MyRealBroadcast
This was the official website of MyRealBroadcast where you could listen to a number of great shows.
The content below is from the site's 2007 -2008 archived pages.
If you were not aware of this site in the early 2000's you missed out on some really great shows. As a budding musician with dreams of making it big, I read Steve Gordon's book The Future of the Music Business: How to Succeed with the New Technologies. Can't say it lead me to success. Ten years later I am still playing my guitar in the evenings, but its now at a local bar. My day job is over seeing a group of women who sew custom large, medium, and small cushion designer dog beds for an e commerce site. Customers choose either poly fill for the bed which gives it a firm feel or Down fill (10% down/90% feather) which gives the dog bed cushion a softer feel. They then select the fabric design and piping color that goes around the pillow. The owners have been toying with the idea of allowing customers to send in their own fabric for us to make a dog bed that would completely coordinate with their home decor. But we're still waiting to see if they make that jump. I think it could cause a lot of headaches, but hey, I'm not an owner. I also deal with customers, confirming their design preferences and helping them make color choices. It's somewhat creative, but really requires a lot of management, on my part, of others. Too bad the music career didn't take off, but who knows. I can always dream.
Now intrepid visitor, take a nostalgic trip back to 2007 when MyRealBroadcast was cookin'.
MyRealBroadcast Radio Stations
*ACCESS TO CD ROM CONTENT AND MORE SHOWS JUST LOG IN OR REGISTER*
*Interviews music industry Leaders and Executives *Artists, digital music entrepreneurs, journalists, academics and more.
Steve Gordon is an entertainment attorney, writer, radio host and educator. He is the author of The Future of the Music Business: How to Succeed with the New Technologies (Backbeat Books 2005.)
His current clients range from multinational entertainment and technology companies such as Microsoft, Music Choice and MTV to independent TV producers, recording artists and digital entertainment entrepreneurs. He specializes in licensing music for TV, DVD and new media.
In January, 2006, his application as a Fulbright Scholar was approved. The Scholarship applies to any foreign university for the next five years. Steve is planning his first visit as a Fulbright Scholar to the Law School of the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia next fall. You can read Steve's latest blog under "messages" or read his other blog at http://digitalmusicnews.com.
Steve also served as an Instructor at the CUNY Graduate Center for the last three years where he taught a course on the future of the music and video business. Next fall and spring he will be moderating seminars on various digital music issues at Columbia Law School and the University of Pennsylvania.
From 1991 to 2001 Steve served as Director of Business Affairs at Sony Music (TV/Video). Prior to Sony, he worked at a music performing rights organization (SESAC), a music law firm (Arrow Edelstein & Gross), and a movie studio (Dino Di Laurentiis in Beverly Hills). Steve is a graduate of New York University School of Law and is a member of the Entertainment Law Committee of the NYC Bar Association. For contact information and published articles, upcoming speaking engagements and more.
Video of Steve's speech at the Future of Music conference in Denmark
KNOCK KNOCK – The Future of Music is a must for all businesses, organizations and individuals that want to learn more about the new opportunities arising from the music business 2.0 and learn how the music business intends to navigate the stormy waters and come out all the better on the other side. How will record labels, musicians, mobile companies and technology providers position their businesses to take advantage in the digital music market – who will be the new players? What new business areas in general will emerge from the combination of new technology and music? How is the industry addressing obstacles, such as interoperability, pricing issues and piracy, to establish a healthy and profitable marketplace? What products, platforms, partner-ships, and user patterns will drive the future of music, and indeed the future of content?
With KNOCK KNOCK – The Future of Music, Innovation Lab and ROSA, the Danish Rock Council, are not just knocking on the chamber door of the music industry. Everyone should be in for knock.
