Introducing the Voca-Radio Project

It's been 16 years since “The First Sound of the Future” hit the scene. She was the catalyst spawning millions of creative works and hundreds of vocal synthesizers, creating the Vocal Synth culture we know today. So much has happened, so many people came and went and some we'll never get back. Many of us grew up with the Vocaloid and UTAU characters while some grew out of it. Some of us came back seeing what new creative projects artists going through the same thing have been working on. And many are growing up right now with Vocal Synths mixed into their lives.

We find these Producers of art relying on these Vocal Synths to scream indescribable feelings, inspiring us to sing in ways previously thought impossible, and tell stories through their music in ways nearly impossible without them. We've been creating works of art with others, and exploring the boundaries of what can be called music, pushing the boundaries of what can be done through vocals. And some of us just want to create something fun and exciting or put down a new tune with some silly lyrics. Vocal Synths have inspired people all around the world and will continue to do so as long as we have Producers whose art compels and inspires people to continue growing.

With 16 years of popular music, there's many artists who have been discovered for their work with Vocal Synths or as Utaite (singers), making a name for themselves as Producers in the Vocal Synth community, some producing music for years on end, and even a few breaking into the mainstream. But most never get that far. As kind and open-minded as this community can be, it's arguably more difficult than ever to be discovered and appreciated for what you can do. And even then, there's no guarantee that the audience who finds your music will be as compassionate as one might hope.

While there used to be a time when Vocal Synth Producers could easily go viral and were hitting the mainstream in Japan through the popularity of NicoNicoDouga, those days are dwindling as the art outgrows the platform. The regular Vocal Synth charts still exists and reposts in the form of unauthorized playlists can still be found, but these serve veteran Producers and singers whose music is already quite popular far more than smaller artists and newcomers. Outside of heavy self-promotion, few ways exist for Vocal Synth Producers to get their voices heard.

It's with this in mind that we are creating the Voca-Radio Project. A place where music creators from all walks of life can share their world on a radio stream that cares about them. The primary goal is to shine a light on producers whose work deserves to be seen and give them the credit their art deserves.

In addition to streaming Producer's original works and beautiful covers, here's what we wish to share:
- A bilingual (Japanese-English) radio host

- MMDs and animations for active watchers

- Bilingual subtitles whenever available

- Commissioned works ranging from tunes to animations

- Producer Interviews

- Vocal Synthesizer tutorials

- Vocal Synth News

- Vocal Synth Character and Producer trivia

- Guest DJs in the form of amazing V-Tubers, Utaite, and remixers

- And our biggest stretch goal: A creator's fund, for artists who offer their work free of charge. Excess funds that aren't put towards current or upcoming projects will be given back to the community to help support those making our favorite songs.

Unfortunately, we may not be able to provide everything we want to from the start. There are costs involved in streaming music; from licensing music and maintaining servers to the sheer amount of time and effort it takes to run an interactive radio station and having dedicated people to run the show. But make no mistake, we intend to make good on every promise. These goals are only achievable with your support. No matter who you are in the community, whether you're a fan or a producer, or if you're an animator or a translator, this project couldn't exist without you.

We will be transparent in the progress we make and the funds we procure, starting with our release schedule, where we hope to have a couple demos this year, and a release window of the first half of 2024. Please consider supporting us however you can, whether that be directly through Patreon or Kofi, allowing us to use your previous works, or indirectly just by following our project and letting other fans know about us. If you wish to get involved with the project, please consider volunteering or signup for our newsletter below.

All music shared in this statement are provided under United States Copyright 17 U.S.C. § 107 under fair use as a means of making commentary. The rights are under the express ownership of the original authors and creators. We hold no ownership of any music or video shared, and use only original publications in an attempt to support the original authors. If you wish to have links to your publication removed, please send us a message and we will rectify this as soon as humanly possible.

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