Welcome to the updated “How To Get Airplay” article. This is our third version of trying to help you navigate this tricky world of airplay, and honestly, we could update this thing weekly it feels like. So, let’s do this. The first thing we want to cover is how you get airplay right here on KEXP.
I also want to warn you: we are a very unique station where DJs actually program the music on their shows. Even in the non-commercial radio world, that isn’t always the case. That doesn’t mean you can’t get played, but it means the channels to get airplay are more limited. Personally, I hate that world. One person should not decide what everyone plays, but here we are.
We here at KEXP listen to and give every artist a chance. That doesn’t mean we’ll play you just to play you; that doesn’t benefit anyone. I know that might sound harsh, but hear me out: there is a bar, and if at least one of our 40+ DJs thinks you’ve risen above it, you’ll be heard at this station. Our hope is others will play you as well. You’ve worked hard on your music, and the world should have the chance to hear it. If we don't play it, do you suck? No. It jusn’t wasn’t for us. Should you give up? No. Keep making music and keep submitting music and keep getting better at making music. Is there inside information or friends helping friends or anything like that going on? No. We wouldn’t be on the air 50 years if we let anyone influence what we do.
I thought by the time I updated this article radio would be one of two things: dead or much better. It’s still neither. While there have been some great strides in lower power stations, the commercial stations continue their slow march to generic death. I can’t give you advice on these stations other than to avoid them. They answer to their corporate overlords and while there are some great people at those stations on the air, their hands are tied to what the suits decide is what the public needs to hear.
There are a number of different types of stations that may not be independent but are non-commercial and, in many cases, are licensed to a university. They are your best bet for airplay along with the new lower power FM and streaming stations.
Here are the different types of stations:
1. Non-Commercial Stations, like KEXP: “Non-Comms” is what we’re called and we like that. We sound like cool robots, yet ironically we’re not programmed by them. We don’t have commercials — so guess what? We don’t have to answer to commercial interests. Why does this matter? It matters because we answer to listeners. Why does THAT matter? For me, it matters because it’s the listeners who listen for the love of music, while commercial sponsors are interested in dumbing down the music in order to sell their products. KEXP is not alone. There are some other excellent public stations out there doing amazing work and you want to make sure that they get your music. More than anyone else they are the ones who want to get your music into the ears of their listeners. There are a handful of these stations including KCRW, The Current, WXPN, and WFMU. There are others for sure, but these are some of the primary stations that hold a non-commercial license that aren’t run by students.
2. Non-Commercial Low Power and Student-Run Stations: These are similar in mission and sound. They also are usually volunteer-run and operated. They also don’t have to answer to corporate sponsors. They may have to answer to a University or their format, but they have so much more freedom to play music for the right reasons. Some are on the dial, and some are online, and some are both. For instance, at the University of Washington, you have KUOW (news and information), but for the students, you have the online-only Rainy Dawg Radio, which is a fantastic student-run station. Other excellent student-run stations include Radio K in Minneapolis, and KALX, WXYC, WRAS, and KJHK. These stations need your music and in a lot of cases will be the nicest people you’ll deal with in this area. Just remember they are understaffed, under-appreciated, and have no budget in most cases. Should you just discard these stations and not submit your music? NO! You must send them your music! For their sake, for your sake, do it. The first time Nirvana was played, it was on a college station at the time (this station). Red Hot Chili Peppers were once college radio faves, and the list goes on. Plus, being added to ANY station’s rotation is a feather in your promotional cap! When one plays you, others will follow and it looks good on your resume to say you were played in Duluth or Fresno.
