What a world we live in. With the sad news this week that Bucks Burnett's quirky 8-track museum is preparing to close its doors, news comes this morning of a plan that might as well be straight out of the future: Deep Ellum on Air is planning to launch a streaming service that aims to bring every Deep Ellum concert from every club in the neighborhood live into your home. It would be the only service like it in the world.
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The radio station's owner, Jantzen "Jedi" Ray, tells DC9 at Night that he just confirmed the news yesterday with the streaming service partner, Ellum.net. "Deep Ellum on Air and Ellum.net are going to start providing streaming for all the clubs in Deep Ellum," he says. He claims that several venues are already on board, with the aim of eventually having every single one in the neighborhood in the mix. "So if Club Dada brings a big-name artist in, we'll stream it live online."
But it wouldn't be limited to just the "big-name artists." The idea of a service that will stream every single show in every club in the neighborhood sounds extremely ambitious, but it could open up an unheard-of level of exposure for the Dallas music scene. Not surprisingly, no other neighborhood in any other city of the world offers such a service.
"In a few years we believe everybody is going to be watching everything online," Ray says. "We want to provide a place where everyone can get involved, even if they can't be in Deep Ellum to see the show."
When reached for comment, multiple venues have confirmed talks regarding the streaming plans but none have confirmed agreements are in place. Ray says participating venues as well as specific show and broadcast details are set to be revealed in the coming weeks.
Needless to say, Ray remains upbeat about the future of Deep Ellum on Air, even if its location is up in the air: The station, which located down the hall from Burnett's 8-track museum, was recently informed by property owner Westdale Realty that they'll have to leave the building by the end of the summer.
"This is the third incarnation of the studio," Ray says, pointing out that it's already been a resilient entity in its seven years of existence. Their original location was another Westdale property, this one located on Main St., and in between there was a brief period spent in "a really big house in Highland Park that was really awkward."
While the station has only been in its present location for a year, Ray admits that the news, however surprising, didn't catch him completely unprepared: "It's always been at the back of my mind that I need to get a new place soon," he says. While its production needs are relatively simple, if the station wants to continue growing, a new space was perhaps inevitable. "I've been working on a few leads."
For Ray, who moved to Dallas from Atlanta before starting the station, it's an exciting time to be a part of the music scene. "I remember walking through here on a Friday night and not a damn car was on the street. It was like a ghost town. We worked to bring it back and now it's back," he declares. "I do like to think we've played a small role in that."
With the live streaming set to kick off soon, Deep Ellum on Air may wind up playing an even bigger role in the music scene in the months and years ahead -- wherever they wind up landing next.
Correction: A previous version of this story stated all venues in Deep Ellum are participating, but Deep Ellum on Air and Ellum.net are still in the recruiting process.
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