To get radio play, you need to start by sending your music to radio stations. In previous years, distributing music to commercial radio stations involved researching radio stations, finding the right physical address, sending CDs, and paying shipping fees.
Today, more than ninety-five percent of the music played in commercial radio stations is distributed digitally. Each radio station has a Program Director and Music Director. Together, they decide which songs will get radio airplay in weekly music meetings. So, how can you get your song included in these weekly music meetings? In this post, we offer some tips on how you can get your song played on the radio. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into it!
Why Is Radio Exposure Important?
The rise of streaming services and social networks has made getting your music “out there” easier than ever. Availability is at its highest level, and uploading a track is something you can do at the click of a button. This has made the industry very competitive, making it difficult for artists to stand out from the crowd.
Undeniably, traditional media like radio and broadcast television have lost their appeal over the years, and you are no longer required to get your music on the radio so that it can take off from there. However, because of the tough competition on streaming platforms, radio is still a great source of musical discovery. Today, nearly half of new music discoveries are made on the radio, while only twenty-seven percent of music discoveries are made on streaming services. So, radio is still prominent.
How Can I get My Song on Radio Stations?
A few decades ago, having your songs played on the radio was a privilege that only artists signed to major labels enjoyed. However, with the advancement of time, more and more artists are getting a fair shot at airplay, and new alternatives have been put in place to facilitate the discovery of new musicians. Even so, getting your song on the radio can be tricky. There are a few things you can do to get your song on the radio. These include:
Ensure that People Will Want to Listen to Your Song
Before you make a radio pitch, ensure that you have invested in songwriting, instrumentation, singing, recording, and production of your music. Journalists, radio DJs, and producers receive hundreds of songs daily for evaluation on whether their tracks can make it on their playlists or not.
Determine Your Radio Options
Your music genre will help you determine which stations are likely to play your song.
For instance, public radio stations usually play jazz or indie. College radio stations tend to focus on music that captures the attention of a younger audience, such as rock, hip-hop, and rap. Ensure that you send your song to a station that plays your genre of music.
Gain Clout on Music Streaming Platforms
Radio airplay is very competitive. As such, if you want to get your music on the radio, you will need a resume that will impress radio stations. You can achieve this by getting some traction on SoundCloud, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, Pandora, or any other major streaming platform. Get on playlists, get more streams, and build an audience: this will give you a flying start and position you for greater success on radio.
Approach the Right People
In the music industry, you need to know who to talk to. If you are approaching larger stations, you need to find the contact details of the person in charge of picking the tracks that get airplay. This may be one of the Music Directors, DJs, or station producers. Contrarily, if you are targeting smaller stations, chances are they will not have many staff members; therefore, any contact may suffice.
Check out their social media platforms or visit their websites to get the contact information you need, or call them and ask to speak to the person in charge of selecting songs that get played.
Give Alternative Radio a Chance
Internet radio is a good starting point for emerging artists because most online stations welcome submissions from new artists.
Submit Links, Not Attachments
Most stations require musicians to submit links: not attachments. You will need to upload your music to websites like YouTube or Band Camp, where it is easy to stream music.
Send an Electronic Press Kit (EPK)
First impressions matter a lot in the music industry, and an EPK can help you make a great first impression on a radio station. Send an EPK with a compressed WAV or MP3 of your album, EP, or single and link your biography, social media, or website. When you take time to work on your EPK, you present yourself as a professional.
DMDS
Many commercial radio stations require musicians to use DMDS (Digital Music Delivery Service) to submit music. This is not always the case for college stations; however, if you want to send music directly to the bigwigs, you will need to do so using DMDS.
Find Other Ways to Record Your Song
You do not always have to invest in high-tech equipment or spend a pretty penny to record a song. There are other ways to record without spending money (like using your phone). This allows you to share your passion with others without having to spend large sums of money on production.
Once You Are Live, Track Radio Airplay
Getting your first radio airplay is a huge victory that marks the beginning of an interesting journey. Are you okay with your music being played on one station, or are you looking to make it to other stations?
To know if your audience is growing, you need to have airplay data, which will help you evaluate the results of your radio promotion campaign, find out which stations are giving you the most airplay, and which stations have the biggest audience. With this data, you can make adjustments to your radio promotion campaign, gain insights into your presence on the air, grow your music business to where you’ve always wanted, and increase your radio plays.
A few decades ago, if you believed you had a good song, and it should be playing on the radio, you would need to approach program directors and promote your songs to them using phone calls, press releases, faxes, or one-sheets. Thereafter, the stations that were impressed with the song will give it airplay. Today, you do not have to go through such a long and tiring process because there are hundreds of radio stations that play new music from upcoming artists, helping them elevate their music careers.
At GLACER FM, we are committed to showcasing new music from different cultures all around the world. We play the best of new music in a wide variety of genres, including Pop, Jazz, Blues, House, Reggae, and African and Traditional music genres. Not only that, we feature some amazing music videos by independent artists in all music genres. We broadcast worldwide 24/7-365, so feel free to contact us to find out how you can get on our playlist.
What Are The Two Types of Radio Airplay?
There are two types of radio airplay:
1. Commercial Radio
Independent artists usually turn to commercial radio. This type of radio is the most prominent and the hardest to get onto. It accounts for the vast majority of radio listening (it is fourteen times bigger than all streaming platforms put together), and it only plays music by serious musicians; as such, getting airplay on commercial radio can make your career, especially if you want to appeal to a regional audience.
2 Non-Commercial Radio
Non-commercial radio encompasses smaller, independent radio stations, college radio stations, and online radio. This type of radio is easier to get onto and is a great starting point if you are an independent artist. Also, radio programmers converse with each other and tune in on each others’ shows, so if your song is a hit on non-commercial radio, it is only a matter of time for it to make it onto mainstream airplay.
Contact GLACER FM to Get on the Playlist!
GLACER FM is the #1 Internet Radio Station for independent and unsigned music. We give every artist a chance to get heard by our global audience and play the best of new music in all genres.
When we add your song in rotation on our Indie Channel (GLACER UNDERGROUND), our industry tastemakers review it for quality and may include it in popular music programs or put it on permanent rotation on our main and genre-specific channel.
Once approved, our industry professionals will keep track of your music to have your latest releases added to radio directories. We consider all song submissions for nominations for music awards, as well as for charting.
For $54.95, you can get your song in rotation GLACER UNDERGROUND for 30 days, and for $89.95, you can get your song in rotation GLACER UNDERGROUND for 90 days. You can send us a direct message by completing the contact form on our site. You can also email our corporate team at administrator@glacerfm.com or our management team at glacermusicradio@yahoo.com.