3. Commercial Stations: Don’t bother sending your music to commercial stations blindly. They probably don’t want to listen to your music, let alone play the music on their station. To be honest, it really wouldn’t matter much anymore if they did, unless you’ve somehow made it into their tiny list of added music which means you’ll be played like 50 times a week but that’s why it’s hard to listen to commercial stations… they play the same song 50 TIMES A WEEK. BUT, there are pockets of good DJs and shows out there in the commercial radio wasteland. Usually, they put these shows on Sunday nights, so check the listings on each station to find out what’s going on that night. Why Sunday night? For commercial radio, that’s one of the least listened to nights. Awesome, right? Well, no, but I hosted a local show on one of our commercial stations for a few years on Sunday nights and it was GREAT to expose kids to music they wouldn’t otherwise hear on the station. This can sometimes lead to regular airplay as well! You usually have the kid at the station who really DOES care about new and indie music hosting these shows and they are your best bets to champion your music and JUST like the college DJ’s they are underappreciated and understaffed. There are great programmers out there doing their best at these times to get good music on the air. There will usually be two different shows: a local show and a new music show. Find out which show is which and send to the appropriate one. Some also have specialty shows like singer-songwriter, metal, hip-hop, etc. If you fall into one of their categories, by all means, give it a shot. This may be your only entry to the stations — find the host, make friends, and submit your music. Change comes from the inside!
The big question has to be asked: Why send your music to radio? Do you just want to hear your band on the air? Do you want to know someone heard your band on the air? Are you going to make a tour stop in the cities that are playing your band? Is this “just what you do” when you release music? These are all good questions to ask yourself. Clearly, you should have a mission statement and goals as a band or artist so these questions always have an answer. It will make things a little more clear and a little easier. I had an indie label for years and every time I’d ask the question, “Why are we sending this to 500 stations when I’ve only heard about 10 of them?” I’m going to be honest, if you are seeking airplay to significantly increase sales, it won’t. Even back in the day it was hard to make music from sales resulting in airplay. Now, I’d say it is impossible. Not in music sales anyway. You may increase sales if you submit to stations AND back it up with touring. If you are already a well-known band, it WILL increase sales to submit to stations, but it’s hard to translate how connecting with a station relates to sales. Think of it as a promotion for your brand and your tours and if you feel it will help both, then do it. Remember you will probably only make money three ways:
1. Touring
2. Merchandise
3. Music Placement
4. Vinyl
I put four. Because you do make money on vinyl, not a lot, but some. It is great to see vinyl sales increase and the ability to do smaller runs of records has increased as well. Research this because having a few hundred records if you are touring is great. Plus, you are HOLDING SOMETHING YOU CREATED FROM YOUR ART, and that is worth every penny.
Media formats have been constantly evolving. I get music files and streams on a daily basis. I still get CDs and plenty of vinyl. Keep in mind we get A LOT of music sent to us in our inboxes and our mailboxes. For instance, a while back I got the new M83 single sent to me and it hadn’t been on the radio yet. Did I go right to the file and listen? Hell yes — I know M83 is a great band. Was I rewarded by doing this? Hell yes — it sounded great. Now imagine all the other emails I’m getting as well, which are a lot. That’s the nature of the job but you have to remember both to be patient and to find ways to stand out in case you aren’t M83. You aren’t M83, right? What most stations have is an “MD”, which isn’t a doctor of airplay but a “Music Director”. If you’re a small band, new band, whatever, it’s going to be hard to get their attention. Stations also have specialty shows and usually a core group of programmers mixing music. All of them should get music sent, but in the end, the MD is the decider for many stations. At KEXP, ours determines rotation, but we pick which bands to play from that list including songs AND that makes up just 50% or of our show. We can all decide to start playing something whenever we want.
Stream or Download?
BOTH! This is ideal and follows the goal of making this the easiest process possible for the person (me, for instance) getting 100 things a day. You send a link to the stream, a download, and a link to any video you may have. So, what I do is check the stream, and if I like it, then go to the download to grab it. If we’re considering having you in and on video, it’s good to check any visuals you may have as it would help inform the live show and thus may help you get a session on video. I constantly get downloads sent to me, and to be honest, I don’t want to download anything I haven’t checked out first.
The CD or Record:
In this update, I’m saying don’t send it. This is a little sad, but also really great for costs. Sending out 500 CDs was a lesson in insanity. I am sent vinyl from bands I haven’t heard, and to preview that takes time and there isn’t always a record player right next to me (believe it or not) so it would be delayed. Now if the DJ is playing you, by all means, send them one as a thank you. Everyone wins. But yeah, this is me saying don’t send those CDs anymore.
