Los Angeles Rock Station Indie 103 Going Web-Only, Quits "Corporate Radio Game"

Los Angeles' Indie 103, one of the nation's most renowned alternative rock stations, announced on air today that they'll end their FM broadcast "effective immediately" and instead only exist on the Web. "Because of changes in the radio industry and the way radio audiences are measured, stations in this market are being forced to play too much Britney, Puffy and alternative music that is neither new nor cutting edge," the station said in a statement on their Website and an audio blast that aired several times this morning. "Due to these challenges, Indie 103.1 was recently faced with only one option: to play the corporate radio game. We have decided not to play that game any longer. Rather than changing the sound, spirit and soul of what has made Indie 103.1 great Indie 103.1 will bid farewell to the terrestrial airwaves and take an alternative course."

By moving to the Internet, Indie 103 — which Rolling Stone named the nation's best radio station — promises to recapture the spirit they had when they first hit the airwaves on December 25th, 2003, instead of "the version of Indie 103.1 we are removing from the broadcast airwaves." Today they played Frank Sinatra's "My Way"; several hours later, Sid Vicious' version blared from radio speakers.

Though the station said they're going off air immediately, they're still playing music now, including a pretty awesome block that included Lou Reed's "Vicious" and Prince's new "Wall of Berlin." In fact, Indie 103 made nationwide news recently when Prince deemed the station worthy enough to preview his new songs. A countdown clock currently greets visitors to their Website, with roughly 29 days and 10 hours remaining until the "Indie Revolution" begins.

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Song Stories

“All Along the Watchtower”

The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1968

Jimi Hendrix got hold of Bob Dylan's early John Wesley Harding tapes and in late 1967 recorded a version of "All Along the Watchtower" with the Experience in London. Dissatisfied with that first development, Hendrix brought those tapes with him to New York in early 1968 when he began work on Electric Ladyland. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's engineer at the time, told Rolling Stone that Hendrix "was still looked upon by his basically white audience as the mammoth black guitar hero. There was a constant fight within him to expand himself." Hendrix's successful take on Dylan's work has long been recognized by the songwriter. "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way," Dylan wrote in the liner notes to his Biograph box set. "Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

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