Sunday, January 24th, 2010
Issue: 12   Editor: Mika


Radio to Suit Your Mood Mika
Previous round, Bootleggers used to have a feature called the Bootleggers BootCast, which was an online radio station and, like the Buzz, it was brought to us by- and for the players. Later during the round, however, the administrators decided to remove the feature due to lack of interest from both listeners and DJs, something not all players agreed with. In fact, the issue is still discussed at times, but nowadays its main focus is whether or not the feature should make a return. One of the players who felt Bootleggers should have a radio station was the former had DJ, Mags (Magz), and he decided to bring the game what some of its players had been asking for.

The Buzz got in touch with Mags right after he had brought the first radio online, hosted on a free server. At that time, he was not that positive about a return of an actual radio station. “If I can find a proper server to host a shoutcast on then I will give it serious thought,” he said. Finding the type server he was looking for would take no more than 24 hours. Less than a day after the first interview, we received a message from Mags, “I am now paying for server space for Boot Tunez.” He had purchased or rented the server he needed and had set up the shoutcast, allowing him to properly DJ and bring back a station similar to the BootCast. This time, it is called Mood and can be accessed via http://radio.mmudev.info:8000. The link can be loaded into iTunes, WinAmp or Windows Media Player.

“Nah no goal,” Mags said when asked. As said, the BootCast was removed due to lack of listeners, but Mags has not set himself any goals as far as listeners are concerned. “I dont see Mood having 50 listeners a show,” he said before explaining why he had started in the first place. “There was a vaccum created with the loss of Bootcast and I think over time I can generate interest in becoming a DJ or listening to Mood because its run by me.” Back in the days of the BootCast, Mags was one of the more popular DJs who managed to attract a relatively large amount of listeners, whenever he was doing a show. “What you get is what you listen to. No rules and what not.” The quote, provided by Mags himself, resembled and still resembles the type of radio he brings to his listeners.

Regarding the introduction of Mood as a radio station, Mags said, “Primarily it's to spark interest for me in bootleggers again.” However, keeping himself interested in the game is not the only advantage Mood has. Seeing it is broad coasted, players can also listen to it and enjoy the music brought by the DJs. It will be an advantage for those who missed the BootCast since it disappeared. “The game has gone down hill a bit and well anything to give the players enjoyment can only be a good thing,” said Mags in a comment regarding Mood.

User comments have been positive so far. Upon bringing the station online, a thread is created in the Off Topic Forum to alert potential listeners. Everyone can post in the thread and listeners will generally comment and chat about a variety of subjects, not limited to the DJ on air or music played at all. “I believe Magz, being such a known member of the bootleggers community will draw in the listeners. I think maybe in time it will grow and it will become very popular,” MysticWig, one of the listeners, said when asked. He did, however, add, “I don't think it will ever fully replace the bootcast unless it is implimented on to the BL site.” According to BigBadFraggy, “players all complain how boring this is but they don't come on irc or they don't listen to DJ Mags. I am really happy to see this back.”

So far, one of the previous BootCast DJs, DJ Ninja, has been “keen to get back into it,” or so Mags said. The staff of Mood is small right now, but Mags is hoping to recruit new DJs as the station progresses and gets more listeners and is sure some former DJs will want to get involved as well. “Well I hope anyways,” he added. An application procedure is not there yet, but will no doubt be introduced in the future.

One DJ or many, what matters to most listeners is that they can once again listen to a Bootleggers related radio station that is brought to them by one of the players. The BootCast may have been removed, but its fans are still there. With no pressure or need to be popular, these players may find exactly what they are looking for in Mood. “I like authenticity in my radio,” Mags concluded. “So if that's a raw edge then that's what the listener gets.”