RADIO AIRPLAY 101

RADIO AIRPLAY 101:

The Stations
No conversation about music marketing would be complete without the word RADIO. Few songs sell well at retail without it. None sell millions without it.

Radio is one of the prominent resource that record companies use to promote music to a wide-spread audience. It is the only medium that gets songs to an audience on a REPEATED basis (meaning, a person can hear a song on a particular station 20 or 50 or 100 times…just compare that to TV, film, print…or even touring.) So the question stands: How do you get your songs on the radio? With this and following installments of Airplay 101, we will look at what radio avenues are realistically available to indie bands and indie labels, whether or not you use an independent promoter.

The Total Number of Available Stations

Radio is broken down into two main categories:
Commercial and Non-Commercial.

If your favorite station promotes itself on billboards and TV, and if its commercials are “in your face”, then it is a commercial station. But if it never seems to have blatant ads for itself, and if its “commercials” are very “soft sell”, then it is a non-commercial station. The two types of stations are treated very differently as far as airplay is concerned.

There are approximately 10,000 commercial stations, and 2,500 non-commerical stations, in the United States. Here is a rough breakdown of the ones that have new-music formats:

Commercial:
Adult Contemporary
692
Hot Adult Contemporary
335
Modern Adult Contemporary
59
Soft Adult Contemporary
376
Adult Album Alternative
75
Urban
176
Urban Adult Contemporary
103
Rhythmic Top 40
61
Top 40
292
Spanish
495
Rock and Modern Rock
306
Alternative
103
Country (all forms)
1,990
Jazz
85
Smooth (contemporary) Jazz
80
Classical
32
Kids
36
Religious
1,067

Non-Commercial (consists of college, community, and NPR stations):

All styles on one station
1,000

Religious
500

Classical
272

Jazz
120

Stations that are not listed here are either news/talk, oldies, foreign language (besides Spanish), traffic info, or some other non-new-music format.

THE CHARTS
Regardless of what you were thinking were the “charts”, you should familiarize yourself with radio-only publications that “track” airplay (as opposed to tracking retail or ticket sales.) Also, you need to be careful of the word “chart”, because confusion will inevitably occur if you do not specify what chart you mean: “Charting” in the “trades” or magazines is what most people mean when they use the word “chart”, but it is constantly mistaken as meaning charting on an individual-station’s chart, or “playlist”. The first chart is an average of many stations, while the second chart is from just one station.

A long-standing entry-level publication for this purpose is CMJ (College Media Journal). With the variety of genres that it covers, and with its acceptance of up-and-coming projects, you can get a good feel for what you are competing against in the radio airplay world. If you are hiring an airplay promoter, then you do not need to subscribe to CMJ or other charts, but you do need to know how the charts work. Note: Your music MUST fit what college stations play, in order for CMJ to be of use to you.

CMJ is the starting point for non-commercial (mostly college) stations. It comes in two versions…the consumer’s monthly version (found on some newsstands) which is called the New Music Monthly, and the professional weekly version (available by subscription only) called the New Music Weekly. The professional version is the one that is of interest here.

With its seven different weekly-airplay charts, the weekly version covers the seven basic areas of music heard on college radio. They are Alternative (called the TOP 200 chart,) Metal (called the LOUD ROCK chart,) Electronic (the RPM chart,) New Age/World (NEW WORLD chart,) Hip Hop, Latin Alternative, Jazz, and Singer-Songwriter (AAA chart).

Radio Airplay 101 – Music, CD and Case Requirements

Radio has the most stringent requirements for the CDs that you send them, the discs you put them on, and the cases you put them in. Let’s go over them…

MUSIC SPECIFICS:

Should you make albums or singles? The easy answer is relatively simple: If you are sending to college radio, send an album or EP. If you are sending to commercial radio, send a single. If the format is AAA or Americana (the only formats that are both comm and noncomm,) you can send either one, but preferably send the album.

As for the number of tracks on an album, try to keep it below twelve. And make the first track begin with some energy… don’t begin with a song that has a long, slow, building-start (you can do that later on when you are promoting an accepted talent.) For a station that received 20 or 30 releases for review THAT DAY, an album from an unknown artist that starts slow is going to have a tough time being reviewed.