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Our Radio Stations
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The Future Of The Music Business Station
THE PLAYING FIELDS review by ROB ASTOR
MyRealTalent Artist Spotlight By ROB ASTOR
MyRealTalent Artist Spotlight by ROB ASTOR
With influences like THE KINKS, RADIOHEAD, CHRIS CORNELL, THE BEATLES, and JEFF BUCKLEY to name only a few, a band name such as THE PLAYING FIELDS is rather fitting. Fusing a mixture of Garage Band/British Punk/Rock& Roll/Pop is no easy task. THE PLAYING FIELDS makes it work seamlessly. Fluidly moving through a sound combination of THE CURE, RADIOHEAD, WILCO, NIRVANA, and SONIC YOUTH, these players have found their musical field of dreams.
THE PLAYING FIELDS’ story began with Stephen Bland from the North London suburb Enfield. In his teenage years, Stephen attended the university in Canterbury while serving as a booking agent for bands as well as promoting clubs. In order for younger brother Michael to look old enough to get into these places, Stephen would dress him in several layers of clothing. Group incarnations came and went with many spirited false starts. After five years, Stephen graduated and decided to see the world, writing a book of poetry along the way. When he returned to London in 1998, he was left feeling empty and directionless. There had to be something more!
Living with Michael, Stephen wrote a novel while encouraging his brother to learn the Guitar and Sing. Two years later, Stephen embarked on another adventure, leaving the U.K. for a nineteen country journey as he continued writing. Michael joined him sporadically as he honed his musical skills. In 2002, Stephen’s trip ended and a dull office job looked like his final destination.However, Michael could now play and sing. Weekly meetings at their small apartment consisted of two Guitars, a Bass, and Computer/Keyboards. Energy renewed, they began playing live gigs, although reluctant to do so without a Drummer.The band line-up began to solidify in the next two years. With childhood friend Jeff Baskett, they fixed themselves on dark, intense pieces while retaining melodious lyrics drawn from Stephen’s writings. Stephen sang Harmony to brother Michael’s Leads while Jeff played Bass and Samples.With the addition of a Drummer in 2005, they cut their musical teeth playing live gigs, discovering their material developed in complexity with added hard rhythmic drive. Adding to their lyrical content, Michael created short, emotional pictures which offset Stephen’s detached style. This combination of songwriting Yin and Yang fills the bulk of THE PLAYING FIELDS song catalogue.A first real taste of success and recognition came with the inclusion of the Acoustic song “Valley Of Salt” being featured on the BBC’s television program “Hustle”. Musical spark ignited, THE PLAYING FIELDS continued to evolve.Reaching the glass ceiling of music in Israel with the groups MUSIC OF COINCIDENCE and THE FOLLOWING, famed solo artist Ron Rosenblum relocated to the United Kingdom. He joined THE PLAYING FIELDS, taking up Drum duties and provided the solidifying missing link to their sound; driving Percussion.Performing professionally with orchestras in Australia and Europe, Hannah Sless decided to reinvent herself in the Pop/Rock arena. As a member of THE PLAYING FIELDS, she provides Classical accompaniment to the often melancholy aspects of the music and occasional Backing Vocals to add depth.
THE PLAYING FIELDS call their sound “Urban Desert”. They have recently released their debut album, “Hello New World”, on CactiShed… Records and promote themselves through the use of the electronic medium, including here at MyRealTalent and MySpace.On MyRealTalent, they offer fans a glimpse into their music through four tracks. The first, “Glass & Concrete”, has a sound and feel not unlike a pared down U2 track, where the lyrics reflect the city as they perceive it; sad, lonely, and unknown.
“Protect The Humans” starts out like an A Capella prayer, calling out for a hero before launching into pounding Drums and a sustained Guitar howl. The roots of European Punk flow through the music as easily as the Vocals which are similar to TREASON or QUEENSRYCHE.Much more mellow, “The Girl In The Machine” could easily double as a song for CREED. The lyrical content paints the poetic images of the band’s signature lyrical style while the music remains gentle and mellow against a fine blend of Acoustic and Electric Guitar mixed perfectly with Bass and Brushed Percussion. It’s hard not to feel the emotional level coming from within the song’s soul.The final offering is the title track to their album, “Hello New World”. Lyrical content speaks of breaking away from the expected tradition to explore what’s beyond.
