Radio Play: Will Topping the Charts Make you Bigger Than Elvis?
Every true life rock ‘n’ roll television melodrama has the same scene: the unknown artist/band gives their freshly cut 45rpm single to the local disc jockey. He spins it on his top 40 broadcasting show…and a star is born. This legend has been passed down through the generations of wannabe popstars like an ancient family recipe. The ingredients might differ, but in the end you get the same glorious results: broadcasting play equals fame and fortune.
But does this Top of the Charts tale still apply this day in the sardonic post new millennium world we call “today”? Can a band in our current music scene achievement into a broadcasting station with a CD single in their hot tiny hands, impress and wow the DJ with their enthusiasm and chutzpa, obtain the illusion and golden FM broadcasting spins and then ride the wave of success all the way to Graceland? Well, then, I guess the real question would be, “Do you believe in fairytales?”
Unfortunately, the music industry, like the entire Earth, has become so overpopulated and so oversaturated with artists, music, CDs, and broadcasting stations/shows of all kinds, that the chance of your own individualized broadcasting tale coming true is probably trim to none. But, don’t give up on your favorite audio media outlet. Radio might not catapult you to instant superstardom but it certainly can help to near you down the path to success.
The following are a few tips that will help you to make your own music tale and get your music heard throughout the airwaves:
1.) Get Out Of Major Market The Top 40 Station Mentality—There was a day when getting played on a massive city Top 40 broadcasting station was like winning a gold medal at the Olympics. Bands that were chosen for play were handpicked by the voices of the airwaves whose ears were finely tuned to pick out the next new rising star. Today, things are a tiny different. Radio has become a massive corporation with three major conglomerates owning most of the stations in the United States. Sadly, Disc jockeys are no longer the innovators their predecessors were. Station management hands down a playlist (made exclusively of artists signed to mostly major labels) and the voices you hear on your broadcasting are just that…talking heads animating a script. It’s almost impossible for an unknown band to break into mainstream massive metropolis broadcasting and a waste of your time and money to send packages blindly to a medium that will more than likely reject you again and again.
2.) The Specialty Show Is Your Ticket In—Still determined to get played on that hot broadcasting station with 10 million listeners and a celebrity DJ? Well, there is a backdoor that you might be healthy to slip through. It’s the specialty show. Many massive stations feature a weekly show structured just to highlight the tiny guy…to showcase unsigned artists from that station’s area and sometimes beyond. These shows are always worth sending your press package to, as they tend to base their playlist on your music and your credentials on not on the typical corporate artist roster. This is where you just might wow that innovative disc jockey and garner play on some of America’s biggest stations.
3.) College Radio Still Rocks—One area of broadcasting that has stayed unaffected by the massive corporate retooling is the college/university station. Unlike companies/labels deciding what the listening audience thinks is cool or hip, college broadcasting DJs and program directors are still setting their own slicing edges, breaking new artists, and finding the hot fresh stars of tomorrow hiding in their local clubs, coffee houses and garages. It’s always beneficial for unsigned artists to send as many CDs (or email as many MP3s, if the station will accept that medium) to as many college stations as you can find. You will find stations to play you and people will be listening. This could lead to new fans, tour possibilities, and will definitely look fantastic on the broadcasting page of your website or EPK. Whether or not it will actually make you a rockstar, it will sure make you feel like one.
4.) The Unlimited World Of Independent Radio—Back in the primeval days of radio, indie stations were limited to audio pirates in their basements stealing airwaves from unsuspecting Top 40 giants. Now, thanks to the internet, satellites, cell phones, iPods and telegram TV, independent stations outnumber their AM/FM constituents in the thousands and new ones are created each day. Since doing a search of indie broadcasting stations online has been known to cause a brain embolism in some, know that you will probably never be healthy to solicit them all in one lifetime and just rest and enjoy sending music to whomever you can, as you will probably garner hoards of airplay. Furthermore, your notecase will grow to love you as most of these stations will grant you to submit MP3s online.
It’s true that the legendary story of the unknown band that got one single played on the broadcasting and became superstars within a month is probably as outdated as the 8-Track tape. But that doesn’t mean that the process of artists soliciting music for broadcasting play has become archaic. Radio remains, to this day, one of the ideal ways for musicians to promote their music and their projects in their area….and now, thanks to terrific technological advancements, nationally and worldwide. The repetition of your single in the ears of even the most tired broadcasting listener, might lead to: CD and merchandise sales, gigging opportunities in your city and others, visits to your website, posts to your fan club forums, potential press and even maybe industry attention. So, don’t stop sending those CDs, and emailing those MP3s because the next mortal who hears your song on the broadcasting might just be the one who leads, either directly or indirectly, to your much sought record deal. And who knows? You might just wind up becoming larger than Elvis.
Sheena Metal is a broadcasting host, producer, promoter, music supervisor, consultant, columnist, journalist and musician. Her syndicated broadcasting program, Music Highway Radio, airs on over 2,400 affiliates to more than 126 million listeners. Her musicians’ assistance program, Music Highway, boasts over 10,000 members. She currently promotes numerous live shows weekly in the Los Angeles Area, where she resides. For more info: http://www.sheena-metal.com.