a non-profit Spotlight…

We are thrilled to welcome Indie Spectrum Radio as a non-profit to support, at Avi Choice Awards. Indie Spectrum goes way back to early Second Life and has been an amazing service and gift to our virtual world. Founded by Fox Reinsch in 2007, it was later joined by the new leadership team of Ninja Antwoord and Jade Jannings. It is one of the true ‘created within SL’ non-profits that we know about. Please join us in learning more about the Indie Spectrum history, mission and commitment to our online entertainment. Also, please consider joining us in supporting this important venture by listening in and requesting songs and also by dropping them some needed donations.

There will be a display set up, on the day of the LIVE show, in the auditorium where you will be able to donate there, as well. Thank you so much for teaming up with Avi Choice to salute and applaud Indie Spectrum Radio!

Q:  After 17 years, how has the original vision of Indie Spectrum Radio evolved since its founding, in 2007 by Fox Reinsch?  What was the ‘spark’ that led him to creating a dedicated space for original music in Second Life?

A: Fox Reinsch

I had a musician friend, Kori Travanti, that was performing in SL and she wanted to promote her music so that gave me the idea to start an internet radio station featuring artists that perform live in SL.

A: Ninja Antwoord

What Fox created in 2007 was something incredibly pure—an outlet to give Second Life musicians a voice beyond their live performances. That core mission hasn’t changed. What has evolved is the scale and the infrastructure around it. Today, IndieSpectrum Radio is part of a much broader ecosystem that includes SecondLife.music as a discovery platform, live event aggregation, and deeper promotional tools for artists.

The original “spark” was simple but powerful—helping one artist be heard. Seventeen years later, that same spark now supports an entire global community of performers, with thousands of original tracks and ongoing opportunities for exposure that didn’t exist back then.

A: Jade Jannings

Indiespectrum Radio was created by Fox in 2007. Ninja and I signed up in 2025. Since then Ninja manages the tech stuff and I do the promotion and have the venue. I am hoping to DJ and/or host live shows at the venue very soon.

Q: How did your involvement with Indie Spectrum come about, in 2025? 

A: Fox Reinsch

 I started it as a fun thing, not a business, and recently partnered Jade and Ninja.

A: Ninja Antwoord

My involvement grew organically out of being deeply embedded in the Second Life music community and recognizing the importance of what IndieSpectrum Radio represents. Over time, I stepped into a co-owner role alongside Fox, helping expand the station’s reach, technical capabilities, and integration with platforms like SecondLife.music.

Today, it’s very much a collaborative effort. We work together to ensure the station not only continues its legacy, but also evolves with the needs of both artists and listeners.

A: Jade Jannings

I found Indiespectrum Radio’s facebook page, and started asking questions in the SecondLife community. I discovered that Indiespectrum Radio was on a break. 

One day while chatting with my friend, Ed Lowell, he suggested that I chat with Fox, as he supported my interest in getting Indiespectrum Radio back up and running again.  I sent Fox a message in SecondLife. When Fox got back to me, he let me know that Ninja had recently contacted him about the same idea. Fox then suggested that we form a 3-way partnership and get a re-launch plan together, and that’s where it all began. 

Q:  What makes the virtual music scene in Second Life different from or similar to real-world indie music scenes?

A: Fox Reinsch

It is virtual, but live music like real world.

A: Ninja Antwoord

At its core, it’s incredibly similar—independent artists creating original music, building audiences, and supporting each other. What makes Second Life unique is the accessibility and intimacy. You can discover a world-class performer, interact with them directly, and become part of a community instantly, regardless of where you are in the real world.

There’s also a level of collaboration and mutual support here that’s rare. The barriers are lower, but the passion is just as real—if not more so.

A: Jade Jannings

I work with many performers and venues daily. There are many styles of performing within SL including but not limited to, DJ’s, singers, and musicians some with originals, and some with covers, and some with both. I have created 2 stages at the indie venue for 2 styles of performance. Stage 1 for originals only, stage 2 for covers and originals.

Q: You coordinate partnerships with other venues, right? What do you look for in a venue that streams your station?  

