In search of Radio Play ...

PaulBrewer

Here's an interesting post from Jenny Huston's Facebook Page.
I've asked her permission to post it here.

Food for thought for anyone looking for the oft elusive 'Radio Play' ....


"FAQ for Bands
Frequently Asked Questions

Do you accept Demos?
You are welcome to send demos to whomever you so wish. However, they are unlikely to ever get played unless they are broadcast quality. Even then a 'demo' will most likely be played on a late night, specialist music programme.

A Demo is just that. A demonstration of what you can do. The idea was that a Record label heard raw talent and wanted to sign you and pay to record it properly with a producer and have it mixed and mastered professionally. It is not a finished product and not usually suitable for National radio. The main failing of 'demos' is that they are not mixed for radio. National radio has processors and usually needs a 'bigger' sounding mix to allow for compression and prevent a song from sounding flat. That is why virtually all bands send radio edits or radio mixes to radio (especially the big international acts). They are different to the single or album track that you buy - Usually shorter so the song starts immediately.

Have you checked the shows playlist (if they have one). Does your music fit in?

Do not ask if you can send a CD, just send it. Most DJ's will not respond to an email asking 'can I send you a CD' or 'let me know if you want a CD and we will send you one'. YOU want them to have it, so take the chance and send it! They are highly unlikely to solicit your material as they already have more than they can listen too and to some people soliciting material implies obligation.

Do NOT send numerous MP3 attachments or WAV files unless they have been requested. Many people have limited storage space on their email and will have to delete your email. Send a download link.

What address do I send CDs too?
If you are emailing a DJ from 2fm then you send post to them at RTE 2fm. Same applies for Radio Kerry. The address is available on the website, Internet and the phone book. Look for it yourself. Do you really want the first time a DJ hears your name or has direct contact with you to be a silly/SERIOUSLY lazy question? It is not worth the risk. They may only remember you for that, rather that hearing your music with fresh unbiased ears.

Defensive follow-on question 'But maybe they prefer to have CDs sent to their house?'
Do you really think a national radio presenter is going to tell a complete stranger where they live? Security and the police advise against it.
2fm, RTE
Donnybrook
Dublin 4
Ireland

What should I include in my press pack?
We don't need or want 'press packs'. They are a left over from the 80's. We want a well-labeled CD. That means the names of the Band and the songs on the cd and the sleeve. Include your website, facebook/bandcamp/myspace address and have a sticker with any relevant information on it: Where you are from, when you are playing, who you have supported/toured with and dates when the CD or download will be available etc. Give the presenter something to say about you and/or a reason for them to listen to it.

Do try and make the CD sleeve as professional as possible. If you have spent time or money on the music then give it a well-designed sleeve (people do judge a book by its cover). Do not send photographs or DVDs or spend money on expensive folders or envelopes or send pages of paper. They get recycled immediately. Radio cannot do anything with a printed photograph! You should be glad to know that we don't care if you are beautiful or totally plain. We only care what the music sounds like.

Can you give us some feedback/advice on our demo/singe/EP?
It is important to point out that it is NOT the job of a DJ to give feedback on music (if they do so it is out of the kindness of their heart). Airplay is very obvious feedback. It IS the job of A&R men and record labels to give feedback IF they have solicited your material. Do not ask for feedback unless you are prepared for disappointment. The volume of music sent to National radio presenters is staggering. There would not be enough hours in the day to listen to everything and to give feedback.

Advice: There are numerous industry bodies set up to do this – contact them. First Music Contact ‘is a free information and advice resource for the popular music sector in Ireland. Funded by the Arts Council, FMC delivers a programme of useful activities for bands and musicians throughout their careers.’ http://www.firstmusiccontact.com/ also IMRO, IASCA, RAAP etc.

Interviews and Sessions
Interviews can be a very hard sell. They can be dull and they are time consuming. It involves scheduling, preparation and editing for the presenter/producers. If you are looking to be interviewed make sure you have answered these questions BEFORE you approach radio. Why do you wan to be interviewed? Do you have anything to say other than ‘we have a new single coming out? Are you good talkers? Can you be more entertaining and engaging than your single itself? Honestly?

Begging to be interviewed is usually a waste of time unless it is a show that makes a point of regular interviews and is ALREADY playing your music. In most cases playing the song is far better PR for a band than an interview. Interviews can be very boring so many shows will not air them unless they are from someone very well known or extremely famous. A friendly intro to your song in a session is the best bet. ‘ Hi were

---

and this is our new single that is coming out next week that we recorded in/with

---

, we hope you like it...’ or something to that effect.

Do approach your local station. Local radio and community radio usually have dedicated Irish shows and are often more than delighted to have bands in for chats and acoustic sessions. Go for it!

Text and email campaigns
Don't get your friends to bombard a DJ or a station with requests for your new single or EP that you have just sent out. It does not imply demand, it implies unprofessional. It often causes the opposite of the desired result.

Thank you is free
Manners go a long way. Don't email DJs calling them 'bud' ‘dude’ ‘lady’ or 'hon'. Be polite. Using your common sense and being aware of people’s show times and jobs will help you in your path to airplay (i.e. don't ask a DJ who is on air Monday through Thursday if they could play your single on Saturday night). You want them to spend 4 minutes listening to your track so take 30 seconds and find out when their show is on. Show some respect and be appreciative of people’s time and support.

