Getting Internet Radio Airplay

Question: I am and independent musician and I just put together my first CD. I heard that getting normal (terrestrial radio) radio airplay is hard to get, but that there are a lot of opportunies for internet radio airplay. Could you tell me how to get my music on internet stations?

Answer: Internet radio airplay is not that hard to get. As long as you have good songs and a decent sounding recording, you can compete with other artists in your genre. There are many entertainment centers and internet radio stations to choose from to submit your music.

Internet Radio Genres

You can have your music on internet radio stations that play your type of music! The interesting thing about internet radio is that there are a lot of stations that stream music that doesn't fit anywhere else, especially if you don't consider your music to fit in with a mainstream style, or genre. If you go and look at internet radio station directories, you'll find so many different genres!

Does Your Music Fit?

The first thing you must do before contacting any station owners, internet radio and terrestrail radio included, is make sure you spend some time listening to the station! I can't empasize this enough. There are so many people out there that just find email addresses and send out emails to every station owner they can find. You'd be suprised...For example, when a classical station gets emailed by a rap artist, that's just being completely un-professional. Do your home work and listen to the station!

Specialty Internet Radio Shows

There are even stations that have regular shows, similar to ones you'd hear on terrestrial radio. Matter of fact, a lot of terrestrial radio shows are re-broadcast, streamed, or podcasted to their audience. You can find many of these shows in the Indie Bible.

Contacting Internet Radio Station Owners

After you are sure that your music fits with one of these shows, or stations in general, you'll want to create a professional email stating your intentions clearly. Don't write, "Hey! I have some great music for you...you should play it on your station!". You have to always think, "What's in it for them?". Make sure you make a point of framing your question in such a way that you would like to provide them with some music that would complement their station/show. Don't send mp3 files, or worse WAV's (they're uncompressed and take up a huge amount of space in email...which take a long time to download, even with broadband). Ask them if they have any opportunites to play new music and if they would mind taking a listen to yours. This makes you look and sound professional. You definitely don't want to be the equivalent of a telemarketer calling during dinner. Be polite and keep your communications short and to the point. If you do get your music played on one of these stations, or shows, be sure to send a "thank you". After all, the station owner is helping you advance your career, and showing gratitude is always important.

Podsafe Music and Other Podcasting Options

One of the greatest ways to get your music heard, is to get your music on podcasts. You can make your songs available on the Podsafe Music Network, which podcasters use to search for certain types, genres, or styles of music.

You can also be proactive and contact the podcasters directly, but only again after listening to a few shows and following proper communication guidelines as stated above.