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Radio Tipsheet

September 12, 2000

Unlike similar singer-songwriter-based shows, Rob Reinhart's Acoustic Café straddles the line between commercial and public radio, leaning two-to-one toward the commercial world.

The two-hour syndicated show, directed at the 25 to 44 demographic, is heard on 60 stations, plus the Voice of America and on the Internet. But unlike many syndicated shows, it doesn't charge for its feed. Acoustic Café is supported entirely by advertising; users simply agree to run the ads included in each week's show. For public radio, those ads are converted to underwriting spots.

That's partly because Reinhart's background is in commercial radio. He started the show in 1993 as Sunday Morning Unplugged at an Ann Arbor, Michigan, rock station, capitalizing on the peak of "Unplugged" mania. Working with a local nonprofit club, the Ark, he was able to get many new voices and personalities on the air because they were coming through town for gigs.

Eventually the station pulled the plug on his show, but audience reaction convinced him there was still a market for his mix of new and classic acoustic music, so he pursued syndication.

Separate but Equal

During a lengthy interview break from his time-crunched two-man operation -- yes, he and his partner write and produce, sell the ads, make station deals, and distribute the show, and Reinhart screens all potential air material himself -- he explained what sets his show apart from other singer/songwriter programs.

The 10" x 15" space in which Acoustic Café solo performances are recorded.

First off, he says, Acoustic Café isn't about live guest performances, unlike Mountain Stage or E-Town, nor does it take World Café's live in-studio performance approach. Besides tightly editing interview segments, Reinhart says his show is recorded to eight-track "so we have a chance to really bring it up close."

"What we're trying for," he explains, "is really [an effect of] 'Hey, these people are right in your living room, playing very intimately, for you. In its best weeks, I hope, the show is sort of the most noncommercial sounding show for commercial radio, and the most commercial-sounding show for noncommercial radio."

Like the other shows, Acoustic Café airs a variety of cuts from new and heritage artists, but Reinhart says he might choose different material -- and as the name implies, it's nearly all acoustic. He doesn't care if it's pop or country or blues; according to Reinhart "a good song is a good song." He even admits, "I like hit singles. As a show about songwriters, it's really about people who make their livings writing songs and who occasionally get lucky and have a hit."

It's not about image

Of course, Reinhart likes to feature big names. He's had his share of debut material from well-known acts, including Richard Thompson, Aimee Mann, and Tori Amos. But he gives airplay to unknowns as well, often in preference to major artists whose careers have become "cartoony."

According to Reinhart, artists like Melissa Etheridge reach a point where their careers are about "maintaining the cartoon image. Her music's no longer that inspired. It's the music of a comfortable person." But he also was appalled by the now-infamous Rolling Stone cover story about her children's father. "She had to create that, hire a publicist to arrange that. I found that really despicable. That was gross."

Reinhart tries not to recycle what's readily available on MTV, VH1, or in the pages of major music mags. "We like them to talk about what they do, rather than who they are," he explains. "We do like a lot of developing artists. In general, I find them more interesting."

Willie Nelson

On the other hand, someone like Willie Nelson fits Acoustic Café's menu, Reinhart adds, because he's constantly evolving.

Lazy artists should not apply

"We're looking for working, performing songwriters, I guess that's the thing," Reinhart says. "I don't want to come down hard on these people, but I don't see Melissa Etheridge as a working, performing songwriter. I see her as $75 a ticket."

The Indigo Girls or Ani DiFranco could charge those prices, but they don't, Reinhart notes, because they don't want to be that removed from their audiences. And they're willing to work hard. "They recognize how fortunate they've been, and that's it," he says.

It's not surprising that Reinhart has a regular segment just for independent artists. He also has a best-unsigned artist segment, for do-it-yourselfers with no label deal or support. "There's more of that product than ever before," Reinhart observes. "You can hear it immediately and just say, 'Well, this is obviously worthy. And who cares what the record labels are going to say? This is something that should go on.'"

He points to Tara MacLean, Martin Sexton, Shawn Mullins, Ellis Paul, Terri Hendrix, Peter Mulvey, Josh Rouse, and David Mead as examples of artists whose work caught his ear early on, usually before labels were involved.

Reinhart listens to literally everything he receives, but he has boundaries. "What I do not like is the email that comes over and says, 'I'm a singer-songwriter from blah-blah-blah. I saw your thing on the Web; please go check out my MP3.' Well, why should I? I've got 200 CDs sitting behind me at this very moment from people who actually had something produced, manufactured, and sent out. A lot of them are out on the road, trying to do it, versus somebody who wrote, recorded, and produced something in their bedroom and then decided to distribute it out of their bedroom by putting it up in MP3. You know, there is still a network called live music. People need to get out there.

"What I do like about this Internet thing is that it does give the indie person an opportunity to work as hard as they want," Reinhart continues. "But at some point, you're gonna have to hit the road, and you're gonna have to starve."

Getting heard

Unlike most guests, Blues Traveler's John Popper, exhausted by a grueling road trip, got to sit in this leather chair from Rob Reinhart's office for his Acoustic Café performance.

Reinhart requires submissions in CD form, preferably with a single page of background information. He also expects an artist to have sellable product. "I don't see any point in putting a lot of stuff on the show that people with reasonably good record stores and a reasonable access to the Internet cannot pick up," he says. "That doesn't help the show or the station affiliate, which has to field calls asking about a song and how to get it."

CDs are Reinhard's required format for another reason -- so that he has something digital to air immediately if he really likes it. Electric bands should point out their acoustic tracks. And it doesn't hurt to include … candy.

"When you get 30 packages in the bin, and one of them has candy, it's really good," Reinhart says, not exactly kidding. (And no, bribes are not accepted.)

Don't expect returns, either. One band actually did demand its CD back. He had to tell its members to build promotional copies into their marketing costs the next time they made an album. Assuming they ever get that far.

The show isn't able to pay costs for artists invited on the air, but Reinhart tries to help them arrange an area gig if possible. It makes him feel better to know they're earning something for their effort.

Artists may send submissions to: Rob Reinhart, c/o Acoustic Café, 285 East Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Reinhart expects to have a submissions page on the show's website, www.acafe.com, once it's redesigned. Shows are archived at www.mlive.com/cafe.