Radio air play will most likely be impossible as they are heavily influenced by the major labels to play their records, not yours. Especially if you don’t have CDs available to be purchased in the local record stores. But if what you want is to have the people that listen to a particular radio station hear your music, find out where the radio station is having a live remote broadcast which is something radio stations love to do because they get paid to do it, go down to their live remote with a box of tapes and hand them out to the crowd. Tell the crowd the station is going to be playing your songs and to call the station to request them. It will be the stations hard core listeners that show up to their live remotes and they’re the ones you want to come see you when you play. Distributing a song or two on cassettes in the surrounding neighborhoods where you’re going to be playing is another excellent way to promote yourself and your live shows.
People don’t get excited about a band by reading about their music, they get excited by hearing their music. People love a free sample. Give them a free sample and then they’ll already know who you are and what your music’s like before you even play the gig. Once they’re at the gig, and they show up specifically to see you not just because they strolled in off the street, they’ll be much more likely to purchase your full length cassette or CD or T-shirt or stickers.