The One Sheet:
This is must have and is exactly what it sounds like — a ONE SHEET. This is a quick outline of what you’re sending and why you’re sending it. Think of it as your job resume.
DO NOT assume that just because you’ve sent an email that your music is being played. Wait at least two weeks after you’ve sent it before you follow up with a phone call or e-mail. DO NOT WRITE THE DJ ON THE AIR TO ASK ABOUT IT! DJs are busy on the air and while we try to get back and be polite, it is better to ask when they aren’t busy programming. Simply follow up with the MD and/or email the DJ when they are not on the air. Music Directors have music hours. You can usually find these hours listed on a station’s website, or you can call them to find out when they are. They are usually one or two days a week and just a few hours a day so give it a shot during that time.
Keep trying and once you get through remain polite and to the point. Ask the following questions. If any of the answers are “No,” stop asking and politely tell them to have a nice day.
Most stations have a “Heavy,” “Medium,” and “Light” rotation system. If you’re put into any of these categories of rotation, then it’s good news because you’re getting airplay. At this point, thank the Music Director and let them know you’ll be calling back later to see how the record is being received and where it is charting. Continue to follow-up for 6-8 weeks, the life of a new release in rotation. Or, if you like, keep an eye on the station website’s playlist.
Inform your supporters which stations are playing your music. However, make sure that they don’t overload the station with requests or turn bitter towards the station because your music is not being aired enough. DJs can tell when a band’s supporters are overloading them with requests and this will not win you more airplay. KEXP will play music based on merit and not on requests. I must really hammer this point home. Do not overdo it. But still, do it a little. There is a balance there. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s there. I’ve been told by bands that, “You hate local music! You don’t support local music!” if we don’t play their band… while knowing we play more local music than any station in our market and probably in any city. It’s incorrect and childish to go negative. You need to look at your band as a business, and screaming and crying at stations because they don’t play you isn’t the way to run it.
Does all this seem like a lot of work? It is. You should think about hiring someone to help you. There are several top-notch radio promotion companies that specialize in helping musicians get radio airplay around the country. They generally service 300 to 750 stations for a fee that ranges from $500 to thousands of dollars. You should work with the promo company to find out wh the music is being sent, all of their policies around the length of the campaign, how many OTHER bands they are working along with yours, and make sure they actually like your music. The other thing is, follow up with their work. I get emails sent to me that can’t even get my first name right or will sometimes get the station wrong and I feel bad for the bands. Find the best fit for you at the end of the day.
Here are a few we like and deal with:
Radio as a medium has been getting its ass kicked for some time by the bigger commercial interests that own our airwaves. It’s a shame. It should be a place where art and creativity, as well as both local and national communities, can come together and enjoy great music and ideas. I’m biased, of course, but this is only happening on the left end of the dial. The idea is taking off though. A few commercial stations are turning to a listener-supported model — mostly classical stations — and by doing this, in theory, the quality should improve (less talk, less selling of the airwaves, more music, and they must connect with their listeners), so all hope is not dead. There are more and more online stations that you can reach out to with your music and not even worry about the cost of a hard copy. There are more and more sites and places to be heard so don’t give up.
Being in a band or being an artist is such an incredible and frustrating thing. You have a very small window in your life to make this happen and I wish more of our media outlets would support you in this effort. The last thing you need is to beg people to play your songs. So hopefully these tips will help you and you can always reach out to me at john@kexp.org for any advice or suggestions. I want you to keep making music, even if I’m not playing it but hopefully I am… and I want to thank you for trying. You may never hear that in the entire length of your creative output but thank you for trying and for being creative and putting something together that no one else has. It’s important for this world that you do and no matter how bad it gets out there, keep your chin up, plenty of us out there appreciate you. Now more than ever the world needs art and creativity. It needs people like you taking chances, it needs the next Clash, the next Nina Simone, the next Public Enemy, the next Steve Earle or Johnny Cash... the list goes on and that list got their airplay somewhere at sometime for the very FIRST time. We pride ourselves in being that station and I hope one day I get to play you on the air. Good luck out there!
