WHY CAN'T I GET MY MUSIC ON THE RADIO?
The short answer is you can. It's not difficult but it takes a lot of hard work, some money, probably more than you have budgeted, a lot of follow-up and a lot of confidence. Let's be brutally honest about radio for a second. Indie musicians are forced to go the non-traditional route 99% of the time, meaning, non-coms (non-commercial, public-funded radio stations), college radio, internet radio and podcasts.
If you think media-conglomerate commercial radio stations are going to line up to play your next release in heavy rotation with artists like Adele, The Black Keys and Pearl Jam you are in for a letdown of sorts.
Still it doesn't hurt to try, but because expenses are involved, it may make sense to lower your sights just a bit. Also, music directors, on air personalities and any other employees, other than the staff interns who have their favorite underground bands, probably aren't out scouring the planet to unearth tomorrow's flavor-of-the-month indie band. It is up to you to make them notice.
Social Media has landed indie music squarely and deeply into a most derogatory marketing agenda.
IF YOU POST IT, THEY WILL COME.
Uh, no. They will not come. To me, the words "THEY" and "WILL" are transposed, making that postulate slightly discombobulated.
Part of the blame is the early social media mentality, where websites and pay services took advantage of so many artists by purposely padding playback numbers to increase the "curiosity factor." It is scary, to this day, to think that there are still marketing platforms that do this, and most make a ton of money for doing so. It makes sense from a business standpoint as a sales incentive for those services: more plays equals more interest, real or imagined, and that gets you to spend more money.
But if you are the top ranked indie artist based on total playbacks in your specified genre and in your regional demographic, what the heck does that really mean, especially if playback numbers are padded. No one is really listening, are they? Further, if someone really is listening, how would you know who the real, human listeners are when they are lost in a sea of algorithmic mechanisms and robotic web crawlers?
It all means nothing. I trust you have enough intelligence to know how many people are really listening to your music through social media. Are you attracting new fans to your shows? Are you selling more merch? Are you selling more music? Are you adding e-mail addresses to your fan list? Answer those questions and tell me how much those numbers mean to you.
Bottom line: IF YOU POST IT, WILL THEY COME?
Probably not.
WHY SEND YOUR MUSIC TO RADIO STATIONS FOR AIRPLAY CONSIDERATION?
You need to be totally honest with yourself when asking this question. Why are you sending your music to radio stations? To sell music? Do you want to know someone heard your music on the radio? Do you just want to hear your band on the air? Are you touring and going through that city and hoping airplay will sell some more tickets? These are all good questions to ask yourself and only you know the answers. But if you are just sending music hoping someone will listen, like it and eventually air it, you have a misconception as to how radio works.
If you are seeking airplay to significantly increase sales, it won’t. Music doesn't sell like it used to and music is going from a sales-based industry to a royalty and license-based (streaming) industry anyway. To that end, if you’re looking to make money on the sale of music, you probably won’t and radio probably won't help. Non-coms, internet stations and podcasts have genuinely smaller listening audiences with few exceptions. There are some big non-coms like KEXP and getting airplay on that station will probably help increase sales. And some internet stations like Live365 have huge followings, though station-specific listening audiences are diminished by the increasing number of stations.
You may increase sales if you submit to stations AND back it up with touring. If you are already well known, submitting to stations may help with sales, but it’s difficult to correlate radio airplay to sales. Radio airplay is better served to promote your band in a regional locale and raise awareness for your public performances.
Hopefully you are starting with the non-coms and college radio stations in your hometown. They are most likely to have some type of awareness as to who you are and what you are doing and if it is radio-worthy, and those on-air personalities are more likely to push your music to their listeners. As you expand your regional fan base, you should similarly reach out to stations within that radius. For example, if you are lighting it up in Chicago, you may want to start sending music to stations in Dekalb, Normal, Champaign, Milwaukee, Des Moines, Minneapolis, etc. If you plan on touring regionally, be sure that your reach extends to those stations.
Don't think that you are too good for internet radio or podcasts either. If your music is getting regular airplay anywhere, no matter the format, it certainly helps you attain the necessary notoriety to eventually garner terrestrial radio airplay.
WHAT FORMAT SHOULD YOU SEND? WHO SHOULD YOU SEND IT TO?
At Jivewired, I get music files and links to streams on a daily basis. That’s the nature of the job but as a performer you have to remember that. If you scale it out to more popular stations you can easily imagine how much music they are getting every day.
