SomaFM

March 22, 2025 7:59 PM

"SomaFM is an independent Internet-only streaming multi-channel radio station, supported entirely with donations from listeners. SomaFM originally started broadcasting out of founder Rusty Hodge's basement garage in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, as a micropower radio station broadcast at the Burning Man festival in 1999. The response to the project was sufficiently positive that Rusty Hodge launched it as a full-time internet radio station in February 2000."*

SFgate, 2004:

"If 20 years ago someone told me I could be broadcasting to the world out of my garage, I would have never believed them," said Hodge, 41, a former college disc jockey who wrote code for Internet bulletin boards in the 1980s before working with Real Audio, the first streaming technology, born in the mid-'90s. "I found commercial radio was not very enjoyable to work in. I didn't have the patience to wait seven years to get in as programming director. "

Hodge is now his own programming director, working with four other Bay Area residents whose music tastes have spun off stations like the indie-rock and country twang channels. All told, their CD collection pushes 10,000, giving them plenty of room to program without repeats. "I think it's pretty cool that I can do this," Hodge said. "Ever since I was a kid I wanted to be a DJ. It's pretty neat what you can do right now without having a huge amount of money. It's really empowering."

posted by Lemkin (29 comments total)

To give you an idea of how long ago February 2000 was, AOL had just bought Time Warner.
posted by Lemkin at 8:05 PM on March 22 [2 favorites]

SomaFM: Som'a listening, som'a not...
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:12 PM on March 22 [1 favorite]

my fav channels there are Thistle Radio, Suburbs of Goa, and Drone Zone, but i do skip around to some of the others from time to time
posted by glonous keming at 8:26 PM on March 22 [5 favorites]

Soma FM served as a soundtrack to much of my desk time in the early aughts. I am glad to see it's still online!
posted by subocoyne at 8:32 PM on March 22 [7 favorites]

I've met Rusty once or twice and he was an absolute delight each time. It felt completely natural that he would be the force behind SOMA.
posted by foxtongue at 8:52 PM on March 22 [5 favorites]

I've had Soma on one of my endless open tabs for a few months now. "Space Station Soma". I was a big fan of "Music From the Hearts of Space" when it was on one of my local NPR stations back in the 90's. (Hearts of Space is still going, just not in my local area. I still catch the show online occasionally.)
Soma has a couple of "ambient" space music channels. As a geezer rock and roller, it is kind of nice to bliss out just a bit.
posted by pthomas745 at 9:11 PM on March 22 [4 favorites]

Thanks so much for posting this and allowing me to rediscover Soma FM. Can’t believe the channel names are still the same. I’m so glad they’re still around, and now all these years later I have the means to finally donate to them.. just did so <3
posted by nemutdero at 9:49 PM on March 22 [5 favorites]

Groove Salad was the soundtrack to my previous newspaper ad job for years. Still working on ads and I went looking for it and hey, it’s still there! The mechanical voice that announces “Groove Salad on Soma FM” is still the same and the music is still perfect background stuff for working.
posted by azpenguin at 9:52 PM on March 22 [7 favorites]

My friend and I used some sort of plug in to rip/pirate the groove salad feed and the burn it onto a cdr. Listen in the car on the drive to Whistler! Seemed incredibly high tech at the time.
posted by Keith Talent at 10:05 PM on March 22 [5 favorites]

I remember finding SomaFM on an early version of iTunes. Must have been around 2002. Secret Agent ended up being the only streaming station I listened to for about a decade. These days, I mostly listen to SomaFM Specials while at work, and the various xmas channels during the holidays. But I also enjoy the 80s, poptron and lounge-y channels.

Reminds me, it's about time to tip 'em.
posted by 2N2222 at 10:05 PM on March 22 [4 favorites]

Oh, nice post. I've been a contributor to SomaFM myself for years now... since 2008, in fact. Groove Salad, Drone Zone and Secret Agent are longtime faves. And I have to put in a plug for their merch, too; the T-shirts and bumper stickers, for example, are cleanly designed and attention-getting. I was on a trip in eastern Oregon and got into a nice conversation with a total stranger who recognized my T-shirt and commented on it. Some of the best of the web, indeed!
posted by cynical biped at 11:16 PM on March 22 [3 favorites]

Groove Salad is the go-to but my favorites are Fluid, Lush, and 7 Inch Soul.

