Internet Radio Stations ---------First, our computers took over our fingers with a plethora of chat options to entertain us. Now, with the availability of MP3's, the internet is becoming our source for music as well. That means internet radio stations are taking over and unsigned/independent artists must not ignore this important vehicle. It used to be you made a demo and while A&R reps at major record companies were your main focus, you still needed to submit your demo to radio stations across the country to request airplay. While this is still a vital part of your demo submission package, there is now an added dimension. You MUST get your songs in MP3 format and get your music heard on the internet where you can reach the largest audience of all. Your website (and you should have one!) is vital but there are other outlets that can help as well. Internet radio stations are becoming a bigger chunk of the MP3 pie, in addition to sites like MP3.com and amp.com who chart independent music on the internet. More and more radio stations are launching on the internet to keep up with the competition. The best part about it is you can submit your music to most stations from the comfort of your own home and save a lot of money on postage!
If you're not familiar with internet radio, it's simply websites that stream audio over the Internet. If you would like a more in-depth definition, here is a great site that explains every detail and lists several stations: About.com. Over 20% of internet users listen to internet radio stations every week and websites are a lot better at tracking audience numbers than the regular radio ratings tracking system, Arbitron. Arbitron also does webcast measuring, publishing the first ever Webcast ratings last December, but only a small fraction of webcasters are included. Arbitron measures total listeners and the time spent tuning specific channels, but internet radio websites have the added "visual" medium, making it possible to poll listeners as to their age, sex, household income, etc. Gathering this very specific information can be exactly what you need. Imagine an 80's cover band that's been trying to appeal to 30-somethings discovering that the majority of their listeners are people who aren't even old enough to remember the 80's, it could change their entire focus and marketing strategy.
The largest internet radio networks are the Magnitude Network, RealBroadcast Network, Audioscape, and BroadcastAmerica.com. All four ranked in the top 25% for total listeners. OnRadio and NetRadio are their way up, as are thousands of others, check out MIT's list, they link to over 9,000 stations: http://wmbr.mit.edu/stations/list.html or http://www.internetradiolist.com/. Even search engines are getting into the game, Lycos.com and Yahoo.com both have radio networks. You'll also find a lot of "Radio Free" networks like RadioFreeOntario and RadioFreeRadio.com. According to Arbitron, the top ranked internet radio station is Virgin Radio (International) which drew 173,200 listeners in January, that's more than most major metropolitan on-air stations. KPLA scored the top spot for the average time spent tuning at 6 hours, 30 minutes. Web-only stations are reporting as many as 500,000 unique listeners per month.
The submission policies for internet radio stations differ. Many are sticking to the old book, accepting CD submissions and press kits via snail mail while others are working completely online. For online submissions, you need to put your songs in MP3 format and attach them to e-mail. Gary Hustwit's book, Getting Radio Airplay is terrific for information about contacting on-air stations
and I'm willing to bet it will soon be updated to included internet radio stations as well. Gary outlines every detail from the initial letter to the follow-up phone calls. A radio package is going to be very similar to your regular submission package that you would send to record companies or magazines. If you missed Shock Value's take on record company submissions, check it out: Submitting to Record Companies. If you're not familiar with radio lingo, check out Shock Value's radio lingo dictionary following this article.
Your package should include: a cover letter, CD, bio, and bounce back card or in the case of online submissions, a cover e-mail, MP3's, a bio and an e-mail link back to you. The first step is the cover letter. Introduce yourself, tell the music director what song you would like aired, and make sure you mention the genre of music that best describes you, a lot of internet radio stations have different programs with different genres of music, i.e.: pop, rock, alternative, ska, metal, CHR, adult contemporary, etc. You may want to elaborate on why you fit in with that station's format/program, but keep it short. Your cover letter should always be personalized, do not put "MD" or "Music Director". Go to the website and get a name. Whether you send a full length CD or a library of MP3's, make sure your cover letter states the ONE song you'd like added to the play list. Your letter should be short and to the point: 'Dear Mr. So-and-so...My name is...I'd like my song, "Good Song" to be added to the playlist at radiostation.com...My style will add a lot of flair to your pop music format.' Be formal and polite.
Your bio, which is also called a one-sheet, should also be short and to the point no matter how long you've been in the business. Here is a sample first paragraph: When she sings one of her trademark adult contemporary ballads, her voice is described as "angelic," but CHRISTYANNA has her feet planted firmly on the ground. "Voice lessons can teach almost anyone how to sing the teacher's way, but you have to feel the lyrics and the music in your heart to have a style all your own," she smiles. This fiery red head captivates listeners with her powerful delivery of heartfelt lyrics. She is right at home on stage, and makes the audience feel like welcome guests. In addition, you would add relevant experience and press clippings. If you include press clippings, perhaps a stunning review in Shock Value Music Webzine, don't include the entire article, take snippets and make them part of your bio. Do not send pages and pages of press. Remember, your bio is a brag sheet, not a book. Put the clippings together in a paragraph and make sure you mention the name of the publication. Be sure to include a picture that is incorporated on the page, do not paperclip a picture to your bio. Include a conclusion paragraph here is an example: CHRISTY pours her heart into her music, and her soul into her performance. Her voice is an explosion of power, harmony, and passion. Her phenomenal voice will dazzle you,
her electric personality will floor you. Her name is memorable, her voice is unforgettable. This wraps things up in a nice tidy package and leaves the Music Director with a final thought on just how fabulous you are. Bounce back cards, or return e-mail links will save you money on long distance calls. A bounce back card is just a postcard addressed to you. On the back, you'll want to have yes or no questions, or statements with a blank space for a check mark like these: _____ Yes, I am adding your song to our playlist. _____ Yes, I like the CD. _____ Yes, I'd like to hear more in the future. In the case of a return e-mail link, you will have an e-mail link to you with an automatic subject input that says the same thing as a bounce back card would. To include an automatic subject, your html code in the e-mail would look like this:
<a href="mailto:YOU@YOURISP.com?subject=Yes, we're adding your song!"> Yes, We're adding your song!</a>
(To steal that code, just copy that text and replace the e-mail address with your own.) You could also set up a webpage as part of your website that is a bounce back card. If you get back a link or card that says the station will be "adding" your song, you'll want to give it a little time, then call or e-mail and see what kind of "rotation" your song is getting. Heavy is the best rotation, light is the least amount of airplay. As always, be kind and courteous, these are not people you can afford to tick off. An enemy in this business will always come back to haunt you. If you don't hear back from them, contact them periodically but be sure not to cross the line between persistent and annoying
The only noteworthy problem I am aware of is the lack of coverage of internet radio stations from the three big performing rights organizations, SESAC, ASCAP and BMI. I wouldn't expect residuals from internet radio airplay just yet, but that won't be a problem for long, all three are working on it and as quickly as internet radio is catching on, it won't be long before their coverage of on-air and internet radio are equal. Please contact the performing rights organization that you are registered with and ask them what they are doing to track internet radio airplay. Compared to over-the-air radio stations, internet radio still needs some work but it remains yet another medium for exposing your music. To find internet radio stations, check out these sites: ---------InternetRadio MIT List About.com
Realguide TalkRadio.net Lycos.com GrooveRadio.com NetRadio.com GlobalMedia.com Real.com FamilyInternet AltaVista.com LimitedQuantities BroadcastAmerica