A: Fox Reinsch

It is most important that venues play our music between live shows to promote the musicians that perform live at their venues. In exchange for playing the station and putting out our banners they can use our group notices to announce shows, get free promos on the station, and links on our web page. Note that we do not accept paid promos and the only promos we air are to promote live music events in SL. 

A: Ninja Antwoord

The most important factor is in alignment with the mission—supporting original music and the live performers who make this community what it is. Venues that stream IndieSpectrum Radio between shows are actively contributing to artist discovery, not just filling silence.

We also look for venues that understand this is a shared ecosystem. When they support the station, we support them—through promotion, exposure, and integration into the broader SecondLife.music network.

A: Jade Jannings

I do the ground work daily with the venues. I have provided many venues with the Indiespectrum Radio folder I created, the folder contains everything anyone would need to know about Indiespectrum Radio. I not only encourage venues to share these folders with anyone and everyone. I ask that they also play our radio station between live shows, put out our group joiners, and our free radio boxes, our now playing signs, and our sandwich boards. I let them know if they do these things, they can use our group notices to announce shows, get free promos on the station, and links on our web page.

Q:  How do you encourage listeners to move from just passively hearing the music to actively supporting the artists?  There have been many times, through the years, that I have seen residents getting behind and supporting a live musician who falls on tragic or difficult times, in a very personal and dedicated way.  I’m sure you have many similar memories.  One musician had a house fire and many other musicians donated hour long shows to raise money to help out.  Residents packed that sim all day, I remember.  That was just one of MANY times.  Our virtual world is SO musician supportive.

A: Fox Reinsch

We do this by airing promos for free to help in any way.

A: Ninja Antwoord

That’s where the combination of IndieSpectrum Radio and SecondLife.music becomes powerful. The station introduces listeners to artists, but the platform gives them a path to take action—whether that’s attending live shows, making requests, or discovering upcoming events.

We also emphasize storytelling and visibility—through features like “Live, Loud and Unfiltered,” event promotion, and direct links to performances. The goal is to turn discovery into participation.

A: Jade Jannings

I manage the new Indiespectrum facebook page and the SL group. This is where I do the promotions for many artists, I also have a creators facebook page that builds followers daily, and in collaboration with Secondlife.music we get the word out through various projects like Ninja mentions. We have been successfully building/restoring our listener base. As Fox says, listeners are what makes any radio station successful. We always do our best to support SecondLife’s music community during events that affect the community as a whole such as a performer’s passing etc. 

Q: Was there a special reason you chose to reach out to the Avi Choice Awards with your mission and also your support?

A: Fox Reinsch

Only that it will help us promote live music in SL.

A: Ninja Antwoord

The Avi Choice Awards represent exactly what this community is about—recognizing and uplifting the people who make Second Life special. Supporting that mission aligns perfectly with what we do every day.

It’s also an opportunity to bring more visibility to the live music community as a whole, which benefits everyone involved.

A: Jade Jannings

I  am all about the promotion. Promoting live music in SL is my passion, so the Avi Choice Awards brings more promotion and visibility to the live music community. So of course I support it.

Q: What is your Indie Spectrum vision for the next 5 years? How will Indie Spectrum keep up with modern streaming trends?

A: Fox Reinsch

We would like to do whatever we can to get more SL residents to know great live music is in SL. Have more sims playing our station 24/7 instead of commercial streams that do nothing to help our virtual world.

A: Ninja Antwoord

The vision is expansion without losing identity. We want to continue growing awareness of Second Life’s live music scene while modernizing how people discover and engage with it.

That includes deeper integration with SecondLife.music as a centralized discovery layer, improved real-time data (now playing, live events), and making the experience more accessible both inside and outside of Second Life. The goal isn’t just to keep up with trends—it’s to carve out a unique space that no traditional streaming platform can replicate.

A: Jade Jannings

I would love to see Indiespectrum Radio grow and keep supporting musicians.

Q: What advice would you give to someone wanting to start a community-driven digital radio station today?

A: Fox Reinsch

It is a labor of love not a viable commercial endeavor.  

A: Ninja Antwoord

Start with purpose, not profit. Community-driven radio only works if you genuinely care about the people you’re serving.

