Hearing your own song on the radio is the ultimate dream for every aspiring artist, yet it can often feel like an impossible one. While you might think the world of radio is shut off to artists like you, there are things you can do help make your dream a reality.
Here are five things you can try to get your music on the radio waves.
Prepare your songs
While demo recordings do have their uses, they won’t get played on the radio. If you’re sending your music out to radio stations, it has to be a finished product. Make sure the recording quality is good and the track is well produced and mixed. If you want your song to really stand out, consider having it professionally mastered.
Also, bear in mind that most radio stations won’t play tracks with swearing or offensive content, so make sure you have a “radio-friendly” version.
Upload to BBC Introducing
Perhaps the first thing any new artist should do is sign up to BBC Introducing and upload their tracks to the online database. For over ten years, BBC Introducing has given new artists airtime across 38 different introducing shows. Not only can BBC Introducing get your music played on your local BBC Radio stations, it can also land you on the big channels like Radio 1, Radio 1Xtra and BBC 6 Music. BBC Introducing also has stages at major festivals including Glastonbury, SXSW, Reading & Leeds, The Great Escape and Latitude – so you could end up with some pretty big gigs. Huge artists like Florence and the Machine, James Bay, London Grammar, George Ezra, Ellie Goulding, Catfish and the Bottlemen, alt-J and Ed Sheeran all got their big breaks thanks to BBC Introducing.
Sign up today and upload your music to their website!
Contact local radio
While you might be dreaming a bit bigger than getting your song played on local radio, remember you have to start somewhere. Small and local radio stations are the places most likely to play songs by independent artists like you. Try doing some research to find local radio shows and DJs that might be a good fit for your style of music.
Upload to Amazing Radio
It might not be the same as getting your music played on a major radio station, but there are some brilliant internet radio stations out there. Amazing Radio is certainly one of them and has made a name for itself championing small and unsigned artists. You can upload your music for free, and they might just play it on air. Besides Amazing Radio, there are countless other internet radio stations that accept submissions and are much more likely to play your tracks.
Use a plugger
This might be your best bet at getting your track out on the airwaves, but sadly it doesn’t come cheap. For years, radio pluggers have influenced what we hear on the radio by taking tracks to radio producers and DJs. Pluggers are normally used by record labels to promote new releases, however, they are often freelance and can work for independent artists.
It’s not a very DIY way of getting your music out there, and it might conflict with some of your values, but it is the most tried and tested method, and most likely to get your music heard.