For singles, generally you should have four versions on the CD: The radio edit (clean lyrics); a full length (i.e., “album version”): an a capella version; and an instrumental version. The radio edit should be no longer than 3.5 minutes long. The a cappella and instrumental versions are sometimes used in station commercials, liners, and ID’s. Others versions which may be useful are mix/dance versions and 12-inch cuts (genre permitting).

SPECIFICS ABOUT THE CD:

First off, I should make a point that you NEVER send more than one release to a station. It’s difficult enough getting one release from a new artist reviewed. You are only insulting the station by sending more than one release (i.e., sending a current release and a previous release too.)

CD recordables (or “burned” CDs) are the type that are blue-ish or greenish in color. They are printed on computers, and they are the type you get when you order small quantities like 10 or 100, or if you order from MP3.com. CDRs can be sent to college stations only. CDRs are too unreliable (and are an insult) to commercial stations.

Manufactured CDs are the mandatory type for commercial stations. These are the types of CDs that have a minimum run of 300 or 500, and are silver in color. They are reliable, and show that you have a serious project that you are not going to skimp on.

On the CD graphics, be sure to state artist, title, label, song lengths, the versions, contact info, and (if it is a single) that the song is “from an album”, with a small picture of the album.

For commercial radio, do not use any CD oddities like mini’s, special shapes, odd colors, built-in videos or anything else that is wildly different. Commercial stations only view these as “tricks” by new artists who want attention. Leave that stuff for established artists. For college radio, however, anything goes for any artist.

CASE TYPES:

There is a simple answer to this… use standard (not slim line) plastic jewel boxes ONLY. Period! It is the worst peeve of stations when slim cardboard or vinyl cases are used… they don’t fit the CD racks properly, and will just get thrown away. Cardboard and vinyl sleeves literally “slip through the cracks.”

As for the wording on the case, make sure the artist, title(s), label, song lengths, and version descriptions are all on the OUTSIDE of the case (they can be inside, too). And very important… if you have a bar code (or you’ll have a space for one), put it on the back of the case, in the corner, so that you can poke a hole through the plastic/barcode without harming the CD (you do this by using a soldering iron or drill). Note: If the CD is being sent ONLY to radio (and will not to be sold at retail,) then a barcode is not needed.

Finally, when mailing the CDs, use first-class postage. Third-class postage will cause great delays, and can jeopardize the project’s timing.

Radio Airplay 101 – Commercial Radio Formats

Commercial radio has a word for what music people call “genre”…it’s called a “format”. A format is like a category of automobiles… trucks, cars, SUV’s, station wagons, etc; each category is made up of different makes from different manufacturers, but no matter where in the country you go, everyone understands what you mean when you say “truck”… you simply have to specify what make and model you are referring to.
Same with radio. A commercial radio format is a collection of types of music that are similar, from different artists. Most of the broadcast day will stick to the format, and every station in the country that is of that particular format will play the same types of artists. The purpose of a format (on a commercial station) has to do with how a station sells advertising, but we won’t go into that now. Note: Formats do not really apply to non-commercial radio, and especially not to college radio.

Below are the main new-music formats in the United States; most U.S. cities will have a station for each one. Canada is similar but smaller, and with many French stations too. The formats below are sorted (roughly) by the number of stations in each group. Note, however, that this does not correspond to the number of LISTENERS. The number of listeners (or “ratings”) of a format or station will be covered at a later time. Also, these formats are broad groups; you most likely would only promote your music to a portion of a particular group. The formats are…

COUNTRY:
2,300 stations. Country is the real “top 40” of the U.S. because of the number of stations. “Young Country” and “Hot Country” appeal to the younger listeners, using newer artists, younger DJs, and a more energetic approach. The whole “new” approach really took hold about the time Garth started gaining popularity. More traditional country stations (sometimes known as “Heritage” stations) are sort of the “oldies” of country radio… but they also are specific in which new artists they play.

One special sub-category of Country is the “Americana” format. It is a more roots-based country, and it has about 100 stations, most of which are small. Americana is an interesting new format, with some really eclectic artists and new labels supporting it.

RELIGIOUS:
1,900 stations. Includes Christian in several music styles, Gospel in many styles, Praise and Worship, and Ministry. Although a big format, hundreds of these stations offer less chance for new music because of the large amounts of talk, satellite programming, and older songs that they play. There is no absolute number of religious stations which play new music; instead it is a variable, and a particular station can play anywhere from one to 24 hours of new music.