You also need to think beyond just streaming music—build an ecosystem. Give listeners ways to engage, support artists, and feel connected. Technology matters, but community is everything.

A: Jade Jannings

I defer to Fox and Ninja above as I don’t have the expertise to comment on radio start-ups. I am just the PR person.

Q:  Do you want to share a look at your life outside of  SL with us?  What do you or did you do for a living?  Does your family support your SL aspirations?

A: Fox Reinsch

Before retiring, most of my life I had a home electronics audio and video retail store and then for a few years I worked as a designer of audio and computer products for the Amateur Radio community. I met who I am with now in SL.

A: Ninja Antwoord

Professionally, I’ve spent over 30 years working in radio and television broadcasting operations, with experience spanning scheduling, systems management, and overall workflow coordination. I’ve also had opportunities to be involved in aspects of film production, which added a creative dimension to my technical background. That combination of operational structure and creative perspective has strongly influenced how I approach both IndieSpectrum Radio and SecondLife.music.

As for support—like anything that requires time and dedication, it’s always about balance. But the passion behind what we’re building and the community it serves has always made that commitment worthwhile.

A: Jade Jannings

I am a retired early childhood educator. I find many humorous similarities to my profession (laughs), in SL’s music industry we call managing musicians herding cats. Otherwise the passion behind what we’re building is the same for me. There are many moving parts to coordinate, so with hard work, the love of music, and dedication we will succeed.

Q:  Second Life is full of creative, talented, inspirational, kind and diverse people.  Tell us about some of your biggest inspirations in SL?  .. a memory or happening that stands out as inspirational, mind-blowing or heart-felt?  Who has impressed you in your Second Life journey?

A: Fox Reinsch

The most enjoyable thing about SL is that even though we only see avatars and type to each other everyone is so different. It is like a meeting of the minds. Of course I enjoyed the music and also enjoyed creating and building virtual objects.

Q: Tell us about some of your biggest inspirations in SL…

A: Ninja Antwoord

What inspires me most is the resilience and generosity of this community. I’ve seen artists and audiences come together in ways that go far beyond entertainment—supporting each other through real-life challenges, organizing benefit events, and showing up when it matters.

Those moments remind you that this isn’t just virtual. The connections are real, and the impact is real.

Q: Anything else you’d like us to know about you, a special mentor, friends or your business?

A: Ninja Antwoord

Everything we’ve built is the result of collaboration—artists, venue owners, listeners, and partners all contributing to something bigger than any one platform. SecondLife.music and IndieSpectrum Radio are really extensions of that collective effort. They exist because the community continues to show up and support each other.

Q:  Anything else you’d like us to know about you, a special mentor, friends or your business?

A: Fox Reinsch

The special people were the ones that helped support the station and were managers of the musicians that helped us promote live music in SL.

A: Ninja Antwoord

Everything we’ve built is the result of collaboration—artists, venue owners, listeners, and partners all contributing to something bigger than any one platform.

SecondLife.music and IndieSpectrum Radio are really extensions of that collective effort. They exist because the community continues to show up and support each other.

A: Jade Jannings

I am just honored to have been nominated really. We have all put a lot of work into all of this and having that recognized is amazing. I have gotten to know many performers and venue owners as friends. I welcome the collaboration aspect of it all as we have many projects underway. More, more, and more music sharing, sharing is caring.

Q:  When it’s all said and done, what do you hope the legacy of Indie Spectrum Radio is?

A: Fox Reinsch

I hope the music keeps playing forever.

A: Ninja Antwoord

I hope it’s remembered as a platform that helped artists be heard, discovered, and supported—and as something that preserved a truly unique music scene for years to come.

If the station continues to introduce even one new listener to an artist who changes their world, then it’s done its job.

A: Jade Jannings

I concur with both Fox and Ninja on this question. I too want the music to play on and if Indiespectrum Radio makes one person’s day better. We did get nominated for the Avi Choice Awards, so yeah our job is done smiles. Thank you for your time and consideration!  

Thank you so much for giving us a look at all you do in our Virtual World. Thank you for being so supportive to the Avi Choice Awards and its mission to applaud and support those who make our Second Life so perfectly special.