How to Get on the Radio Part 3

Hi there,

The last coupla blogs have been concerned with getting music onto the all-important community radio networks in Australia. Don't worry, I know you want the low-down on commercial radio in Australia - that's coming in the next blog. But I thought I'd attack the more achievable stuff first.

Internet radio is everywhere on the, uh, internet nowadays. So how do you pinpoint which stations to target in the vastness that is cyberspace?

Two of the best directories for interent radio I've found are: http://www.internet-radio.com and

http://www.radiotower.com.

They have listings by genre and indie/unsigned sections as well as the typical music genres. It's a matter of filtering down to the ones that are right for your style of music and visiting the websites individually - it may be a long process but you've got a pretty good chance of airplay if your targetting is good. 


iTunes is also useful - there is a Radio link under the Library header in your iTunes navigation menu. Click on that for a catalogue of hundreds of internet radio stations, categorised by genre. While you're there, don't forget the podcasts. 

Here are a few of the net radio stations worth singling out:


Pandora. Apparently it has more than 50 million listeners worldwide. It uses the Music Genome Project to delivers customised radio to each one. Once the Pandora system learns someone's musical preferences, it serves up a continuous stream of music the listener should actually like. Check out Pandora’s not-exactly-straightforward artist submission guidelines here: http://submitmusic.pandora.com. It's free to join.


Jango customises radio for its users too. "Jango Airplay" is a promotion service that gives emerging artists guaranteed airplay on Jango's stations, as "similar artists" alongside the popular artists of their choice. Packages start from about $10 for 250 plays. www.jango.com

Last.fm also matches new music to users' tastes. It's free for artists and labels to register but Australian listeners have to pay a subscription fee. http://www.last.fm/

Radar Music is an Aussie music site that features interviews as well as streaming music. Upload your music for free. www.radarmusic.com.au

One of great things about a lot of internet radio is their ability to link your tracks directly to iTunes or Amazon - and that's pretty hard to do from a stereo!

See you next time - I'm going to be talking about getting onto Commercial radio in Australia...

Cheers,

Amanda

How to Get on the Radio Part 2

Hi there,


My last blog was all about the importance of community radio, particularly for indie artists. Check that out here for info on an Australian service that distributes your CDs to this national radio network.


We live in a web world now. Most artists and their record companies deliver new songs digitally to the commercial radio networks (more on commercial radio in a later blog). Some community stations still rely on physical CDs but most are moving in the digital direction - so you should too.


Get Your Songs on the Database
The good peeps at AMRAP are helping us out again with the government-sponsored AirIT service. Community radio programmers apply to get free customized CDs of music from the database, or download songs instantly. AirIT even have their own charts.


If you're independent and have some radio-ready releases, you can be part of this database for free. AirIT will take three of your new tracks but you need to apply well before their release date and prove you have other promo planned ie live performance, distribution and other marketing activites to support your new music. Visit here to register.


There's no doubt digital is important, but we still live in a tactile world so don't ignore the plastic! Get physical copies of your CD to radio broadcasters as well as via AirIT. And follow up the radio folk to see if they are interested in an on-air interview with you. The beauty of community radio is its accessibility - most radio hosts want to talk to you! But go down the digital path too and you'll have all angles covered.


Cheers,
Amanda
Next week: How to Get on Internet Radio.

How to Get on the Radio, Part 1

Hi there,
Having worked with 100s of indie artists through PopTarts, and the independent release of three singles and two albums of my own, I often get asked for advice on what to do with an album once it's recorded. This is the first of a series of blogs that will hopefully give you some ideas. And please add any of your own ideas to the comments - it's all about community!

OK, you've poured your sweat, tears and bank balance into the creation of an original recording. You feel drained yet proud. Now the hard work begins - you actually have to sell the thing!

Radio is an important slice of your promotional pie. If you are a self-funded independent artist, there are still plenty of avenues open to you. Commercial radio in Australia (don't pack up and  move, it's even harder in other countries!) is a very hard nut to crack for everyone, particularly indies. Nothing is impossible though and I will cover the options for commercial radio in another blog. But I wanted to start with something a little easier to achieve.

Community Radio Wants You

I've been a community broadcaster myself (2MCR, 2SER and TVS in Sydney) so I'll start there.

Community radio stations are largely run by volunteers, are not-for-profit and encourage community participation. Part of their charter is actually to promote the local arts - that means you! Community radio stations often have solid, dedicated listener bases and with enough of a groundswell, community radio airplay could even help lead to commercial radio play.

One of your best friends should become the CBAA or the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia - the national body looking after 270+ community radio and TV stations throughout the country.

The CBAA have wonderful government-subsidised programs for indie artists. One is called:

'AMRAP' - CD Mailout


Amrap charges a small fee to distribute ‘radio ready’ CDs by Australian artists to community radio stations around the country. The good folk at Amrap actually listen to your CD and work out which stations are likely to play your style and distribute it accordingly. If you have a hip-hop record you want to promote with a tour through the East Coast, they will send out your CD to only those radio stations in the Eastern states who play hip-hop. Even though you pay a certain amount for this service, it is still cheaper and hugely more efficient than buying the padded bags and sending out CDs yourself. And their contact databases are comprehensive and up-to-date.


I've used this service quite a few times and managed to cultivate some fabulous community radio airplay and contacts as a result. Like anything in this indie game, the more work and time you are willing to put in, the more benefit you get. Amrap give you an invaluable report which includes contact info of all the radio stations to which they've distributed your CD. Use this to follow up!


When hosting and producing my own radio and TV shows I always appreciated artists getting in touch with me personally, keeping me in the loop with their upcoming gigs and releases, being available for phoner or in-person interviews and generally helping me provide interesting content for my shows. Never pester, but definitely get in touch. Community broadcasters are waaaay more accessible than their commercial counterparts. They will probably love hearing from you.

Amrap do mailouts every month but they are no longer a well-kept secret, so get in touch with them in plenty of time before you are ready to promote - they are popular! Their website is here.

Next week: How to get your music on the Digital Catalogue used by Community Radio.