ADULT CONTEMPORARY:
1,500 stations. Also called “AC”. Includes “mainstream AC”, “modern AC”, “hot AC” and “soft AC”. More people listen to AC than any other format. AC is similar to Religious, in that hundreds of the stations have limited capacity for new music because of the talk, satellite or sports programming they carry. Nevertheless, AC still remains as one of the melding pots for new artists on small labels. By this I mean that there are enough small AC stations (which play new music) for a new artist to stand a chance… if promoted correctly.

ROCK:
800 stations. Includes “modern rock”, “alternative”, and straight-ahead rock. Most people know of these stations. Problem is, they are tougher for independent artists to get played on. One thing saves the day, however… their specialty shows.

SPANISH:
600 stations. All variations included.

TOP 40:
400 stations. Called Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR), it includes “rhythmic crossover” stations; i.e., Top 40 with a beat. A very difficult format for indie artists. But again, specialty shows (and mixshows) save the day.

URBAN:
300 stations. Includes Urban, R&B, Hip Hop, and Urban AC. Also very difficult for new artists, but thankfully it also offers mixshow support.

CLASSICAL: 150 stations.
JAZZ: 150 stations. Includes “straight” Jazz (i.e., traditional), and “smooth” Jazz. Straight Jazz is a viable format for an indie artist. Smooth, however, will take some serious promotion.

KIDS:
50 stations. These mostly are your Radio Disney stations, and they are all programmed from the Disney home office.

Radio Airplay 101 – How Retail and Radio Work Together

Although I recommend that a new label get their radio and gigs going first (so they can sell their CDs at the gigs… i.e., tour distribution), if the label gets to where it has at least four or five acts, and EACH one is charting in their respective airplay chart, and each one is doing 100+ gigs per year, and each one is getting 50+ articles/reviews per year, then it MIGHT be time to consider real retail promotion and distribution. But not sooner, and not with less than four acts. And when I say retail, we’re not talking about consignment, either.
The first thing you’ll want to do once your distro is set up (real distro, not web) is set up a retail buy-in, which will cost you $3,000 to $15,000 per city in the small stores; this may include ads in the chain’s or distro’s house publication, and a purchase of 500 to 3000 units from the chain. You’ll also want to tag the fact that you are doing radio. If the promotion is big enough, you’ll get POP space in addition to the listening stations and ads, but you can go beyond this by trying to get talkers on your bin or listening stations, on which you would print something like “As Heard On WXWY”… provided of course you are spinning on that station.

Similar in cost are co-op ad (or underwriting) buys on the pertinent stations. In the case of music, “co-op” is you, paying 100% of the bill. You run the spots for your release(s), which include tagging of the local retailer. And if you can afford it, a remote at the retailer would make everyone happy. Remotes start at about $300 in small/unrated markets, $3,000 in medium markets, and $30,000 in major markets. Your releases are not the focus of a remote, but then they don’t need to be… everyone at the station will know who paid the bill.

You’ll also want to coordinate drop-bys (or “meet-and-greets” or full performances) with the stores, while the artist is in-town visiting stations. While at the stores, ask the GM if he/she would like to post the playlist of the station somewhere in the store (and hopefully you are on the playlist) if it’s not already there. While it’s true that the first thing a station does is try to get its playlist into stores, extra help from smiling folks like you won’t hurt.

Don’t forget to ask the stations (or have your radio promoter ask the stations) for their recommended stores that your product should be placed in, and further, what is the name of the buyer is that you or your retail promoter should speak with there. When you do speak to that buyer, you have a much greater chance of them caring what you have say if you preface it with “Bob at WXYZ is playing our record and said you might be interested in it… can I send you a copy?”

One last area of available exposure would be the community events announcements that stations make. Many stations (even college stations) have someone who’s job it is to collect and announce what interesting things are occurring in their town that week. When you have a confirmed appearance/performance at a store, make sure the station hears about it. And if your announcement is aired, try to get a tape or transcription of it, and give it to the store GM or buyer to impress them.

Lastly, there is the need to inform the distro’s reps about your project. Even with real distro, you (being a new indie) are just a single page in their book of 1000 other releases that they take with them when they meet with buyers. In their twenty minute meetings, maybe they get around to talking about ten releases; yours will not be one of them, unless it has more “apparent activity” than all the other 990 releases (most of which are major labels.) So you have to make it appear to the rep that you have a lot of things going on, and you do this by informing them, once a week, of everything that is happening with your project.