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Asteroid Radio - Growth & Listener Retention Ideas

Current Situation

  • 3 listeners (project contributors only)
  • Curated ambient/electronic playlist (Biosphere, Autechre, Four Tet, Brian Eno, etc.)
  • Solid technical foundation now in place

Why Listeners Might Not Be Sticking

Discovery Problem

  • How do people find Asteroid Radio?
  • No presence on streaming directories, social media, or music communities
  • "If you build it, they will come" doesn't work for internet radio

Content Predictability

  • Curated playlists can feel repetitive to regular listeners
  • Same tracks in same order = listeners know what's coming
  • Ambient/electronic is niche - smaller potential audience

No "Appointment Listening"

  • Nothing that makes someone think "I need to tune in at X time"
  • No live shows, no special events, no schedule

Passive Experience

  • No chat, no requests, no interaction
  • Listeners have no reason to engage or return

Ideas to Explore

Quick Wins (Low Effort)

Shuffle/Random Mode

  • Let Liquidsoap shuffle the entire music library
  • Fresh experience every time someone tunes in
  • Reduces repetition fatigue
  • Could offer both: "Low Orbit" (curated) and "Deep Space" (random shuffle)

Multiple Themed Streams

  • /asteroid.mp3 - Main curated ambient
  • /asteroid-shuffle.mp3 - Random from full library
  • /asteroid-dark.mp3 - Darker ambient (Lustmord, Atrium Carceri)
  • Let listeners choose their vibe

Now Playing Integration

  • Post to a Twitter/X account automatically
  • Discord webhook for a music community
  • Last.fm scrobbling for discoverability

Medium Effort

Submit to Internet Radio Directories

Discord Community

  • Create a Discord server for listeners
  • Bot posts now playing
  • Request channel (even if manual fulfillment)
  • Builds community around the station

Listener Requests

  • Simple web form to request tracks
  • Queue gets reviewed and added by admins
  • Makes listeners feel heard

Schedule/Programming

  • Even fake "shows" create structure
  • "Midnight Ambient" 00:00-06:00
  • "Morning Drift" 06:00-12:00
  • "Afternoon Orbit" 12:00-18:00
  • "Evening Descent" 18:00-00:00
  • Different playlist vibes for different times

Higher Effort (But High Impact)

Live DJ Sets

  • Even occasional (monthly?) live sets create events
  • "Tune in Saturday at 20:00 for a live set"
  • Creates appointment listening
  • Can be promoted in advance

Guest Mixes

  • Invite ambient/electronic producers to submit mixes
  • Cross-promotion to their audiences
  • Fresh content without ongoing effort

Mobile App / PWA

  • Make it easy to listen on mobile
  • Push notifications for special events
  • "Install to home screen" prompt

Podcast Feed

  • Archive special shows/mixes as podcast episodes
  • Another discovery channel
  • People can catch up on what they missed

Interface Improvements

Current UI is functional but could be more engaging:

  • Visual identity - Logo, consistent branding, memorable aesthetic
  • Album art - Show cover art for current track (if available in metadata)
  • Listener count display - "X people listening now" creates social proof
  • History - "Recently played" visible on front page
  • Schedule display - Even if automated, show what's coming up
  • Dark mode - Essential for ambient music listeners (probably already dark?)

The Music Question

Is the music the problem?

Honestly, probably not. Ambient/electronic has a dedicated audience. The issue is more likely:

  1. They don't know we exist
  2. There's no reason to come back vs. Spotify/YouTube

Random shuffle pros

  • Surprise factor keeps it fresh
  • Showcases full library depth
  • Less maintenance than curated playlists

Random shuffle cons

  • Less coherent "vibe"
  • Jarring transitions possible (need good crossfade)
  • Might play obscure tracks that don't fit

Hybrid approach

  • Keep curated "Low Orbit" as flagship
  • Add shuffle stream as alternative
  • Let listeners choose

Recommended Priority

  1. Submit to radio directories - Free, one-time effort, ongoing discovery
  2. Add shuffle stream option - Technical, we can do this easily
  3. Discord server - Free, builds community
  4. Now playing social posts - Automated discovery
  5. Visual polish - Album art, listener count, branding

Metrics to Track

Once we have more listeners:

  • Peak concurrent listeners (we have this now)
  • Average listen duration
  • Return listener rate (would need cookies/accounts)
  • Geographic distribution (we have this)
  • Which stream/quality is most popular

Final Thought

The technical foundation is solid. The music is good. The problem is almost certainly discovery and engagement. People need to:

  1. Find out we exist
  2. Have a reason to come back

Radio directories + social presence + community = growth path.