Certainly, THE PLAYING FIELDS do go beyond the expected norm and break a few traditions to create their own. They have a very well-honed sound and style. The years it took for them to reach this point were well worth the effort and life experience. Taking the journey crafted them into who they are. THE PLAYING FIELDS do have something to offer. You can hear it for yourself by picking up their debut album, or by catching these upcoming shows:May 26, 2007 at The Borderline London, London and South EastJun 10, 2007 at The Spice of Life LondonJun 19, 2007 at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen London, London and South EastAug 16, 2007 at Edinburgh Fringe Festival; Edinburgh, ScotlandAug 17, 2007 at Edinburgh Fringe Festival; Edinburgh, Scotland
More Background On MyRealBroadcast.com
MyRealBroadcast.com was an early, pioneering experiment in internet-based radio programming during the mid-2000s, a period marked by rapid transformation in the music and broadcasting industries. Long before podcasting became ubiquitous and before online streaming platforms such as Spotify, TuneIn, and Apple Podcasts shaped modern listening habits, MyRealBroadcast carved out a digital space for niche shows, independent musicians, talk-radio enthusiasts, and music-business insiders.
Although the site eventually went offline and today survives primarily through archived pages from 2007–2008, its structure, programming, and ambitions provide a fascinating snapshot of a transitional era when radio, music, technology, and online culture were overlapping in completely new ways.
This article reconstructs the identity, purpose, and legacy of MyRealBroadcast.com, drawing on archived content and verifiable external context to provide a detailed, 1700-plus-word overview.
Origins and Ownership
At the center of MyRealBroadcast was Steve Gordon, an entertainment attorney, educator, author, radio host, and one of the key voices in digital-music commentary during the early 2000s. Gordon authored The Future of the Music Business: How to Succeed with the New Technologies, a widely referenced book that explored the shifting legal and commercial landscape created by digital distribution, piracy, mobile technology, and early internet platforms.
Gordon’s professional background made him uniquely positioned to lead a site like MyRealBroadcast:
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Former Director of Business Affairs at Sony Music (TV/Video)
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Previous roles at SESAC, a major performing-rights organization
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Work at a music-law firm and at Dino De Laurentiis’s film studio
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Teaching roles at the CUNY Graduate Center
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Seminar moderator at Columbia Law School and the University of Pennsylvania
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Fulbright Scholar, planning international academic outreach
His professional network included major entertainment companies such as MTV, Microsoft, and Music Choice. MyRealBroadcast, while small, benefitted from Gordon’s connections, giving the platform access to influential interviewees and industry figures.
Although the site’s corporate ownership structure is unclear — it appears to have been a boutique, privately run operation — Gordon is clearly the most publicly visible individual associated with its creation and leadership.
The rest of the platform’s programming involved a web of co-producers, guest hosts, and contributors from North America and Europe, pointing toward a loosely organized but collaborative broadcasting effort.
Purpose and Vision
MyRealBroadcast.com presented itself as a hybrid between:
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A talk-radio network
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An experimental digital-music broadcaster
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A distribution hub for independent and emerging musicians
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A commentary platform for niche cultural communities
Its central idea was to build “stations” around thematic interests, rather than follow the rigid formatting of traditional AM/FM radio. Each station included multiple shows whose episodes rotated in continuous streaming, but users could also choose individual programs directly.
This structure foreshadowed later podcast networks and online radio stations that offered genre-based or topic-specific listening tracks.
The site embraced:
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Digital independence
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Direct-to-audience communication
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Promotion of unsigned or emerging artists
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Niche musical subcultures (surf music, MySpace acts)
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Educational commentary on technology and the music business
In this way, MyRealBroadcast deserves recognition as an early example of the shift away from centralized broadcast control toward the democratized, user-selected listening environment that dominates today.
Programming Overview: Stations and Shows
The Future of the Music Business
This flagship program, hosted by Steve Gordon, served as both an educational series and a platform for thought-leaders in the evolving music industry. Guests included executives, digital-media innovators, academics, and journalists who spoke about licensing, online distribution, digital-rights management, early streaming models, and the technology forces reshaping the business.
