Hip Dad Radio LIVE 365 and the Future of HDR
We’ve got some exciting news: Hip Dad Radio is officially streaming live 24/7 on Live365!
This moment has been years in the making. Hip Dad started as a passion project nearly 8 years ago, but I always struggled to turn the dream into something real. We went through iterations — live streaming on Twitch, running a talk + music format on Spotify… and then Spotify ripped that feature away, completely derailing our show.
After that, I took a breather. I still went live on twitch here and there, but shifted most of the grind to Instagram — posting throwback music clips, promoting artists, and building out the “hip dad” world from 60s to late-80s nostalgia. It was a blast, and it helped the brand grow… but man, I really missed doing my actual radio show.
The main roadblock was always the cost of streaming properly licensed music. It’s not cheap. But with the audience growing and opportunities opening up — shoutout to new bands trusting us to feature their music — we’ve raced past the point where this can just be a side quest.
So here we are. The next logical step was getting the new website + radio station fully up and running, and building enough support to eventually sustain the costs of keeping this thing on air. Im still thinking of ways to properly maintain this beast and if you have any ideas hit me up. Merch is definitely on the menu (we’re thinking a golf-core / dad-clothes vibe), and we can’t wait to share when it’s ready.
We don’t have a locked-in broadcast schedule yet, but the wheels are turning — shows are being built, DJs are joining the family, and we’re actively talking to people about launching their own weekly or recurring slots on the station.
Which brings me to this…
We’re officially looking for more DJs to join the family.
If you’ve ever wanted your own show, now’s the best time — and it’s ridiculously easy to get started now. We’re looking for people who love sharing music, showing up regularly, and having fun doing it. If you miss a week, no sweat. Just be the type who cares enough to come back and keep it consistent. Play whatever you like. Talk about whatever you like. As long as you dig it, we dig it too.
If you’re interested — reach out on the contact us page of the website.
I’ll hook you up. You’ll be on pumping music into Chicago’s most mid-western internet radio fever dream in no time.
Thanks for listening, for sticking around all these years, it’s meant a lot to me, and I hope you enjoy listening to the Live radio player!
Matt Kennett
HDR DJ
