How to promote your music to radio and get results!
Tonya Rae
Distributor" and questions on this subject, that I wrote another one,
that semi-mirrors one of the chapters in my book. I hope it helps.
Tonya Rae :-)
Promoting your CD to radio takes a lot of organization and time
management.
The first step you will need to do is find radio stations that are
willing
to accept submissions from indie artists. Always get permission ahead
of
time, before you submit your music. There are two easy ways to find
radio
station information. The first is to go onto the WWW and search the
radio
station databases available. This method is free, but will take some
time.
The best resources I have found are, "MIT Radio Stations on the Web"and
"BRS
Radio Stations". Most sites list the stations by genre (style of
music),
state, etc. This will help you find radio stations in your region if
you
decide you are going locally at first (which is a good recommendation if
you
do not have a lot of money to spend, and you aren't worried about
charting),
or if you are going nationally (which is only a good idea if you are
already
established locally and are seeking national exposure and a chance to
chart). Here are a few web site addresses:
MIT: http://wmbr.mit.edu/stations/list.html and BRS:
http://www.radio-directory.com/
Bookmark these sites in your Internet browser. You will find yourself
going
back to these sites often. If you decide looking for this information on
the
WWW takes too much time, the second way is to purchase books that
already
have all the information for radio stations listed in them. There are a
few
books I know of, however check with the people who sell these books to
verify they have all the information you need such as email addresses,
shipping addresses, web sites, etc. A very good reference manual is
"Gavin
Radio & Record Industry A to Z". Call 415 495 1990 to order. Most
reference manuals for the Entertainment Industry can become quickly
outdated
due to high turnover rate. The WWW may be more accurate because the
radio
stations keep the information up to date weekly or monthly. When finding
radio stations to submit to, it's best to start with college radio
first,
especially if you are a new act without a track record. It will be
easier
for you to get added on college stations, which are usually "free
format"
and don't have the stringent rules and regulations governing them that
the
major radio stations do.
If you decide on the college route, make sure you have verified they
have a
format for your music. Most college stations have a variety of music
styles
and many different Music Directors, so there is a wide selection.
However,
Rock, Jazz, and Alternative Music tend to be the main stay for college
stations. Country acts will have a more difficult time on college
stations,
although there are many that have Folk Music programs. However, your
music
may not fit into their style of Folk. For the Country act, I suggest
you
try to get on stations that are Americana and college stations that play
Country Music specifically. Once you conquer the college charts, you
will
have a solid base and track record to promote yourself to the larger
stations. It's like a snowball that rolls down the mountain. The more
it
rolls, the larger it gets. Make sure when approaching larger stations
that
you ask specifically if they play indie artists.
If they tell you that they occasionally give an indie artist a shot, go
ahead and submit your CD to them. If they say, 'No. We only play
major-label releases, or artists that are in the top 50 of the Billboard
charts, but go ahead and send it along.' Think hard about it before
sending
your CD. While it's exciting to possibly get heard by someone who may
have
met "Third Eye Blind" or "Goo Dolls", unless you have a lot of cash to
spend
on reprinting CD's, you will waste your money because they won't play
you
until you chart. When you do break into the top 50, you will probably
have
to send them the kit again. Be patient, and wait until you chart before
submitting to stations with these requirements.
If the goal for your music is charting, you will need to make sure that
all
of the radio stations you submit to, report to the same charts. This
will
help ensure that all of your "spins" count. (Spins are the amount of
times
a song is played.) If the radio stations don't report to any charts, or
the
charts they do report to are not consistent with those you already have,
you
may want to think about passing on them until you have more resources.
If
you are only looking for exposure, then by all means send it to every
radio
station you get permission from. It is easier to get added to a
playlist
on stations that don't report, than do. The competition is not as
fierce.
A note about air time. Each station only has so many hours and slots
they
can play songs. If you can get your song charted, you will have a
better
chance of getting into one of those precious slots.
Once you have found all the radio stations you need to submit to, and
you
have entered that information into a database, you are ready to send the
press kit out (assuming your CD is ready). At this time, make sure to
call
the radio stations again and verify that all the information is still
the
same. As I stated before, the industry is very volatile. Stations get
bought and sold very quickly, and there is an extremely high turnover
rate
for personnel. You don't want to send your Heavy Metal CD to a station
that is now a Smooth Jazz station. And you don't want to send something
out
with the words "Material Requested" on it, to someone who no longer
works
there. Most Program Directors (PD's) and Music Directors (MD's) have
specific call times, on specific days, every week. You can only call
them
on these days or they will not take your calls. Once you have sent your
press kit out, wait 5 - 7 days, then call and confirm your CD has
arrived
safely. If the CD has not arrived, wait 1 more week and call again. If
at
that point the CD has still not arrived, tell the PD or MD that you will
send another package and then send it. Once you have confirmed that the
CD
has arrived safely, you'll need to start your weekly calls. A side note,
in
your cover letter for your press kit, make sure to suggest the tracks
you
think radio personnel will like, and the ones you think are more
commercial.
