The Campaign to Save New Sounds
“A genre-defying radio program that has played an outsize role in the city’s new music scene for nearly four decades.” – NY Times
For more than 40 years, New Sounds with John Schaefer has been a vital platform for adventurous, boundary-pushing music. Now, this iconic program faces an uncertain future, and we need your help to keep it alive. New York Public Radio has launched a $1.5M campaign to save New Sounds and keep it funded for three years. Individual and institutional support in gifts and grants of $15K or more is needed to launch the show forward on a sustainable path.
While a broader grassroots campaign and benefit concert are part of the long-term strategy, we must do more, and quickly. In order to keep New Sounds on the air, $1.5M in funding must be secured by May 1.
These are unprecedented times for public radio. The rapidly changing media landscape has created financial headwinds for media outlets nationwide – both commercial and public alike. These forces affect New York Public Radio broadly, and New Sounds specifically. This campaign sits within the context of NYPR’s broader mission to provide vital local journalism and peerless cultural programming and storytelling across platforms and stations. For that reason, sustainable support for New Sounds is sought in the form of significant individual donations and institutional grants.
Your help today will ensure that New Sounds continues to bring innovative music to curious ears.
40 Years in 150 Words
New Sounds first went on the air at WNYC in September 1982. Its mission was to offer listeners a chance to hear music that they otherwise might not encounter on the radio – works that fell in the cracks between classical, rock, jazz, folk, and global music traditions. Over the next four decades, the show grew to encompass an annual series of New Sounds Live concerts in various venues around New York, and a podcast series of live performances and interviews called Soundcheck. Billboard called New Sounds “The #1 radio show for the Global Village.” The program was an early supporter of celebrated artists like Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, Meredith Monk, the Bang On A Can collective, Peter Gabriel, Enya, and now-departed figures like Ravi Shankar, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Toumani Diabate. It continues to champion emerging, diverse musicians whose work defies easy categorization, even as it invites open-eared listeners in.
How it Works
All funds raised through this campaign will be restricted to New Sounds and will be used only for the personnel and operating expenses — including necessary overhead — associated with its production.
If the $1.5M goal isn’t reached by May 1, the likelihood of reaching the goal on a longer timeline will be assessed. If the base of support is determined to be insufficient, donors will be offered the opportunity to revoke their pledge or to invest it in programming across NYPR.
Make your pledge, or contact Dave Ramirez in the Development Office at dramirez@nypublicradio.org or 646.829.4591.
What Else?
I can’t give $15,000, but I really want to help! – There may soon come a time when we can ask our fans and supporters to jump in and contribute at any level they are able. But, for now, we are working to raise as much from major donors and institutions as quickly as possible to be sure we are on track for the May 1 deadline.
You should have a benefit concert! – We would love to put together a benefit concert, but our tight timeline to raise the necessary funds to save the show means having to prioritize high-level grants and contributions. A concert that would do justice to New Sounds, the 40+ years worth of peerless artists who’ve aired on the show, and to our incredible fans will take time to put together.