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Radio is becoming more and more important in an artists career, but steady radio play is becoming harder and harder to obtain. The best way for an artist to get radio play that people are listening to is satellite radio via XM or Sirius. This form of radio is more supportive and accepting of independent and unsigned artists.
When starting your radio campaign most artists should start at a local level by contacting there local stations and see if they have a show for local artists, which many stations do. Make sure you post the station's request information on your website and have all of your fans request this song. This will get the stations attention. Even if they were not going to play your music, they may now take a second look after they see you have a fan base in the area.
The new step in your promotion of your song towards radio is pressing up copies of the single. There are many places that will thermal print your CDs and put them in jewel cases. You should not pay more then 55 cents a unit for this.
The next step is sending this song to your local radio stations again, all of the stations pertaining to your genre in your region, XM and Sirius, as well as any internet radio stations.
Radio promotion can be very time consuming and frustrating, and for many artists, a waste of time. You have to know when it is right to take your band to the next level by pursuing radio plays. This should come at a time when you have a fan base and have done a consistent amount of shows in your region. The radio play should accompany an album release. If it doesn't, many stations will not even think about playing your song unless you have a release coming out that has distribution where the radio station's signals reach.
Once you do start receiving some radio play contact the stations to see if you can do a "phoner" (an interview on their station via phone). Many of these phoner interviews are recorded and played on air at a later date, while a few are actually live.
Many artists wonder whom to contact at the radio station. The person you should be directing all of your music and information to is the program director. You should also give your music to popular DJs at the station you are targeting as they do have a very small bit of input on what is added to rotation, and some might help by giving your album a mention during their show.
You can employ a radio promotions company, but this will not be cheap. I do not recommend hiring a radio promotions company for an unsigned artist or an independent artist with a small budget because the failure rate of these campaigns is very high and many singles. And, artists are broken on radio with little or no money invested at all. Wait until you get a substantial budget to use a company that promotes to radio.
Before you start your radio campaign you should have the following checklist with all of the boxes checked:
* A budget of at least $1,000 USD for printing of CDs, mailing, mailing supplies, and other costs you may incur.
* A fanbase of many people who check your website and buy your CDs regularly. If no one at all is buying your CDs, then what makes you think they want to hear you on the radio?
* A song of yours that many people have listened to and they all feel it has the potential to become a hit. Even run it by your local radio station to get their feedback.
* Make sure you have a release, tour, or many shows coming up so the promotion on radio is worth it. So many artists attack radio with everything they have trying to get a major deal, and it doesn't work out and the money they spent is not recouped. Don't always shoot for a record deal. Work on selling your albums and growing a fanbase and the fame and money will come.
Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © MusicDish LLC 2007 - Republished with Permission
Music Business Conference Dos & Donts
by Allen Johnston,
Music Conferences today have become big business for the individuals and companies that put them on. Almost every conference created has an educational component, a seminar, panel discussion or technical workshop. Here lays the problem: Why pay good money to come to a conference with positive seminars and not attend? Every conference I have attended in the United States this year has had more nighttime attendees for parties and performances than daytime seminar attendees.
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In Europe it is the complete opposite. Conference attendees come for business during the day in droves. Panels are packed and private meetings are scheduled. Let me give you a few ideas on how to become more productive at your next conference.
Rules To Work Conferences
1. Research Your Conference: Know who is going to be at the event you will be attending. Read the schedule in advance and determine who you want to meet and WHY you want to meet them.
2. Schedule Meetings: Try and reach companies, executives, publicists and other artists prior to the event and schedule private meeting times to discuss your MUTUAL interests. Email works when used properly for communication, so please spell correctly.
3. Speak Correctly: Leave the urban street-based conversations at home. This is a business and professionals will be attending and speaking on the seminars. Lose the phrase "You know what I mean?" and the phrase "You feel me?" Say what you mean upfront and be prepared to explain yourself. The way you speak in the "trap" is not going to get you anywhere in the entertainment BUSINESS environment.
4. Take a Shower: Partying the night before is NOT an excuse to have bad breath or body odor. Make the effort to bathe BEFORE you come to the seminar. You never know who you will be standing next to. By the way, dousing yourself in perfume or cologne is NOT bathing.
5. Be on Time, Awake, Attentive and Prepared: Walking into seminar fashionably late shows disrespect for the other attendees and to the seminar speakers. It also says that maybe a professional does not want to work with you because you didn't think enough of their time to hear them from the very beginning.
6. Take Notes: Just like you were back in school. This is how you remember some of the information that will be disseminated. Plus, this is how you can keep names and numbers straight while you write down any questions you may have.
7. Have Business Cards Available: Name, email, website, phone number, mailing address and a representation of what you do. (logo, business name, etc)
8. Receive Business Cards: When you give a card, receive a card. Take the card in both of your hands if possible; read it before you put it away. This business card is the beginning of your entertainment industry database, treat it with esteem.
9. Carry a Camera: Take photos of the panelists to help you remember who was who. And take as many photos with other people as you can. Email them back to the person and use this as a starting point for a great business relationship.
10. Be Polite and Courteous: You want and need to advance your career, the worst thing you can do is to disrespect and upset a professional. This means NOT telling a DJ off for not playing your music. DJ's TALK TO EACH OTHER and so do distributors, store buyers, publicists, record exec's, club owners and almost everyone else who is a professional.
11. Follow Up: Email, telephone, regular mail and do ALL of these things consistently. It is true that the squeaky wheel gets the oil.
12. Have an Online Presentation: MySpace is good for starters however you do need your own website that allows viewers to find out more about you and your talent. You should also create MP3s of your material for sending and for downloading. If you have a visual talent, create video for web usage.
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Copyright © MusicDish, LLC 2007 - Republished with Permission
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