Releasing a single can be great for any band, as you can get a lot of radio play with the right techniques if the single is good enough.
However, you’ll have to jump through a few hoops to get any real radio play for a single. Here’s what you need to know.
Finding The Right Station And Program. This really goes without saying, but I’ll just say it: if your band plays heavy metal, don’t waste your time sending singles to the classic rock station.
You also probably won’t get any radio play on major radio stations owned by companies like Clear Channel. They’re playing major label artists, unfortunately, and while some big radio stations have local programs, they usually won’t even open CD-shaped envelopes.
The best radio stations to contact for radio play are community radio stations. Many community radio DJs are musicians and will be much more likely to listen to your song and play it, and as they don’t deal with commercials and advertisers, they’re more willing to take chances on local bands.
Choosing A Single. Radio stations like shorter songs, ideally tunes of about 3:30 or less. If you’ve got a longer song, use your best judgement. Make sure that it’s got a catchy hook that could get the DJ to spin it more often.
You may need to edit your single for radio. Obviously you’ll have to remove any bad words-some stations have stricter content controls than others, so if you’re trying to get played at a specific station, call and ask about standards before you print up 1,000 copies of your latest tune to send to every person working at the place.
You should also make sure that the single is mastered by a professional. There’s tons of great mastering engineers out there ready to work with your single, and the hundred bucks or so that you’ll spend will really pay off, because unmastered stuff can sound brutal on the radio.
Getting Your Single Played. The only way to really get a DJ’s attention is to either establish a relationship with the station or to put a lot of work into packaging your music correctly. Ideally, you should do a bit of both
Establishing a relationship with the disc jockeys at your local radio station is actually pretty simple. If you took the advice in the tip above, you’re already pitching your stuff to a community radio station or to a specific DJ. If you’re trying to get in at a community station, all you’ll have to do is volunteer. You’ll learn a bit about radio and you’ll meet a lot of contacts.
If you’re trying to approach a specific DJ, listen to his or her show and try to figure out what will work best, as there’s no cut-and-dried answer here. Try calling them up and simply asking what you can do to get played. You’ll be surprised at how often it works and you might learn something.
As for your CD’s packaging, make sure that it’s professional. Include two tracks on your single and mark the song that’s better for general radio play. Use thick jewel cases-my DJ friends hate the little slimline ones, because they’re hard to categorize.
With a little bit of work, it’s easy to get played on local radio stations. Your band can get some great word of mouth going with a few successful singles. Just make sure to get your other stuff in line before you start handing CDs to radio DJs. Have a good-looking website and a few gigs lined up and you’ll gain a lot more from the experience.