Most stations have a music director to help handle those submissions but many do not. If you’re a small band, new band, reformed band, supergroup, whatever, it’s going to be hard to get their attention if they do not know who you are. I don't want to discourage you but you need to let each station know why they should play your music. That being said, it cannot be the hard sell. The harder you try, the less likely it is that you will get played.
Bullet point 4-5 highlights and forget the insignificant crap. Your bio shouldn't be your life story. Radio stations don't need your head shots. What they really need is a hard copy of your music, a one sheet listing some notable achievements, and one or two targeted songs for playback. Good luck if you think anyone is going to sit down and listen to your entire CD unless it is being reviewed for publication. Sell yourself in a sentence or two. WHY SHOULD WE PLAY YOUR MUSIC?
If you are sending it directly to a radio host you should do exactly the same. The worst they can do is ignore you, and many will anyway. Certainly there is attrition but more importantly there just aren't enough hours in the day to listen to everything. Many stations still use CD players so you need to include a hard copy. We use a combo of about 75% CDs and 25% digital files. Sending a vinyl copy as well (if you have one) helps immensely. Vinyl is cool. DJ’s like vinyl at most stations. It's not cheap, and you shouldn't press vinyl for that sole purpose but if you have extra vinyl copies it always helps you at least get initially noticed. Standing out is always a good thing.
If you send a CD, ALWAYS REMOVE THE SHRINK WRAP. I cannot stress that enough so I will say it again: ALWAYS REMOVE THE SHRINK WRAP.
Is it alright to send a demo or something with no artwork, etc.? If the station knows who you are and knows your music and you are trying to get them the music really early, then yes. If they don’t know you or never heard of you then you might want to think about cleaning it up a bit.
Don’t put your CD in a thin sleeve or one of those ultra thin jewel cases. It will get lost in the stacks but that doesn't matter, because it will probably not get listened to anyway. Put it in a clearly labeled package or normal sized jewel box if possible. Remember to label the actual CD itself. Make sure to include a track listing and which songs you want promoted for airplay. Note any songs where there is swearing or other potentially disturbing content. Most stations cannot air that.
And about that one sheet: It is called a one sheet for a reason. It doesn't take a math major to figure out what that means exactly.
It's not that more information will hurt you. It's just that it probably won't be read so why waste the time, energy and expense? Plus it looks like you are a try-hard. I don't think anybody ever reads a second or third sheet. You should include quotes and sign posts (recommended if you like). Media quotes are great but if you don't have any, even quotes from fans/listeners work. Have your mom say something nice if you have to.
If you have a multi-page press kit, and hello, it is no longer 2002, make that available online instead of sending it. Some bands actually send folders of material with pictures, stickers, archival music in their discographies and keychains and other trinkets. Most of that stuff goes in the garbage. If you want to give that stuff away, give it to your fans. You can't bribe a radio station with a trinket and a keychain and a fake bootleg of some show you played, and they will only post your sticker if they like your music or if the sticker is a visually cool, artsy type thing that will look super boss on a locker, bulletin board or the staff fridge.
Hipster stations and podcasts may post a sticker if it has an ironic quality. It does not mean, however, that they will play your music. Sorry.
BACK TO SOCIAL MEDIA FOR A SECOND
Should I check out your Facebook or Twitter? Yes, I should. But I don't always have time. Yes you need to include your links in your one sheet but it is certainly okay to be a little proactive. I can't speak for most stations and their social media pages, but we connect better with those who pursue us and like our page first. You took enough interest in my social media campaign so I will reciprocate.
In most instances, once we have decided we may play your music, we'll check out your Facebook page anyway. But knowing that you got there first makes a world of difference.
Big point here: Personal pages are off limits unless you are friend requested first. I get angry when bands solicit me on my personal page. I am there to communicate with friends for the most part and though I do some business on that page, I don't generally liked to be bothered with "hey, did you listen to my music?" and for the record, I rarely check private messages on my personal page unless they are from friends, relatives or employees.
Also, if you do not send me music and just ask me to check out your social media you are asking me to do all the work for you in that instance. Same thing with simply "LIKING" my page and then leaving that new relationship dormant. Hey you like me. Have a good life. Why did you initialize the relationship? To pad your numbers? No offense, but forgive me if I never examine your social media content unless you give me a reason, and simply liking me and then disappearing just doesn't pique my interest enough.
I am sure I am speaking for all music directors and radio hosts when I say, please don't make us unearth your music. We're not treasure hunters. We have jobs and we have bosses and sponsors we have to report to. Oh yeah. We also have personal lives.
And don't spam our walls unsolicited with your music, your videos and your fifteen-paragraph resumes. I delete those. I am sure I am not alone in this practice. Then I sever the connection permanently and after that I will probably block you. Not great marketing on your part.
