success and to you. Thank you for what you tried to do.
Thanks for the feedback Steve. Just to clarify your comment about asking for dontations, we did, every hour during our broadcast.
Thanks for all your hard work. I was a regular if only occasional listener to my preferred option of Roots due to many time consuming reasons but as a budding musician I was really grateful for it when I did tune in. Unfortunately, although I did mean to eventually, I must hold my hands up and admit I hadn’t got round to subscribing and I apologise for that. As others have already mentioned I would also be more than happy to do so should you be in a position to bring it back. In the meantime…………..more power to Frukie!
I think you did well to last as long as you have given how you are funded. I’ve been listening for about 18-months and am really going to miss the roots stream – definitely has rekindled my interest in trad folk as well as further broadened my folk tastes, and my CD collection..! Clearly some in this forum don’t know that that’s where it all started, and presumably based upon that is where your real musical interests lie. Unfortunately at the end of the day, you have to be viable and I’m sure you have chosen to keep the Indie stream going because that is where the baulk of the listeners are at. Hopefully you’ll be in a position to restart sometime in the future in the meantime, good luck…..and like so many others…..despite regular reminders, sorry I didnt contribute……I now have little choice but to suffer the mainly commercial filled world of US radio here in Michigan…..I suppose we only have ourselves to blame……
Such a shame to see Roots go! I’ve been listening to you guys for a while now and I’ve found so much new music here (I’d never even heard of Afro Celt Sound System or Mumford and Sons until I stumbled across you in a Google search). I’m listening to Frukie now, though I did listen to Roots more when it was available.
I was wondering how much it would cost for your to bring it back and keep it running. Obviously you guys do ask for donations by having the buttons on your site and announcing it – perhaps your could put out a petition to bring Roots back and have a target you could meet? Does depend on overall cost, though; clearly I have no idea what it would be.
Still, I am sad to see it go, and no love lost from me. I’ll listen to Frukie! Good to discover new stuff. This site makes me so happy! ^-^
Some lovely comments and good vibes here. Thanks folks!
Very sorry to learn that Roots has had stop broadcasting.
Alex and Amanda, I’m so sorry that Roots ended. I discovered Roots only about two months before it closed, and I used to listen to it all the time. Before that, I listened to a local folk radio station, WUMB in Boston, which is also on the internet, but I liked your line-up so much more. Unfortunately, Frukie, just isn’t my thing. If Roots opens again, I will definitely come back and support you. Thanks for the hours of enjoyment you brought to me and other listeners.
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