Network for Radio Airplay —In self-promotion.
Getting out the right
information is your first task. You probably already have a good idea
which local stations would be receptive to your music. Contact these
first. Identify yourself as a musician with a new release. Find out the
names of the program director, the music director, and the DJs who play
your style(s) of music. Commercial radio formats are quite formal and
inflexible. College radio, on the other hand, is much less formal, and
its eclectic programming allows for a mix of formats or styles. To
begin, pick a small number of stations (twelve or so) in a fifty-mile
radius of your base and concentrate on those.
The key person on
your list will probably be the music director, since this is the person
who often determines what gets played. But this isn't always the case.
When you call the station, ask for the name of the person who should
receive your music. Be sure to get the title and the correct spelling of
that person's name. Then write it down even if it is as easy as "Assistant Music Director, Bob Smith" so that next week when you send out your CD it doesn't go to "Asst. Director, Rob Smit"
Another contact to research is: Brian
Ferrish at
http://www.radio-media.com . He also does gig promotion; there's a
lot of good information his site.