Despite the incredible disruption caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus, we are still organizing Vinylthon 2020. We want it to be as safe as possible for stations and DJs to participate. For those stations that are able, they can participate on April 18th (as originally planned) or now the new date of June 20th. Or they can do both.
If you are participating, we are not asking students or DJs to go into the studios, but if they are able to play vinyl remotely from their homes and celebrate that way, that is a good way to participate in Vinylthon. Welcome to Vinylthon – Social Distancing Edition – where Vinylthon can happen in your house!
If you have registered, please let us know your plans (even if you cannot now participate) please click here: https://www.emailmeform.com/builder/form/Ijfkpa17M7aP3b9
We are not suggesting that participating radio stations do anything against the orders of local and state authorities, as well as their academic institutions, or organizations that own them. If your station is closed, we are not asking participants to violate those orders. Vinylthon does not have to be broadcast over the air – but it’s a more importantly a celebration of vinyl as a medium of listening, not as an encouragement to violate the rules. This is an opportunity for participants to be creative – using social media as an outlet to show your love of vinyl and non-commercial radio. So, it’s OK to participate from home, but make sure you tag us on social media and repost your stories on Instagram, and FB live. While you’re at it, share a story about your love of vinyl and your radio station. Tell us how you are surviving the COVID-19 situation.
We are also suspending the normal rules for being awarded the Golden Slipmat. Instead of having to be on the air for 24 hours of non-stop vinyl, this year, any station that participates in Vinylthon 2020, even broadcasting remotely from home, will be eligible to receive this award. We just ask that stations contribute $5 to help cover the shipping fees to get them the Slipmat ($10 for countries outside of the USA). Normally our sponsors would cover the costs of shipping, but this year we have the least number of sponsors than ever because of the economic downturn, so we’ll need help to get those slipmats out.
This is a highly unusual situation – and we don’t want anyone putting themselves at risk because they want to participate in Vinylthon. That said, this can still be a great and FUN event – and we believe that your efforts to provide essential comfort to listeners through entertainment, is more important than ever.
If you have not yet registered, you can do so here: https://www.vinylthon.com/register
If you have registered, but want to let us know your plans (even if you cannot now participate) please click here: https://www.emailmeform.com/builder/form/Ijfkpa17M7aP3b9