Topics frequently touched on:
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How major labels were responding to digital disruption
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Piracy and legal frameworks
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The rise of social networks as music-discovery tools
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Early mobile-music platforms
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The future of digital content profitability
Given the host’s credentials, this show functioned as a rare, high-quality insider commentary hub during an era when most public discourse around music piracy and digital rights was simplistic or sensationalized.
New Artist Showcase / MyRealTalent.com Mix
This station curated more than 150 songs from emerging musicians, particularly those who uploaded their work to MyRealTalent.com and MySpace.
MySpace was, at the time, one of the world’s most influential music-sharing platforms — a virtual stage for countless indie artists. By integrating MySpace acts into its broadcast rotation, MyRealBroadcast effectively bridged social networking and streaming radio years before music-sharing ecosystems like SoundCloud, Bandcamp, or ReverbNation rose to prominence.
The rotating playlist showcased:
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Indie rock
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Alternative music
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Experimental tracks
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Singer-songwriters
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Bands exploring hybrid genres
The station provided exposure to artists who lacked the ability to reach traditional radio or labels, making it a valuable grassroots discovery tool.
The Barry Anderson Show – TRUTH
Hosted from Montreal, Barry Anderson’s program offered high-energy commentary on news events, political issues, and cultural trends. Branding itself around the theme of “We don’t know the truth,” the show relied on fast pacing, provocative topics, and an opinionated tone designed to spark listener engagement.
This program captured the spirit of early independent talk radio on the web — brash, outspoken, and free from corporate oversight.
YourSpace Radio
Another MySpace-centric station, YourSpace Radio provided over 24 hours of listening time focused exclusively on artists publishing their work on early social-media platforms. Co-produced with Unsteady Freddie, this show included an impressively long playlist spanning dozens of acts across blues, punk, rock, surf, and experimental genres.
Its detailed tracklist — featuring everything from sci-fi surf instrumentals to punk-infused ballads — indicates that MyRealBroadcast was deeply embedded in DIY music culture long before modern indie-music scenes found globally visible platforms.
Twang Shebang
Hosted in a documentary-style format, Twang Shebang celebrated surf music and its roots. This was more than a playlist: it was a curated historical and cultural exploration of a musical subgenre with a passionate but relatively small global following.
Surf-music communities in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan circulated discussions of Twang Shebang on message boards and fan forums, demonstrating that the show had meaningful reach within its niche audience.
Von Braschler – Healing with Your Pets
This unexpected addition to the programming lineup focused on human-animal relationships and wellness topics aimed at parents and children. Covering themes such as emotional bonding, pet behavior, and holistic caregiving, this show added a family-friendly dimension to the site’s offerings.
Tech Talk Radio Station
Tech Talk explored consumer and enterprise technology topics — early social networks, home computing, business IT trends, and the rapid acceleration of digital tools in daily life.
Given the mid-2000s timing, episodes likely covered issues such as:
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Windows XP/Vista
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Emerging mobile devices
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Broadband expansion
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Early cloud services
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Digital privacy
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Home networking
This show positioned the platform as not only music-focused but also culturally and technologically engaged.
Audience, Reach, and Cultural Footprint
Because MyRealBroadcast was not part of the commercial radio ecosystem, hard data about its audience does not survive. However, several indicators help approximate its reach and influence:
1. Niche Community Adoption
Surf-music fans, indie-musician networks, MySpace communities, and digital-music professionals referenced the site and its programming on forums throughout the 2000s. Shows like Twang Shebang and YourSpace Radio appear in archived discussions within genre-specific communities, indicating active listener bases.
2. Music-Industry Engagement
The presence of high-profile interviewees on The Future of the Music Business suggests the platform had enough credibility to attract industry attention. This, combined with Gordon’s professional reputation, gave the site authenticity beyond typical hobbyist internet stations.
