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NHAM Update Opus 12 (Fedi MTV Edition)

by @sknob

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? No comment. Ahem. Let me jump right in!

The Indie Beat Television

The big fedi-music-related event since the last Opus post was of course the launch of The Indie Beat Television ( @TIBtv).

To say that it went well would be the understatement of the year! People joined in droves for the three staggered launch events, and marveled at @RobertaFidora’s amazing launch video, which I’m linking to right here because I can’t get enough of it.

We had planned to leave the chat open for an hour for each launch, and ended up leaving it open all day (and night). Since then, viewership has been consistently high, with some people staying connected for days on end (take a break people!).

The second best thing about the launch, was that the incredible talent on display inspired a lot of people (present company included) to dust off their cameras and submit a ton of videos, which are already airing in the pop, rock, electronic and NHAM slots. An ambient slot has just been added, and more will certainly follow as TIBtv collects a critical mass of videos in different genres (Bonkwave slot anyone?).

Possibly the best compliment about the station on launch day came from @torstentorsten, who tooted that “apart from the Fediverse, @TIBtv is the most anti-AI thing you can currently find online.”

Hats off to TIBtv mastermind @limebar, thanks to whom Fedi musicians now have a fantastic new venue to show off their talent.

And thanks to all the viewers for tuning in. We hope you’ll be moved to support the artists you discover on the station with a kind word or even material support.

Animation Array

One very special program on TIBtv that warrants a special mention is Animation Array, curated by @RobertaFidora. While the rest of the programming within the different slots is semi-algorithmic, Roberta took things a step further by carefully assembling half-hour animation programs which you won’t want to miss!

You’ll find the schedule in your timezone on tv.theindiebeat.fm, and detailed credits for the first two playlists on Roberta’s site.

Please keep submitting your videos and animations and station IDs!

NHAMtv

There a many ways to watch TIBtv, and you may have noticed that it can now be viewed on the NHAM home page. You can even pop it out into a separate window, which you can access directly by going to nham.co.uk/tv!

But worry not, the extensive NHAM video collection can still be viewed on demand in the VIDEO section.

Reviews

In other news, we’ve published some lovely reviews from @ashnoodle and Sam ( @ethicalrevolution), who reviewed Strategies Against Algorithms by Schall und Stille, @stephan’s new album which can’t be found online or purchased anywhere (OK, so maybe that’s the most anti-AI thing not online right now).

Once again, we encourage you to share your thoughts and feelings about the fedi music you love with everyone by sending us your reviews!

Releases

I usually link to all the artists who had releases featured on NHAM in these posts, but I’m going to be trying something different going forward. In the meantime, check out the RELEASES page for all the awe-insipring music in every genre conceivable released since the last opus post.

And don’t miss Sam’s first NHAM Mixtape of the year, NHAM Hereby Annunciates MTV – NHAM Mixtape 18, which showcases, you guessed it, artists featured on TIBtv.

That being said, the death of the radio star has been greatly exaggerated. If you’re not watching a screen, you really can’t beat NHAM Radio and Not What I Call Radio Bonk Wave for discovering great new fedi music or enjoying old fedi favorites!

2026

We have a few things brewing for the new year, but they will be the subject of future posts. Be sure to follow our new handle on the fediverse @nham so you don’t miss anything! Our old handle @mixtape is no longer being updated or monitored, and we still haven’t recovered all the followers we lost in the botched switchover…

In the meantime, I hope everyone survived the year-end festivities (for those who celebrate) and are keeping their heads above water in these troubled times.

NHAM and TIBtv are here to help, by reminding us that there is beauty in this world, or in the now immortal words of @meljoann, that “We CAN have nice things”.