Amy Volume Amy Volume

I Read About Futuri So You Don't Have To

Oooooh, ahhh… the future is now!

From the Boradcast Dialogue article HERE by Connie Thiessen, Feb. 23, 2023:

"human input is required when working to configure shows, but RadioGPT does the rest.”

Some thoughts:

Where I feel this AI tech will be extremely helpful to live, on air human broadcasters: you know how you used to do one show in one timeslot but now you do one show in that same timeslot in your home market (which you totally crush, btw) but now you also host a second show in the same timeslot (or maybe evenings) and it's syndicated into five other markets or clusters and there is an expectation of X local, live content breals per X hour in X market? If you're pickin' up what I'm throwin' down, you know how helpful this new tech could be.

The on air humans who have more than one show, typically have that additional level of reach because they are good at their jobs and are appreciated by listeners, both local and out of market.

Have you ever felt overexposed in your position? I know I have. We are public figures and often a little 'too' accessible; we're the wall for people to throw their sh*t at. It's not all sh*it, okay. I know that. On the days where it is mostly sh*t, I'd give anything to have a tech filter to be the first point of contact for calls, texts, DMs or e-mails that no human should see (shoutout to young women working those overnight shifts).

RadioGPT is said to be capable at handling posts to social media and blogs/other forms of engaging web content. If that means I can worry less about a) what's offensive today and might be considered offensive tomorrow, b) whether or not sharing this will get me or my company into trouble with copyright crawler bots, and c) finding time to post while I'm hosting, prepping, programming, in meetings and engaging with audience/sales/clients, etc.

SIGN. ME. THE. F*CK. UP.

I've been using the same metaphor about working in radio since I started professionally doing so in 2011:

"Hosting a show is like casting a net; what you pull in isn't always going to be what you want to eat. The bigger the net, the more you'll pull in but, again, it's not always edible."

Working with AI is going to increase the size of the net, while helping us source through the catch.

To my very limited knowledge, there were two announcements this week about AI DJ tech:

Spotify's Sonatic which promises to "deliver a curated lineup of music alongside commentary around the tracks and artists we think you'll like in a stunningly realistic voice."

Futuri's RadioGPT which bills itself as "the world's first localized radio content powered entirely by artificial intelligence."

To summarize:

As a disabled woman working in media with two young kids in school, married to a partner who works full time in marketing and quasi-recently launched his own (successful) business, I am very excited about what this tech will mean for the future of the broadcasting industry.

Nothing is more important to me, professionally, than being the friend who plays your favourite tunes. If I get to play exactly what you want, when you want it and give you the information you want to hear in between tunes... I think that's the ultimate goal. Let's go!

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Windmill Cottage

I’m the third generation in my family taking on the family cottage. We’ve been renting it since 2019 and became official owners as of late 2020. The first to offer it to the public via exclusive rental (AirBnB at first, then word of mouth, family and friends). and this blog details some of my feelings on the last three years.

The sun is setting on our third (!!!) year hosting guests at the family cottage. It’s been a pretty great experience overall. Most importantly, the bills are being paid which is the whole point. When you think of spending time at a cottage you don’t own, it can be easy to take advantage. It’s innocent enough, right? You’re on holiday! Becoming the official owners of the cabin (which was originally bought by my granny in 1975, then my uncle in the early(ish) 2000s) has taught me some things:

  • Hydro bills come every three months.

  • Monthly mortgage payments (it’s a second home).

  • Monthly tax bills.

  • Garbage disposal is not free; you take it to the dump yourself.

  • Wood costs between $300-600 annually.

  • Road repair cost $1,000 this season.

  • New electric fireplace + removal of old wood burning insert cost over $2,000.

This doesn’t cover the supplies provided, propane, upgrades/repairs/general maintenance and what I pay per turn-over (when a guest leaves, the place gets cleaned and ‘reset’ by my parents or by me). Maybe one day when the finances are right, we won’t have to rent it out anymore. We’re pretty lucky, though. We’ve got a good group of repeat guests who respect the property and ‘leave it how they found it’. Strangers have become friends, while still remaining strangers… if that makes sense.

