It goes without saying that getting radio airplay can be a great way to market music.
But there are many musicians out there who still approach radio stations in the same way that those pesky car insurance call centre workers approach people with their untargeted, untimely and impersonal sales pitches that just make you switch off. So what should you be doing when pitching your music to radio?
Contact the right person – Ok, in some cases the radio DJ or presenter will listen to your demo CD and play it but that’s not their job, they’re there to present shows and cue up songs from a pre uploaded database, so you need to contact the person who is in charge of that database and that’s the programme manager (or music director).
These guys are in charge of getting hold of the latest music and uploading it to the presenters database – don’t be afraid to give the radio station a ring if you can’t get their email address or name on the radio station website.
Contact the right radio stations – Simple right? If you’re a heavy metal band then don’t waste your resources on sending demos to a blues radio station, even in the very best case scenario where they do play your demo you’re not reaching the right audience as the radio stations audience are likely to be blues fans, so you’re unlikely to actually build your fan base or create any positive word of mouth about your music.
Give them something extra – A little trick I learnt is that if you offer a programme manager something exclusive such as a radio lead in like “hey this is Marcus Taylor and you’re listening to my latest single on radio xyz” then you’re more likely to be considered for radio play.
Build relationships – People who work at radio stations are biased. Don’t think that all of their decisions are purely based on the quality of your demo. If you have built a relationship with the programme director or someone who they value the opinion of recommends your song to them then you are a whole lot more likely to get that airplay. You can start building these relationships online using Twitter, I would also recommend attending networking events such as Midem or Musexpo where you are likely to meet radio representatives.
career.
