To radio or not…

Before I start in on this blog entry, I want to thank everyone who left comments and emailed me in regards to my "Revival in Southern Gospel" article. I truly poured my heart out, and anyone who knows me knows that that is a very difficult thing for me to do. I still pray that revival starts in me.

I'm going to blog tonight about a subject that comes up for me at least a few times a week through email, conversations, telephone calls, etc. The question is: "When is the time to start seeking radio airplay - and how do I do it when the time is right?"

The first question you need to answer before even thinking about sending a song to radio is this - "Where do I see my ministry reaching? How far do I see my music going?" In other words - what are your goals as a group/artist? Do you wish to be a group that strictly travels within a 60 mile radius of your hometown? Stick to doing local gigs? Maybe go a bit further out and do the regional thing? Or do you want to take your music to a national audience?

This is the most crucial thing to ask yourself before ever deciding whether or not you should release a song to radio. If you only desire to stay a local group and not expand your boundaries - then going for national radio promotion is not going to be the way you should go. Why? Well - why do you care if people in Wisconsin are hearing your music if you sing only in the Charlotte, North Carolina area? If you have a pretty decent fanbase in your area - call up your local station - introduce yourself - and then send them a CD.

If you're a regional artist - but all means target radio - but don't go for a national radio promotion. Target radio stations around the area you travel and make a personal connection with the programmers. Do the leg work yourself. Don't hire a national radio promoter to get your song out if you aren't going to be going out of a 250 mile radius.

So that leads to national radio exposure. How do I know when I'm ready to go nationally with my music? The answer is not always a simple one. If you're singing all across the United States throughout the year, a national radio single may be the way to go, but it also may not. I'll discuss that in another blog - as well as how you go about getting your music out.

Before I close out this blog, I want to give a couple of dos and don'ts regarding artist and radio stations relations.

DOs
1. DO offer yourself to the radio station in a capacity that they can use you (i.e. offer giveaways, on air interviews, local artist appreciation concerts, etc.). The programmer will remember you if you make yourself available to them.

2. DO be gracious and understanding with whatever the programmer tells you. If they say your song's not for them - say OK and hope they like your next song. Sometimes it has nothing to do with the quality of your music and may just have to do with how large their playlist is and their format.

3. DO get excited when you do get played! Way to go! You're reaching potential fans!

4. DO offer to pray for the station and their needs. If they know you are truly interested in them succeeding, then they will know you are an artist that cares about this music and its future.

DONTs

1. DON'T send your whole CD in and ask the station manager to choose which songs to play. I get this all the time. If you are going to send in the whole CD, recommend cuts that would work best. The radio programmer doesn't have time to listen to your whole CD and figure out which songs are the best off of your CD.

2. DON'T have your friends and families call in or email and request your song. Nothing bugs a station more than to be bombarded with calls and emails about the same artist. Radio stations know when they are being infiltrated with rabid fans, and it only turns them off to the artist more.

3. DON'T bug the programmer. Call him just enough that he gets to know you and you are on great terms with him. Don't get on his nerves with calls that are unnecessary.

That's it for this installment. Next week, I'll talk about how you go about finding a radio promoter that works for you and what to expect once you do start working with them.

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