Davit Souders records his podcast of "Hometown Heroes" for iTunes. The show, which features local music and facts about Tulsa, is available for free on the online music service.
Pod people
JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World
By MATT ELLIOTT World Scene Writer
2/25/2007 Local radio show goes global via Internet podcast
Another slice of this largely rural state has been beamed into the global world of the Internet, this time via a podcast called "Hometown Heroes " on iTunes.
Local radio personality and musician Davit Souders records the show each week and puts the show on iTunes, where subscribers can download the show for free. The show focuses on Tulsa facts and music.
He has been getting as many as 50 new subscribers a day via the online music service, Souders said.
"The biggest surprise is to get these e-mails from regular listeners in Edinburgh and France and all these places," said Souders.
"The question is, 'Well, what is their interest in music from some place called Tulsa, Okla.?' I think there's always interest in pockets around the world for indie music."
iTunes, paired with parent company Apple's popular iPod music player, is an online music service offering more than 4 million songs for download, as well as films and TV shows, according to the company's press materials.
iTunes' store acts like an intermediary, connecting consumers with authors of the podcasts, according to Apple.
Some of the iTunes podcasts (a fancy name for audio and/or video recordings), are for sale, while others, such as "Hometown Heroes," are free.
Consumers download the podcasts by browsing through the available titles and selecting which episodes they want, while iTunes remembers their selections and can automatically download new material as updates are available.
Listen to Souders' podcast, in its 35th week, and you'll hear music produced by the likes of local indie high school rock band the Dull Drums to the now-defunct Epperley as well as Tony Romanello's new album, "Lo-Fi Dreams in Stereo: Vol. 2."
Last Thursday, during a taping at a local radio station, Souders told his listeners some odd facts about Tulsa, including that it is illegal to receive money for palm-reading in the state of Oklahoma.
He also has told his listeners how the yield sign was invented in Tulsa and the Oklahoma origins of the wheeled-shopping cart, the aerosol can and parking meter, Souders said.
He and his engineer, Dustin Parkhurst, bait and switch their way through the episodes, trading quips and jokes with a fair amount of self-effacing humor. They also poke fun at the disorientingly global nature of the Internet.
Souders, who also is a concert promoter, is taking advantage of the latest wave in Internet innovation, a wave that has had an equalizing effect on the arts.
The online peer network Myspace, iTunes and computer programs offering consumer-oriented music recording capabilities have leveled the playing field, according to music industry analysts, giving everyone the chance to get his or her music out, regardless of airplay from radio stations or backing from record labels.
Souders' podcast also is available on a loop at his Web page, www.myspace.com/diabolical_productions, Souders said.
"The thing is to try to say, 'Hey world, here we are. Give us a spin. Just give us a shot.' I think if we can get them to come test drive it, then I think they can get what we're trying to present."
Souders also hosts a weekly radio show, "Local Flavors," on Rogers State University's KRSC, 91.3 FM, every Monday from 7-11 p.m.
Matt Elliott 581-8366
matt.elliott@tulsaworld.com
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