Today we’d like to introduce you to David Dahl.
Hi David, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have always loved music. I would always prefer to create my own music (probably not as good as others to play in a cover band) and played in some bands with mixed success.
When the internet started off, I believed from the beginning this could be a place to share music that I like with others. More than 25 years later the technology has evolved to the point where I decided to start our own station, YargMetal.
My brother, Brad broadcasts the station out of Erda, Utah. Brad does an awesome job as I believe we have a quality product. Growing an audience is challenging but keeping the existing audience is even more difficult. We are competing for people’s time and interest due to many forms of entertainment in the marketplace.
The internet has changed the radio market and will continue to gain market share. Our station is available for listeners in most parts of the world, which is really cool. Thanks to Space X you can even listen in Ukraine.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Initially, we made a lot of mistakes launching the internet radio station. It was a fun learning experience understanding how the technical aspect of the station works. Now that the station has been active for a while, we have less problems to overcome and we are still learning best practices.
As we started the radio station launch, one unexpected problem arose with both our apps. With the Google app, there was an issue with auto payments due to the licensing policy. This issue took a while to resolve. With the Apple app, we mistakenly rated the app as a “General” rating for kids. After Apple occasionally listened to the station, Apple decided it was not kid-friendly and removed the app.
Re-capturing our listeners after the Apple app issue required some time to correct. We then created a website for the listeners to utilize and listen to our station. This launch process, taught us to be determined to create a successful radio station through many obstacles. Building an audience was no easy task. We did have a country station, YargCountry.
After a couple of years, we decided to temporarily shut it down due to the lack of listeners. We do have plans to fire it up again.
We’ve been impressed with Yargmetal, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
YargMetal is an internet radio station. We are known for playing Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. We play a diverse mix of bands that are sometimes not as well known. If we like it we will play it. We believe in providing an opportunity for people to play their music to a large crowd of listeners, YargMetal.
What sets us apart is that there are no commercials. The apps are free and we play more than a thousand different songs in a week. We are truly 24/7 of nonstop music. This is what makes me so proud. Brad runs the broadcasting of the station and I believe he has outdone everything out there for the style of music we play.
Plus, he throws in some humor that although I have heard it many times still makes me laugh. We play 99% actual music. The remaining 1% of the time is utilized for interviewing. Brad is the best interviewer. During the last Presidential Election, he interviewed one of the candidates for the station.
It was well-received, and people love his style.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Erda is far enough away from SLC that you don’t have too much overcrowding. It is big enough that there are some good restaurants and most of all the conveniences of a big city.
The best thing is you are close enough to SLC with great shopping, restaurants, sporting events, and museums. What I don’t like about SLC, and Wasatch valley is climate inversions in the winter. Not a fan of pollution.
That’s it! Everything else is cool.
Contact Info:
- Email: yargmetal@gmail.com
- Website: yargmetal.com
- Instagram: @Yargmetal
- Facebook: Yargmetal
- Twitter: @Yargmetal
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFZ2rxKsfelRnAQbjZkXqug
- Yelp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj3mJWEe2js
- SoundCloud: https://www.marsattacksradio.com
- Other: dtlintl.com
Image Credits
CEO Dave in Erda, Colin Super Star, China and Arcel, Brad, and Udo and the Band
