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Thursday, June 14, 2012
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Getting Your Song Played on Radio
Don't suppose there are many stories of independent artists who contacted a radio industry station and succeeded in getting that station to air their song(s). Although it used to be possible to get a radio programmer's attention, to be clear, things have changed.
I get about a hundred requests a week from indie artists asking, "How can I submit my music for radio airplay?" I wish there was a stock answer that worked. Unfortunately, there are many variables that make this answer most difficult. Just to mention a few:
You're banking on the programmer having time - and a desire - to listen to your music.You believe a corporate radio programmer has the power to "add" a song.The ratio of songs accepted for airplay against the the number of total songs submitted is - in my opinion - about 30-to-1.| "If you want to get your songs radio airplay, you can begin the process of contacting individual stations and hope that the radio programmer has time to listen - or the power to make the decision to add your song, if they like it." |
Let me spend a few sentences on that last item, the ratio of "quality." Having created a system for indie artists to display their songs to internet radio programmers back in 2003, I've had tens-of-thousands of songs pass through my ears, and posted thousands of them for internet radio programmers to add to their playlists. As creator of "Intro to Indie Artists," I've also succeeded in building a Receiver base of online stations that run these programs - which are built on new acts seeking airplay. |
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The one common thread that runs through RRadio Music and "Intro to Indie Artists" is that radio programmers struggle to find time for sampling new artists and songs. It's not as if there are doldrums in the sea of new music, either. Programmers - those who are strictly pureplay internet radio station operators, or who work in the radio industry - are drowning in new music being thrust on them. Each song with a request to "give my song a listen." Now, I've heard the pleas - "My music is truly unique." I've been subjected to all the reasoning of why I should give each artist who requests my going to their link the time to listen to their music. But, the reality is, there's simply not enough time in my day (or that of anyone in the radio industry) to sample all the requests received from indie artists. Sorry to be upfront about this paradox, but it's how the real world operates - and the reason why I created RRadioMusic.com and the "Intro to Indie Artists" series of programs. RRadio Music is a web site designed for radio programmers to use at their leisure. Short samples of music allow them to request a full song download. When this happens, the artist is notified so they may follow up with the programmer. "Intro to Indie Artists" is a series of new music programs in country, dance, hip hop & rap, jazz, pop, and rock music genres. 169 radio stations air a combination of 441 of these programs (in 5, 3, and 2 song lengths). Using either system, radio programmers do not have to spend inordinate amounts of time going through poor quality submissions. All music is pre-screened and, for those songs making it on an "Intro to Indie Artist" program, they are guaranteed radio station airplay. (89 stations receive the Pop "Intro to Indie Artists" program. 94 stations receive the Rock version, etc.) If you want to get your songs radio airplay, you can begin the process of contacting individual stations and hope that the radio programmer has time to listen - or the power to make the decision to add your song, if they like it. Use our RadioRow, and just go down the list. You could also contact any of the big radio industry corporate offices, hoping to reach the person who's in charge of telling all their radio programmers which songs to add this week. Or, to simplify the process, just start a submission to RRadio Music. If selected for listing, you'll be placed in front of radio programmers who are actively looking for new artists. And, if chosen for an "Intro to Indie Artists" program, you'll be guaranteed airplay on multiple stations that receive your program's music genre. As an indie artist, getting the attention of a radio programmer is nowhere close to what it used to be. Fortunately, though, by using the internet and Audio Graphics' reach into the online radio industry, independent artists don't have to wade through all the time-consuming negatives associated with getting a song on radio today. To prove that point, here are a few comments from programmers and indie artists. Let them be the evidence that getting a song on radio doesn't have to be as difficult as it appears. From artists and labels:
From radio programmers:
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