Soma FM PopTron

PopTron is an electropop and indie pop channel operated by SomaFM, an independent, listener-supported internet radio network headquartered in San Francisco, California. SomaFM takes its name from two sources: Soma, the fictional pleasure drug in Aldous Huxley's 1932 novel Brave New World, and the South of Market district of San Francisco, commonly abbreviated SoMa. The network was founded by Rusty Hodge, who initially broadcast from his basement in the Bernal Heights neighborhood and first streamed at the Burning Man festival in 1999. SomaFM launched as a continuous internet station in February 2000. In 2002, sweeping royalty rate changes introduced by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel threatened the financial viability of many internet broadcasters. Hodge estimated potential daily royalty costs exceeding $1,000, prompting SomaFM to cease broadcasting in June 2002. Hodge subsequently testified before the U.S. Congress advocating for lower rates. Congress passed the Small Webcaster Settlement Act of 2002 in November of that year, enabling small webcasters to negotiate reduced fees with SoundExchange. SomaFM resumed operations in late November 2002 under the revised framework. In 2005, the network became an early adopter of mobile audio streaming, partnering with Orban to deliver audio to 3GPP-compatible devices on 3G and EDGE networks. SomaFM participates in advocacy around internet radio licensing, joining the Internet Radio Day of Silence in 2007 to protest a Copyright Royalty Board rate increase. PopTron sits alongside more than 30 other curated channels in the SomaFM catalog, all hand-programmed by the network's DJs and music directors. The service is funded entirely through voluntary listener donations and carries no commercial advertising.