In short and in chronological order:
- Send your music and a one sheet
- Connect via social media
- Be respectful and polite
SO YOU SENT YOUR MUSIC. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Of course you are smart enough not to assume that just because you’ve sent your package that your CD is being played. Wait at least 2 weeks after you’ve sent it before you follow up with a phone call or e-mail.
Most decision makers keep regular business hours. A drunken, two-am post show afterglow email or phone message will not help your case. They are funny to listen to or read, but that conduct won't get you airplay and may hurt your chances. Radio hosts probably don't accept phone calls and usually don’t have call hours, so email them. It is a huge faux pas to repeatedly pester a radio host via phone call or email for airplay.
Don't be desperate or come across as being desperate. Remember what I said initially - you probably have no idea how many submissions for airplay that radio stations get. When calling a station, patience and politeness is key.
If you do get through to someone or if someone returns your call, ask the following questions only. If any of the answers are “No,” stop asking and politely thank them for their consideration and tell them to have a nice day.
- Did you receive my music?
- Were you able to review it?
- Are you going to add it to your rotation?
- When are you going to add it to your rotation?
- Is there anything else you need?
If you are told no by whomever, NEVER ask that last question as a follow up. At that point, there is nothing you can do that will change their minds about playing your music. Remember, just because one person says no doesn't mean that everybody else will reject you as well. Swallow your pride and move on and remember that success is the best revenge and if you are good enough, eventually they will regret not getting you on when nobody has heard of you.
GET YOUR FRIENDS INVOLVED
If this all seems like a crap ton of work that's because it is.
You should think about hiring someone to help you (like us). There are several top-notch radio promotion companies that specialize in helping musicians to get radio airplay. Those companies generally service hundreds of stations for a fee that ranges up to a few thousand dollars per album release. That's a lot of scratch but the expenses don't end there. Not even close.
Promotional mailings to radio stations will cost you money for both postage and lost units (The CDs you are giving away). Usually you will handle the mailings while they track your release by calling the music directors each week and finding out if and where in rotation it is and how many plays it is getting per week.
We send aggregate samplers (many artists on one CD sampler) to stations to help you save money. Our fees are considerably less (submissions are free for paid membeers of Jivewired) but we also do all of the follow up and legwork. We do not identify the stations we send music to unless your music is accepted for airplay however.
It works well. First, we have proven ourselves as curators of good content so whatever we send gets listened to. Secondly, as professionals, most music directors and radio hosts are happy to hear from us, even if it is strictly follow up.
It has drawbacks as well, mainly that you could be theoretically competing for airplay with the other artists on the sampler.
If you'd like, we can customize promotional packages and dedicated campagns for you if you are more interested in being part of our network in that capacity. In those instances you will be responsible for mailing expenses and manufaturing costs of hard copy material and you will pay us for our time. But you will also have a list of who has your music, when it was sent, and who is responsible for making the decision to air your music.
If you want to do it all youself, here is a suggestion. Go to the post office and get information on how to bulk mail. It will save you hundreds of dollars. Bulk mailing parties, like moving day, are when you find out who your friends really are. Prepare for a lot of lame excuses.
ONE LAST THING
Being in a band can be an incredibly frustrating thing from a business standpoint. Those who are not musicians usually don't know just how much work is involved just to eek out a meager living. There are more artists that have regrets than those that have success. And it's a shame, because those who have put business over music have really squeezed the lifeblood out of promoting music as a veritable artform.
With all you have to do just to run your band and to keep the creative juices flowing, the last thing you should have to worry about is begging somebody to listen to your music. Rejection stifles creativity. It's human nature. I wish that radio was a different animal, but it isn't.
Still, I encourage you not to give up, but rather to be smart in your endeavors. There is a small margin of error financially so do your best not to waste resources. Do it the right way, and follow up. Get help if you can afford it.
I know that in running Jivewired I get rejected 99% of the time when recruiting bands to work with us. You just have to strap it on and continue moving forward. If you're good, and you put in the work and work smart you will find that small successes lead to bigger and bigger successes. It's not easy. But if you love what you do, it is entirely worth the effort.
If you want to talk or just need advice or someone to keep you on the right path, send me an email. Even if you just want a new friend. We'll exchange numbers, and we'll come up with the framework to help eliminate the stagnation and financial losses and mostly, get you motivated.
I even accept late night, post-show afterglow emails and phone messages.
"We killed it man!"
Of that, I have no doubt.
Email: michael.canter@jivewired.com