Nostalgia

College Radio: A Sound Foundation 

My AU soundtrack 

By

yellow cassette tape
  • “Radio, Radio,” Elvis Costello and the Attractions
  • “Rock Lobster,” the B-52’s
  • “Love Shack,” The B-52s
  • “You’ve Got a Friend,” James Taylor
  • “Wind Beneath My Wings,” Bette Midler
  • “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen 
  • “Happy Hour,” the Housemartins
  • “I Melt with You,” Modern English
  • “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles),” the Proclaimers
  • “Mr. Blue Sky,” Electric Light Orchestra
  • “Come On Eileen,” Dexys Midnight Runners
  • “Dancing Queen,” ABBA
  • “You Shook Me All Night Long,” AC/DC
  • “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting),” Elton John
  • “Superman,” R.E.M.

When Linda Bloss-Baum, SOC/BA ’91, moved into AU in 1987, she carted eight milk crates full of cassettes with her. 

The communications major’s prized possessions got a lot of play on the Sony boom box in her dorm room, which featured a poster of U2’s Live From Paris album cover on the wall. “We were all lugging them around,” she says of the tapes, which provided the soundtrack for her floor. “Music brought us together.” 

It also inspired Bloss-Baum’s career—most recently as senior vice president of government relations and public policy at SoundExchange, which tracks and distributes digital performance royalties on behalf of 650,000 creators. An AU adjunct since 2013, she joined the full-time faculty this fall as assistant director of Kogod’s business and entertainment program—named one of the best in the in the country in October by Billboard. “It’s been really fun bringing my expertise into the classroom,” she says.

Years after her own AU experience, this music lover is helping the next generation of industry leaders build a sound foundation. 

Tune in to Bloss-Baum’s mix on Spotify.