You have to find radio airplay time if you’re going to be heard
and we’re not just talking the local college campus. The trick is
called promotion. Now that doesn’t mean you just put your press
kit in an envelope with a demo and hope they take pity on you.
Perhaps you call a station and they give you the standard pitch
of, “Send it and if we like it we’ll put you in rotation.” After
a few months of never hearing your music, you automatically think
you’re not worthy.
First, don’t buy that. You’re one of hundreds, maybe even
thousands depending on your city. Your disc will probably end
up in the trash or, for more enterprising DJ's, on Ebay in a
one-cent CD sale. If you want to be heard and make potential
sales, you have to stand out from the crowd, and in this jewel
of an article, I’ll show you Five(5) Knock ‘em Dead Ways to Do
Just That!:
#1 - Get your CD into the right hands. The intern that’s too busy
to getting coffee or typing up a report for the station
manager isn’t going to be the one making the airplay
decision. So find out who the head honcho is in that
department and touch base with them. If the club you’re
playing at charges an admission or you have a show coming
up offer to send the stations tickets to give away to
listeners. Now keep in mind you can’t give the tickets to
the staff, since that’s illegal and called payola, but you
can offer free giveaway items to your potential audience.
#2 - If you’ve got one station in your pocket, then drop names.
Let them know that WABC is playing your music and it’s
getting a great response.
#3 - Make genuine friends in the business. If you’ve got a disc
jockey that’s got you in rotation and really likes your
sound, get to know them. Find out why they enjoy it and see
if they’ve gotten any responses from listeners. If they
haven’t, ask if perhaps they might Q & A their callers
about your music so you get a feel for your target audience.
It’s not a bad idea to ask them for a testimonial or quote
if they’re well known in your area if you know them
personally. People help people. That’s a fact so if you
treat your area disc jockeys like a living and breathing
human and not dollar signs, that’s a foot in the door.
Another good source is club owners. If they play your music
and the fans go nuts ask them to say a few words about your
sound that you can pass along to prospective stations, but
be sure to sit down for a drink with them. Ask them about
the picture of him and the woman and two kids behind the
Magic Kingdom. Don’t be fake, but be genuinely interested.
#4 - Network. Find out if someone you know (or someone they know)
has connections to the music stations. Remember six degrees
of separation - you’re only six people away from knowing
anyone on the planet and yes that includes station managers,
concert promoters and record execs. The trick is it takes
a great deal of work and time, but if you’re serious, it’s
well worth it.
#5 - Go local, state, national. Don’t think you’re going to skip
your local and state stations and be the next Matchbox
Twenty. It doesn’t work that way. Start small and then
get big.
Making contacts and getting names can be tough, that’s why you
should start with a tested and proven music industry resource
like "The Industry Yellow Pages - Music Industry Contact
Directory" at:
http://www.theindustryyellowpages.com/cgi-bin/p.cgi/articles
The TIYP is helpful and loaded with contacts you can start
using immediately without doing all the legwork yourself.
This article was written by Ty Cohen, the music industry's most
recognizable voice!
Ty is the C.E.O of Platinum Millennium Publishing, Platinum
Millennium Records as well as owner of www.MusicContracts101.com
and
http://www.musicindustrysuccess.com/cgi-bin/proanalyzer/p.cgi/articles
Some of his work includes: books, directories, mini-courses and
software programs including the titles: "How to Make a Fortune
in the Music Industry by Doing it Yourself" and "How to Make
$500,000.00 "or More" A Year in the Music Industry by Doing it
Yourself".
For nearly a decade, Ty Cohen's Get Amplified! Newsletter and
series of Free Music Industry Success “Mini Courses” has helped
over 40,000 independent musicians, singers, rappers, composers,
record label owners, producers, managers, agents and others
reach their music business goals. Using a unique combination
of tested and proven music business success resources, which
includes a series of books, directories, software programs,
videos, seminars and newsletters, our goal is to educate and
empower musical individuals just like you with the tools needed
to succeed!
To find out more about Ty Cohen, his services, products and how
he may be able to help you succeed in the music industry go to
http://www.musicindustrysuccess.com/cgi-bin/proanalyzer/p.cgi/articles
and sign up for his free limited edition music industry success
10-part “Mini-Course”, it will work wonders for you and best of
all, it’s FREE, but EXTREMELY VALUABLE!
Thank you for taking the time to read this article and I wish
you Much Success!
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