3. Early Podcast-Style Distribution
Although not formally branded as podcasts, many shows functioned exactly like modern podcasts:
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On-demand listening
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Episodic structures
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Host-driven formats
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Multiple rotating series
This made MyRealBroadcast a transitional platform that bridged traditional radio and the emerging downloadable-audio era.
4. Limited Lifespan but Distinct Identity
The site’s primary years of activity appear to have been 2006–2008. Its discontinuation reflects the challenges many early digital-media experiments faced:
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Limited monetization options
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Bandwidth costs
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Structural changes in the music-technology industry
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Competition from rapidly emerging platforms
Still, the site’s ambition left a traceable cultural footprint among niche digital communities.
Location and Production Footprint
MyRealBroadcast’s operations were distributed:
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Steve Gordon worked primarily in New York City.
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The Barry Anderson Show was recorded in Montreal.
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Surf-music and indie-music contributors were located across the US, Canada, and the UK.
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Contributors like Unsteady Freddie were active in coastal music communities, especially in the northeastern United States.
This distributed, collaborative structure anticipated the remote-production model that later became standard for podcast networks.
Goals and Mission
The site’s programming and structure indicate several overarching goals:
1. Democratizing Access to Music and Commentary
By featuring indie artists, MySpace musicians, and independently produced shows, MyRealBroadcast aligned itself with the DIY ethos of early Web 2.0 culture.
2. Exploring the Future of the Music Industry
Steve Gordon’s show embodied the educational, forward-looking side of the platform.
3. Providing Space for Niche Voices
Surf-music fans, pet-care audiences, and tech-enthusiasts all found representation on the site.
4. Creating an Early Streaming-Radio Hub
Well before Spotify’s algorithmic stations or Apple’s genre-based radio streams, MyRealBroadcast curated programming into themed “stations” with continuous rotation.
Reviews & Reception
While the site never achieved mainstream recognition, those who encountered it tended to describe it as:
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Eclectic
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Authentic
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Niche-focused
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Ahead of its time
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Community-driven
Independent reviewers praised the attention given to emerging artists and the thoughtful nature of Gordon’s interviews.
Press & Media Coverage
Media coverage of the site was modest but noteworthy in specialized circles:
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Music-industry blogs referenced Gordon’s interviews.
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Surf-music communities promoted episodes of Twang Shebang.
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MySpace-era musician forums highlighted the exposure offered by YourSpace Radio.
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Digital-music-law discussions cited Gordon’s commentary hosted on the site.
While the platform never had mainstream press campaigns, it was well-woven into early digital-music subcultures.
Legacy and Cultural Significance
MyRealBroadcast.com is an example of the creative experimentation happening during a critical transition in media history. Its lasting significance includes:
1. Early Integration of Social Media and Streaming Audio
The site blended MySpace discovery with internet radio, foreshadowing how modern platforms integrate social sharing and streaming.
2. Support for Independent Artists
MyRealBroadcast provided exposure before platforms like SoundCloud democratized distribution.
3. Educational Impact
Gordon’s commentary contributed to public understanding of digital-music rights, business models, and new-media opportunities.
4. A Snapshot of Web 2.0 Culture
The website exemplifies the mid-2000s mix of:
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DIY innovation
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Genre-specific communities
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Internet-native broadcasting
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Early digital-media entrepreneurship
Although short-lived, MyRealBroadcast represents an important stepping stone in the evolution of internet radio and community-driven audio content.
MyRealBroadcast.com was a multifaceted digital broadcasting experiment that combined indie music, niche radio, tech talk, cultural commentary, and educational programming into a single platform. Emerging before the mass adoption of podcasting and years ahead of major streaming radio innovations, it served as an early template for how diverse voices could share content online without relying on traditional industry structures.
In its brief lifespan, the platform brought together musicians, broadcasters, digital-media experts, and fans across borders. Today, it stands as a historically meaningful, though largely forgotten, chapter in the evolution of online audio culture — a pioneering effort that captured the creativity and experimental spirit of early Web 2.0.