I don’t remember an internet before soma FM, although I know I was there for it.
posted by Mizu at 11:35 PM on March 22 [2 favorites]

Groove Salad was the soundtrack to writing my dissertation (splitting time with Rainwave's game music stream) and it's still got a place on my playlist. It's great to see it's still going.
posted by wanderingmind at 1:27 AM on March 23 [3 favorites]

I was stoked to discover SomaFM has a Roku app.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:49 AM on March 23 [5 favorites]

I listened to both Groove Salads so much I know most of the playlists and have moved on to BlackRockFM. I bought the CD and the shirt.
posted by CynicalKnight at 7:58 AM on March 23 [1 favorite]

In the late 90s I helped a friend out with their Internet startup in their Cincinnati, OH living room after hours from our day jobs. Soma FM was playing constantly as we worked.
posted by mmascolino at 8:21 AM on March 23 [2 favorites]

I will always love SomaFM for whatever wonderful mix of funky library music, Bond theme remixes, and beat-inflected instrumental music they sling on an hourly basis on Secret Agent. I drift away for months or years, but always eventually make my way back.
posted by eschatfische at 11:20 AM on March 23 [1 favorite]

I listen to the Drone Zone on SOMA FM all day everyday. I let it play on my computer as I'm working. It's the best background ethereal music.
posted by Liquidwolf at 12:13 PM on March 23 [3 favorites]

*props*

Been a Subscriber for decades (a listener for longer), and Space Station Soma is rarely quiet.

I've been channeling Bossa Beyond for a few months, now . . . my new go-to when compiling Grades, and working with Infinite Campus SIS :)
posted by splifingate at 12:38 PM on March 23 [1 favorite]

I used to dig GrooveSalad. But there are so many treasures heard in Left Coast 70s that I've switched.
posted by zgx at 5:21 PM on March 23 [1 favorite]

soma, metafilter & dreamwidth (used to be lj) are the services I will pay for. used to be last.fm too, but well...
I love soma so much... so many songs and artists discovered and scrobbled.
posted by symbioid at 7:59 PM on March 23 [1 favorite]

also drone zone/dark zone all night as I sleep. sometimes space station soma.

used to do a lot more cliqhop & oldschool groove salad (before there was the new one)
posted by symbioid at 8:01 PM on March 23 [1 favorite]

I "ought" to be leaving the office now, but I have the Indie Pop Rocks! station on, and bloody hell....can't turn it off!! Totally best of the web. Thank you, Lemkin!
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 8:42 PM on March 23 [1 favorite]

Holy **. I also used to rip Groove Salad using a winamp plugin and then burn CDs. What a blast from the past. Got it open right now and salad'ing along. Thank you!
posted by some chick at 9:05 AM on March 24 [1 favorite]

I love their Christmas Lounge station so much - it’s the background to my holidays for years and years now.
posted by congen at 9:37 AM on March 24 [1 favorite]

I was just wondering about SomaFM the other day, whether they were still around. I thought I remember listening to it at a webshop job I had in the 90s, but apparently not if it launched in 2000. I still wear my black on black stealth hoodie constantly. Think I'll tune in and donate.
posted by slogger at 10:08 AM on March 24 [1 favorite]

Been a Roku Soma listener for years.

Christmas season is when it gets the most play for me because you will never hear those carols any where else!

I also think those Nashville cats need to tune into Boot Liquor country and learn a thing or two.
posted by nofundy at 11:38 AM on March 24

The mechanical voice that announces “Groove Salad on Soma FM” is still the same and the music is still perfect background stuff for working.

We have a Squeezebox, which is a little counter-top internet radio device with knobs and buttons like a real radio. I got one for my dad years ago when he moved from the East Coast to the West Coast so he could still listen to NYC radio. When he passed away it ended up up back in my hands, where we put it to use next to a favorite easy chair.

Squeezebox got bought by Logitech at some point, and after the product was discontinued, they gamely hung on with the backend servers operating until just last year. But then we all were forced to either ditch our hardware, or implement a software solution, which it turns out actually works.

So now SomaFM's GrooveSalad lives on as preset #6 on that little radio, next to a few non-comm stations here in Atlanta and the venerable WFMU. But I think GrooveSalad is Mrs. Intermod's favorite.
posted by intermod at 6:46 PM on March 24

SomaFM has been my go-to for all sorts of ambient background music situations for practically as long as it has existed. The way it just keeps chugging along without radical detours into one kind of shittiness or another is just a delightful little counterpoint to the trajectory of practically everything else.
posted by gelfin at 9:06 AM on March 25 [1 favorite]