Submissions: COLLEGE RADIO
Compile a list of college radio stations: “Target those that are within touring range. Go to each station’s website to research shows that might play your style of music. Most importantly, actually ‘listen’ to 10 to 15 minutes of programming to make sure it suits your music.”
—Bernard Baur, professor, journalist
Write a note: “I was looking at a CD this morning and someone wrote, ‘Hey, I’m a big fan of your show. I was listening last weekend when you played blah-blah-blah.’ It was this personal note. Even if this CD doesn’t look like something I would listen to, clearly they have a sense of what I like and what I listen to because they listen to my show. Something like that will make me give a record a second look.”
—Anne Litt, KCRW 89.9
No MP3s: “If you send me an MP3 and I like it and play it on the radio, I’m the only one who’s going to have a chance to play it on the radio. But if you send me a CD in a jewel case, I can give it to the music director and it gets added to the station. It’s there forever and all the DJs get to play it. Make sure the case has a spine.”
—Demolisten, KXLU
SUBMISSIONS: Film/TV by Brian Tarquin (CSI, Alias)
Send WAV: “Make sure to send WAV files (no MP3s) for approval. No matter how many times you explain to them that it’s an MP3, they always get bothered about it sounding ‘too compressed and lacking bottom end.’ Well, that’s because IT’S AN MP3 and you’re listening to it on COMPUTER SPEAKERS!!! Also, never send a demo sample! Clients always say, just send a demo so I can hear how it’s coming along. So you send a rough mix to them and the first thing they say is, ‘It Sounds Like A Demo.’”
Pick the right contacts: “Make preliminary calls to the music departments to see if they, in fact, license music from outside contributors. Certain companies have exclusive licenses with music libraries and are restricted in using outside sources.”
Target music editors: “A lot times music editors may temp in a piece of music and it will wind up staying in the show as a final. It is good then for editors to have your music at hand, so it’s immediately available to be placed. In the past, I’ve had a lot of success like this.”
