How to Make Your Song Appear on the Radio for Better Visibility?
With thousands of music radio stations available, artists can get their tracks played for live streaming. Why is getting your music on the radio so valuable? It's a universal tool for promotion and visibility. You not only get your music played on a themed station but also add another promotion channel to the existing option, increasing the overall impact of the genre on the local level (if it's a local radio station) or making a difference in the global perspective. Musicians often optimize songs, creating special radio edits. They are shorter (usually up to 4 minutes) to maintain the streaming flow and have censored content to keep the family-friendly tone (for example, bad words are muted). Eminem's Real Slim Shady is shorter in the radio version.
Around 90% of people in the world listen to the radio at least once per week, and that's why the radio is considered one of the best platforms for content distribution.
So, if radio music promotion is that valuable, how do you take advantage of it and get your music to the station? What happens when you get your song to a music radio station? In our article, we will explain why songs played on the radio will be promoted better than those that weren't streamed.
Why Radio Still Remains a Valuable Platform for Music Promotion?
Despite the extremely high competitiveness of freemium music platforms (Apple Music vs Spotify, Spotify vs SoundCloud, SoundCloud vs Mixcloud, etc.), the factor of radio streaming remains relevant. If the music platform is used intentionally, radio listening can be a passive activity. For example, you select the preferred radio frequency while riding in the car. After that, you won't likely switch it, and it will deliver the music as long as you stay in your vehicle. The only major difference is that radio airplay goes all the time, and you can't mix the sequence. The tracks appear randomly, and listeners don't know what comes next.
On Spotify, for example, you have six skips per hour in the free version. Once your plan is upgraded to premium, the number of skips becomes unlimited.
How does the radio effect work? When people hear your song for the first time, they might use Shazam or a similar app to discover the track's name and find it on one of their favorite streaming platforms. Whether people listen to the radio frequency on purpose or it's just a noise in the background, they will immediately react to the music that interests them.
The Exposure Effect for Radio Streams
Some musicians think that their appearance on a station will end with a single radio play. It works a bit differently, as the radio stations stream tracks depending on their recognition. The more fans enjoy the track, the more the station depends on it. That's why tracks of Eminem, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, and other legends are often streamed on online radio stations. If you want to get your tracks heard by listeners of different social groups, a radio submission is what can help you promote your music effectively.
The radio advertising package from Artist Push may become an effective tool for making your first steps in the music industry. Moreover, if you've already established yourself as an artist, radio music submission will extend your presence and make the tracks memorable. In cooperation with our company, you will get your songs rotated more often.
How to Start Radio Music Distribution? Pick the Radio Station
Now, to the main point. Getting songs played on the radio is not tough, but you need to understand the plan of action and follow the steps carefully. First, you have to identify the genre your music is. It's essential to be accurate and look for stations that work with independent artists. If you are at the starting point of the path and you don't have a producer or a representative, you have to cover the search yourself. For example, if you are a rap artist, you may find the following stations attractive:
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Streetz 94.5 FM, based in Atlanta. One of the best mainstream radio stations in Georgia.
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Hot 97, mostly about hip hop and urban-style music. Debuted in 1940, it remains one of the most visible in the country. Today, it's more a brand than a radio station.
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97.9 The Box, a preference for nationwide fans.
Ensure you choose the related radio station when you submit your music to the radio station. Whether it's rock, hip hop, indie music, or another genre, make sure you share tracks with the right audience.
Connect With Music Directors and Build Relationships
Building connections with music directors at selected radio stations is what boosts your chances of being heard. Since you're really interested in developing your music career, show it to them. Later, when you already have a song on the radio, keep connecting with representatives and DJs so they will help you push yourself even higher.
Submit your Music
The submission music is not that complicated, as most stations have forms for musicians to submit tracks. If there's no form, the company usually shares an email for artists so they can send proposals to get radio plays. If you have feedback on your tracks, reviews, or mentions in charts, it will be a solid addition to the submission. You do not just submit your song; you build value and show that it's not average music in the genre.
If you have already established a presence on music streaming platforms like Spotify or Apple Music, consider sharing links to your profiles. Radio station representatives will see your value as an artist and likely approve your tracks to be played.
Succeed with the radio plays and turn your humble profile into a solid personal brand!
Work with Producers and Publishers
To simplify the music pitching on radio stations, cooperate with PR agents and producers. They will not only help you with the radio promotion but will also take care of your online presence and prevent copyright violations. Producers also impact your overall music promotion, ensuring you are always in sight and your tracks receive the highest number of streams.
In one of our articles, we discussed the importance of proper music publishing as an essential part of your success. Since radio is still an impactful tool to share your music, a publisher may be the one to help you get your music played on major stations.
Utilize Music Promotion to Get Your Songs on the Radio
The biggest music industry professionals confirm that promotion is an essential element of success in this industry. Whether you start in the most competitive genre or make a statement in a non-exclusive niche, it's necessary to be heard. There's no reason to count on coincidence, as people may never find your track among thousands of options. That's why you should get high-quality music promotion to effectively spread your content across the network, appearing in top charts and weekly compilations. You turn presence into revenue and are the one who ensures that.
How to submit a song to a radio station?
What is the best radio station to submit tracks to?
Can I submit music to the radio station without a publisher?