Give them an opportunity to listen to several tracks, but don't ask them
to
listen to the entire CD. You will confuse the heck out of them! Radio
promoters push one track at a time.
Pushing only one track will show them you are a true professional. To
push
a track means to tell the radio personnel which track you are suggesting
at
this time for airplay. Tell them it's the first release off your new
CD.
In order to chart you must have a substantial amount of "spins". If you
have a lot of tracks that are being played, but no stations are playing
similar tracks, your chances of charting for a particular song are very
slim. While you really don't have a choice of what is played, you can
help
it along by constantly suggesting the same track. The life of one song
is
anywhere from 4 - 6 weeks. At the end of that time, continue to push
the
first track but also start suggesting the next track you plan to
release.
Start building a rapport with the PD's and MD's. Find out their likes,
dislikes, and interests. You will get much farther if you are truly
interested in who they are and what they do, than if you are only
interested
in what they can do for you. If you can get someone to help you with
the
task of calling radio stations every week (and you must do that once you
release your CD), it will make you look more professional, and you will
get
a much better response, than Joe Smoegh representing Joe Smoegh.
Because every Program and Music Director have different call times and
days,
time management is essential. To help make your job a little easier,
create
a database to hold all your contact information and keep track of calls
and
call times. If you have succeeded in getting a station to add your
music,
here are some questions you should ask:
· If they are playing your CD, ask them how your CD is doing at their
station.
· Ask them if they are playing the track you specified in your
promotional
package, and if they have had any listener response.
· Ask if they need additional CD's for their DJ booths or for
promotional
giveaways. If they do, send them right away. This is beneficial for
college stations because it will give DJ's a chance to preview your
music on
their own time. As I stated before, college stations are usually "free
form", meaning they play whatever the DJ's want. If they are already
familiar with your music before they do their show, you will have a
better
chance of being played.
· Ask if there is anything additional that you can do to assist them.
More often than not, you will only be able to leave a message when you
call.
If you are able to contact them directly, your conversations will
generally
be short, as they are extremely busy people. Keep them informed of any
newsworthy items. Every time you succeed in getting another station to
add
your music, go a little further on the chart, or score a major gig,
announce
it in your faxes or emails, and definitely hype it on the phone during
your
conversations with them. Build excitement so you keep yourself in the
forefront of their minds, and get them more interested in your music.
Offer
to do interviews and liners. Liners are a small commercial you record
for
the station. E.g., 'Hi! This is Joe Smoegh and you are listening to
today's
hottest mix on such and such a radio station.' I will say it againĽbe
persistent and pleasant.
If you have not been added, or you are not receiving airplay yet,
continue
promoting yourself to these stations via email, fax, or when speaking
with
them personally. Ask them if they do test spins. If they do, ask them
if
they would try your CD during one of their test spin slots.
Additionally,
stop by radio stations in your area and make live appearances. Bring
some
pizza or donuts and soda, and you will bring a smile to their faces.
Try to
come up with unique ideas to "sell" your CD to them. Additionally, when
you
release your CD to radio, will affect how much airplay you receive. If
everything fails, try to remain upbeat and positive with them. Remember
that radio is very political, and as I stated previously, there are only
so
many time slots available. Most will not pick Joe Smoegh over Whitney
Houston. This may be the time, if you are still not getting airplay, to
call it quits on that particular station and stop contact. You can keep
them informed of your comings and goings via email if you wish. That
will
save you long distance charges. Good luck! Copyright 1998 Tonya Rae
All
rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form
without express permission of the author.
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For more ideas and help on marketing your music, insiders tricks,
recording
tips, valuable web site and email addresses, contact names of
major-label
executives, managers, and much much more, be sure to check out Tonya Rae
and North Shore Records critically acclaimed book, "Insiders Tricks For
Making Your
Music A Success". To find out more, please go to the following web
site:
http://pw1.netcom.com/~skii/index.html Check back monthly for new
articles and excerpts from the book. Tonya Rae has had 3 #1 hit singles
and
8 top 40 singles off her latest CD around the world. If you have
questions
for the author, please feel free to contact her at:
to...@thekeyboard.com
This is what a few Program Directors of the some of the most popular
Country
Radio stations in the major market have to say:
"She's one of the freshest most exhilarating gals on the air today",
Scott
Davis, Program Director KOFI Country 104 FM Montana
"Never have I seen such an embrace of an independent artist as I have
seen
for Tonya Rae. Tonya picks the perfect songs to show the emotion and
range
she can display with her voice." Chris Allen, B105 FM host of
"Homegrown
Country" Minnesota
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