NEW MUSICIANS WHO WANT TO DISCUSS RADIO AIRPLAY

[Thomas Chaltas]

I AM A "OLD" VETERAN OF THE MUSIC BUSINESS WHO IS OPEN TO DISCUSS RADIO PROMOTION WITH ANY INTERESTED UP AND COMING MUSICIANS.

I AM INTERESTED IN HELPING MUSICIANS UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF BOTH RADIO AND INTERNET PROMOTION OF THEIR MUSIC.

[Ja-Tun]

Thank you so much for posting this. Do you help aspiring artists facilitate additional radio airplay? Did you formerly work at a station? I'm currently recording a new project that should be radio quality by the time of its completion and am interested in more information here.

Thank you,

*Ja-Tun*

[Thomas Chaltas]

Ja-Tun-

I am currently retired from formerly promoting records at radio after a 30+ career with Columbia, R.C.A., Scotti Bros., and Curb.

If you wish to go the radio airplay route, which I would not, and I will tell you why. You can hire a independent contractor to promote your record-I can direct you to one, but this is costly. If I were you, I would press up your final work, and tour clubs in and around your surrounding area and sell them.

[Thomas Chaltas]

At this particular pt. in time I would not go to radio, why, it is expensive to hire a independent promotion rep and radio playlists are extremely tight. Why is this so? Because Clear Channel owns 48% of all the radio stations in America and you have to deal with their political bullshit to get your record on the air. Other big owners include, Emmis, Entercom, Jefferson Pilot, etc.

If I had a band, I would take my music to the streets, play every venue in the U.S., make as many friends and fans as possible.

Be sure to have a website,and keep a list of people you visit.

Hope this helps.

TC

[The Blue Method]

I can dig this, but there are lots of radio stations you can still get spins on without needing a promotion rep. College radio station and internet radio stations do lead to people buying your material. If they hear it and like it they usually will purchase it online through CD BABY, iTUNES, etc. So yes, mainstream radio is a difficult route, especially since everything sounds the same. The thing that makes someone different is not the music, but the looks. Thats why it is sooo important to have the latest clothes, washboard abs, glistening white teeth from cosmetic dentistry, a beautiful face....hopefully one thats not similar to a current face, but hey thats ok too. You think Curtis Mayfield could make it in music now? There are exceptions to the rule. B.I.G. was the self-proclaimed BLACK & UGLY AS EVER brother, but that was HIP-HOP. Has there been an exception to the rule in R&B?

[Beth NoLastName]

If it's looks that sell and not the quality of the sound made...is it really music? I listen to music with my ears, not my eyes. I don't care how someone looks if my ears aren't pleased. If it takes great abs to do anything, then I am defeated before I begin...so I will differ with you on this one. Be clean and look professional for any job...but you don't have to be gorgeous to write, sing or play well.

[The Blue Method]

I was being sarcastic Beth. You knew that. The fact of the matter is that when it comes to mainstream radio those things are true. Radio listeners don't care about good lyrics. They care if the singer is cute. They don't care if anyone's playing instruments. They care if the people singing wear Roc-a-Wear. But when it comes to college radio stations and a lot of internet radio stations, it really is about the music. Take WXPN, 88.5fm in Philadelphia, for instance.

[ALL US INC.]

I'M GLAD THIS DISCUSSION WAS BROUGHT UP, AND CONFIRMS EVERYTHING THAT I ALREADY KNOW, AND THE DIRECTION THAT I'M HEADED IN. "THE RADIO" IS WHERE MY OLD SITUATION WITH MY FORMER LABEL ENDED. WE TRIED ALL THE TRICKS HERE IN KENTUCKY(GOT ALL OUR FANS TO CALL OVER AND OVER AND REQUEST THE SONG, OFFERED THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR MONEY TO PLAY IT, POINTED OUT THE OTHER PLACES THAT WERE PLAYING THE SINGLE OUTSIDE OF KENTUCKY, AND THAT IT WAS ON BILLBOARD'S HOT R&B/HIP-HOP SINGLES SALES CHARTS, OFFERED TO DO PROMO'S FOR THE STATION, OFFERED OTHER SONGS THAT THEY MAY WANT TO PLAY, AND WE EVEN HIRED AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR. THE STATION KEPT GIVING US THE RUNAROUND, SAYING THAT THEY WERE GOING TO GET IT ON IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, ONCE THEY PROGRAMMED IT INTO THE SYSTEM. THEY NEVER DID PLAY IT, NOT EVEN IN THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING' (WE HAD EVERYBODY LISTENING FOR IT!) (AND YES THE SONGS WERE RADIO FRIENDLY AND FORMATTED FOR THE RADIO!) ALOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH CLEAR CHANNEL. PRIOR TO THEM TAKING OVER AT THIS PARTICULAR STATION, I WAS EASILY GETTING ANOTHER ONE OF MY SINGLES PLAYED AT ANOTHER STATION A FEW YEARS BEFORE. IT SEEMS THAT THE DAYS OF ACTUALLY BEING ABLE TO CALL AND REQUEST THE SONG THAT YOU WANT TO HEAR AND THE STATION ACTUALLY PLAYING IT ARE GONE. THEY ALREADY HAVE THEIR PLAYLIST, AND THE SONGS ARE ALREADY PROGRAMMED IN THE SYSTEM. THAT'S WHY U CAN SOMETIMES PREDICT THE SONG THAT THEY ARE GOING TO PLAY NEXT, BECAUSE YOU'VE ALREADY HEARD IT BEFORE. THOMAS CHALTAS, AND JA-TUN ARE ON POINT WITH THE DIRECTION THAT WE SHOULD ALL BE HEADED IN, BECAUSE MOST RADIO STATIONS AS WELL AS LABELS AREN'T REALLY GOING TO JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON UNTIL THEY SEE YOU DEVELOP A FOLLOWING, AND CREATE A BUZZ SO BIG THAT THEY HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO GET INVOLVED. YOU DO HAVE OTHER OPTIONS AS WELL, LIKE WHAT BRIAN WILLIAMS STATED, YOU CAN GO TO COLLEGE RADIO STATIONS AND INTERNET RADIO STATIONS. THANK GOD FOR THIS WEBSITE AND THESE DISCUSSIONS!!!!