In the past I've hired an independent radio promotion company to get one of my songs radio airplay and I really enjoyed the experience. But it was expensive and what I ultimately learned was that unless you have tens of thousands to invest you are not going to chart your record which is the goal.
Is independent radio promotion effective or even necessary? I consider independent radio promotion on the same par as pay for play venues. Who wants to go to a club and pay money to see a band that didn't have to audition, only buy $400.00 worth of tickets in advance (to later sell to their family and friends) or guaranty to bring 50 paying guests (the band pays the difference)? There is no quality control whatsoever and because the only audience is the one the band brings with it the bands are selected in a manner that causes the crowd to empty after each act and refill with a different crowd for the next band. This increases the total attendance for the club that then sells more seats and drinks but usually means that the various bands on a bill are so musically different from each other that it's difficult to go out to hear a night of music without having to put up with some styles you really don't like. If I know a club has a pay to play policy I won't go there to hear music.
Imagine you're a Music Director at a radio station whose job it is to select the songs to be played and you receive a box of CDs from an independent radio promoter. There may be fifty CDs in that box and you know the only real audition any of these acts did was have their check clear or have a high credit score. Clearly you are dealing with artists who are serious enough about their career to spend some coin but it's like taking the local prostitute to your senior prom. She may be good looking but everyone knows she's only out with you because you're paying her. You're not impressing anyone.
Now imagine you're the Music Director and you receive a package from a record label, even a small indie label. You assume the record company only signed the act after auditioning it, have invested money in the recording, the CD art, the promotional material and the promotion person who is sending it to you. The focus is on YOU, not 49 other artists and it appears you have an entire team behind you. As the Music Director whose CD do you want to add to your station's playlist?
If you are seriously considering hiring an independent radio promoter which will start at about $2500.00, see if you can hire a radio consultant instead. A consultant will have the names and addresses of the radio stations and will be able to tell you which stations to target first but you'll have to do the actual leg work such as mailing out CDs with personalized cover letters and follow up phone calls. And if you really want to play on the level of the big boys you might want to get your prom date to visit the stations' music directors personally.
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