wisconsin Archives - WORT 89.9 FM

Contact Information

Music Director: Sybil Augustine – musicdirector@wortfm.org (for music submissions, charts and tracking, promotional exchanges for music events and following up on volunteer applications or other requests. Please include specifics in your subject line, such as “Hiphop Music Submission” etc, )

Music Assistant: Aaron Scholz – musicass@wortfm.org (for record donations and sales, promos recording volunteers, etc.)

Music Calendars: Submit your events online here or send by email to calendar@wortfm.org

How do I get my music played on WORT?

We accept submissions in most genres and styles of music, focusing on noncommercial, out-of-the-mainstream, independent releases (check out our playlists and music charts for more information.) It may take up to a few weeks for us to review and process your submission so we appreciate your patience, and feel free to contact us to follow up. Please send your music, indicating any tracks with language that needs to be aired after 10 pm and including a one-sheet description and any biographical and tour information, to WORT Music Director, 118 S. Bedford St, Madison, WI 53703 and/or to musicdirector@wortfm.org.

We do accept digital files on .wav or mp3, but currently we still prefer CDs to digital submissions because it’s the quickest way to get it into the hands of our programmers and onto the airwaves, though we have a growing digital library. Digital submissions should be .wav or other lossless files, or high quality mp3s [128-320 kbps.]

You can follow up or “track” your submissions by email, or call 608-256-2001 on Wednesdays between 1-4 pm CST to ask if we received it, has it been reviewed, has it been added to our library, and what kind of airplay it’s getting—e.g. light, medium, heavy or charting. Thanks and we look forward to hearing your music!

WORT Music Playlists

What was that song I heard? Who was the artist, what is the album title, where can I get it? Where can I find the entire playlist for a show?

Click on the Playlists button to bring up a calendar where you can choose any date to find the playlists for that day. If you can’t find the right playlist or the song you’re looking for, your best bet is to call the station the next time that program’s on and ask the host yourself. If that’s not possible we may be able to help you, but please have as much information as possible at hand when you contact us, such as: approximate day and time the music was played, what type or genre of music it was, who hosted the show and any other information you remember about the selection and we’ll do our best to track it down.

Once you figure it out, there’s a “Buy It!” link next to each track in online playlists that leads you to a place where you can buy songs and albums, and by doing it that way a small portion of each purchase goes to support WORT.

Wisconsin’s Early Gay History with Richard Wagner

June 25, 2019 by A Public Affair

It’s Pride Month! In commemoration of the Stonewall riots fifty years ago, on June 28, 1969, we spend the hour reflecting on Wisconsin’s own gay history. Guest host Chali Pittman is joined in the studio by R. Richard “Dick” Wagner, the first openly gay member of the Dane County Board of Supervisors and author of […]

More about inclusive music communities

June 17, 2019 by Tone Madison

Tone Madison is home to a couple of whole entire other music podcasts, Record Store Dropouts and Digital Warmth. A couple episodes ago, Record Store Dropouts hosts Alex Nelson and Shaun Soman got into a discussion about making space to center marginalized people at shows and in the music community in general. This week, they […]

But I wouldn’t know where to start

June 6, 2019 by Tone Madison

Shane O’Neill formed the band Screamin’ Cyn Cyn And The Pons more than 15 years ago with guitarist/vocalist Cynthia Burnson, drummer Steve Shah, and bassist Christian Burnson. During the mid oughts, the Pons were one of the most vital bands in Madison’s music community, and O’Neill often formed the glittery, hairy, and charismatic center of […]

Podcast short: A LÜMp sum

May 31, 2019 by Tone Madison

The Capital Times reported on Monday that Madison concert promoter FPC Live took part in a $750,000 funding round for LÜM, a music-streaming app developed in Madison. LÜM is currently in its second test version and heading for a public launch later this summer. An earlier test version in 2018 left us with some questions […]

Jonah Parzen-Johnson on the responsibility to take risks

May 23, 2019 by Tone Madison

Saxophonist and composer Jonah Parzen-Johnson’s solo work combines baritone sax and electronic instrumentation, and that opens up a whole lot of new dimensions when he performs live. Parzen-Johnson documents that process in a forthcoming live album recorded in Helsinki last year, titled Helsinki 8.12.18. It covers new material he’s been working on since he released […]

Wisconsin Lame-Duck Session Laws Go to Court

May 21, 2019 by A Public Affair

The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, along with other plaintiffs, is suing the Wisconsin governor and legislature over the legality of measures passed during the extraordinary lame-duck session held in December. This lawsuit is currently in front of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. So what comes next? Our guest today is Jeffrey Mandell, a partner […]

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But I wouldn’t know where to start

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Wisconsin Lame-Duck Session Laws Go to Court