PUMP100, Perth’s internet dance music radio station, was launched at the Church nightclub in Northbridge on Saturday.
“Every other state capital has a dedicated dance music radio station, but we don’t have one here,” said Nick Morgan chief executive officer of the Omon Group
The station has an experimental internet licence to cover musician royalties, but has avoided a costly commercial radio licence by streaming audio via the net.
“We’d love the opportunity to broadcast, but we would need a commercial radio licence and you have to bid ridiculous sums at auction,” said Mr Morgan.
DMG Radio Australia, a subsidiary of the UK-based Daily Mail Corp, recently paid $155 million for a commercial licence in the Sydney area, and is expected to bid for the new commercial licence up for auction in Perth next year.
Sydney based WildFM, a dedicated dance music station, has avoided the high cost of a commercial licence by operating under a temporary community licence as a non-profit organisation.
WildFM creator Anthony Gherghetta has sold an estimated 1.1 million spin-off compilation CDs under the ‘Wild’ name, raising doubts about the stations status as a non–profit organisation. WildFM are currently under investigation by the ABA.
As an internet radio station Pump100 could raise considerable revenue marketing spin off merchandise like WildFM without interference from the ABA,
“We have a larger marketing plan for the future, but I can’t really say any more than that” Mr Daniel Gunn, vice president Omon Group, said.