I hope that these answers to FAQ will help you to save some time, money and mistakes and get your music to the right ears! Good luck with it all

Very best wishes,
Jenny Huston"

krd

1. Send branded merchandise (T-shirts and mugs) to radio station researchers. These people are usually very badly paid and cannot afford much clothing - and are lazy about doing their laundry. If you're T-shirt is cool (black with a sexy girl like the Riot Tapes have - these people will wear it - it will have a cumulative psychological effect on the rest of the station staff

---

send 7 t-shirts. One for every day of the week)


2. Drugs, alcohol and sex. All good things. And radio station staff on their meagre salaries can scarcely afford such luxuries. Evey little will help win them to your side.

And 3. Lastly, and leastly..........Make an effort to produce a radio edit they're actually going to want to play.

madtheory

She is of course right about demos not being acceptable, but not about the technical reasons why. She is implying that it is all down to the mix, and cites a fallacy about "broadcast processors" when in fact it is much much more than that!

For a start, the performance has to be more than a demonstration of what you can do, it should be performed as if it's the last performance you'll ever do.

This sort of thing shows how mixing is over rated. Garbage in, garbage out.

Furthermore, radio edits are done because we are conditioned to a 3 minute attention span. The edit is done on the same mix as the non edited version!

Apart from that, one would hope that the rest of the good advice she gives is common sense...

DamagedTrax

common sense for todays market yet a sad indictmnet of the support (or lack of) for new irish music on our radio stations.

does anyone else remember the good old days when some radio shows had a demo slot :cool:

A Demo is just that. A demonstration of what you can do. The idea was that a Record label heard raw talent and wanted to sign you and pay to record it properly with a producer and have it mixed and mastered professionally.

yes, cause record labels want raw talent... :-/

PaulBrewer

The core point she's making I think and one I concur with, is that generally, stuff doesn't cut the mustard.

Harvest your Mustard ......... and they'll play your record.

DamagedTrax

i agree, in todays market it doesnt cut the mustard at all.

but thats the part i find sad, that todays bands are expected to deliver a near finished product before radio stations or labels will give them a second glance.

PaulBrewer

In the olde days the possibility of making a 'Master Quality' recording wasn't really there, so no one expected it. A Demo was just that - a stepping stone to a destination.

Nowadays most bands have easy access to what they need to make a record - take Bell X1 as an example, so there's no real excuse a band can hide behind.

DamagedTrax

PaulBrewer wrote: »

In the olde days the possibility of making a 'Master Quality' recording wasn't really there, so no one expected it. A Demo was just that - a stepping stone to a destination.

Nowadays most bands have easy access to what they need to make a record - take Bell X1 as an example, so there's no real excuse a band can hide behind.

very true, doesnt make it right though. its a shame that bands have to worry about stuff like that instead of just learning their craft of song writing.

krd

madtheory wrote: »

Furthermore, radio edits are done because we are conditioned to a 3 minute attention span. The edit is done on the same mix as the non edited version!

One thing to remember. Not all pieces of music are suitable for airplay - no matter how good they are. Some music is radio friendly and some music is not. Listening to an entire album end to end from one artist is a completely different experience to listening to the radio.

If you want something that's going to compete with Rihanna or Bruno Mars, you have to make music that has the same sensibilities and fits in. Not necessarily that it sounds the same - just that it fits in. I think Rihanna even rips off Foo Fighters lyrics.

If you want to compete with big and crunchy - you have to go big and crunchy. Lots of the stuff on the radio sounds the same because everyone on the radio rips off each others tricks.

Bands today can cheaply produce recordings with a very high audio quality. But they are still demos until they are ready. People are making music that's still only at the demo stage - but doesn't have "demo sound quality". It's not ready until it's ready. If Rihanna only had the resources to spend 4 days in a demo studio - the recordings would most likely be lack lustre and even sound mediocre. To turn them into the radio play monsters they would take a lot more careful work. Now days it cheaper to do that work - but it's not any easier than it ever was.

People are being fooled by the sound quality of their own productions. But they fail to make the recordings have character and distinction.

And if they want to generate radio play, they really have to work out all the kinks.

PaulBrewer

krd wrote: »

Bands today can cheaply produce recordings with a very high audio quality. But they are still demos until they are ready. People are making music that's still only at the demo stage - but doesn't have "demo sound quality". It's not ready until it's ready.

YES !

madtheory

So basically there's no excuse for not presenting something that is a top class performance, well composed and arranged.

PaulBrewer

madtheory wrote: »

So basically there's no excuse for not presenting something that is a top class performance, well composed and arranged.

If that's within the bands capabilities ... Oft times it's not.

GTE

madtheory wrote: »

So basically there's no excuse for not presenting something that is a top class performance, well composed and arranged.

Engineering aside I think this should be the case. With the musical greatness established then the engineering can be done by a specialist rather then an all rounder musician. Its not fair on the bands I think having to produce very good sounding demos to be considered when its the music that should be looked at first.

krd

PaulBrewer wrote: »

YES !

And that's where the painstaking work comes in. And they don't call it painstaking for nothing.

Well known bands can have songs for years, that they demo again and again, and then finally do the "finished" track.


There are so many hard to put your finger on things that can be wrong in a recording, that have nothing to do with the audio quality. The singer isn't giving it all - the lyrics in places are awful (not awful enough to be gripping) or pointless. The energies are wrong - there are things lacking - or too many things happening. Somethings just song Meh. Rhythms aren't coming through. Whatever's good about the song is getting lost.

Something like a Rihanna song - you can degrade the audio quality very heavily - like play it through a sht1tty radio. But the whole track will still "work". A lot of the "magic" is as probably as plain as the nose on your face but you can't see it.

The same for the Foo Fighters.