I’ve increased the nightly rate for 2022 as we’ve applied for Starlink highspeed internet. We haven’t received the hardware yet but got an ETA of ‘mid to late 2021’ and the latter is approaching. It’ll cost around $130 monthly. With our current cellular ‘mobile hotspot’ internet, I’m billed anywhere from $850-1,000 per month. This is why we don’t offer the WiFi to guests at the lake. It’s also why we can’t wait to get Starlink up and running.

I’ll be at the lake later this month for some solo time during which I should have the opportunity to take some updated photos. Until then, you can follow our cottage on Instagram: @WindmillCottage and browse through the history, rules, rates and more at: WindmillCottage.ca or by clicking the Cabin Rental text at the top of this page. If you’re reading this on mobile, click the + at the top right of your screen.

I’ve been working on updating the website to ensure that there’s enough information available to guests (new and returning). I’ve been fortunate enough to have nearly booked all of 2022’s vacancies and several new guests are friends! Thank you, you know who you are, for choosing my special place for your holiday!

That brings me to my next point: I’m so not a ‘businesswoman’. I hate sales. I hate talking about money. I hate TAKING people’s money, too. Especially when it’s friends or family. I’ve really had to put it in perspective: if I want to keep this cottage (and I do) then I have to charge a set rate and stick to it. I also have to enforce some basic ground rules for all guests. There are only four biggies:

1. No pets. My daughter and I are allergic and we’re here a lot.

2. No parties. Don’t be super loud from 11PM-8AM.

3. No smoking inside the cabin. Smoke outside all you like, just be responsible with butts.

4 No burning during a Total Fire Ban. Because forest fires, duh.

I’m not a super huge fan of picking up roaches. Haven’t had any issues with cigarette buts but damn, the roaches are real. Roaches, btw, are essentially the butts of rolled tobacco or marijuana. It’s been in your mouth and now I get the pleasure of touching it! Yum! We’ve had some people have outdoor fires during bans, too. If you get caught doing that, the fine is hefty let alone the absolute risk of sparking a forest fire. We installed a security camera to monitor the firepit for that reason.

I think the worst experience I’ve had hosting was in the first season. Took on a stranger from AirBnB who rented the place to ‘unwind’ with some of his work colleagues. It’s a remote cabin in the woods with no internet, far away from the city. It’s not a party place but they managed to blast music so loud, so late into the night that not only did they wake the neighbours resulting in a (minor) confrontation but they also blew my soundbar. Funny enough, the neighbour who ask the guest to turn it down is good friends with that guest’s boss. Maybe one day karma will be served? I don’t know. That group also broke a bunch of stuff, left behind four XL garbage bags FULL of trash (they were there for two nights), left the garbage cans full inside with used tissues all over, stained my couch, smoked inside and left ash all over. There was also trash along our shoreline and food mushed into one of the kayaks.

Absolute bummer but a lesson learned, I guess. That person gave me a bad review/rating on AirBnB which was one of the many reasons I’m moving away from that platform. They did have my back though in recouping some funds to help cover the damage. The bad reviews are permanent, though. So that’s neat!

We are pretty exclusive with who we rent to now and even more private about it. I don’t accept bookings right away from strangers and offer previous guests the option to book in advance. It doesn’t mean I won’t get burned again. People have very different ideas as to how a rental cottage should be treated; if they’re paying me to be there or not. I always try to instill the mantra that ‘this is my second home. This is not a hotel.’ Most people are respectful, tidy and take good care of the place. The one’s that don’t won’t be coming back.

If you have any questions for me as a host, cottage owner or whatever, please ask away! Don’t be shy! Renting is absolutely worth the the stress and anxiety. I do honestly enjoy sharing my family cottage with people who help me take care of it. If I can’t be there, why not?

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The Gospel According to Volume (new demo)

 

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Listen to my latest demo & tell me what you think. Unless it's rude - if it's rude, best keep it to yourself. 

Audio was taken from my 6 hour radio programme (yes, I'm spelling it that way on purpose) on Wednesday, September 28th.

If you would like to hear MORE from my show, I do have a full show scope on hand (hour by hour) for funzies. Furthermore, you could always tune in weekdays from 9AM to 3PM for the fresh effect by CLICKING HERE.

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