How to get on college radio

This article isn't directly related to music scenes or live music, but it is the best discussion I have seen on the workings of college radio.

I've never been quite sure why you have to pay a promoter to get your music on radio, and whether paying one will produce tangible results. This article suggests that radio airplay is hard to come by unless you have the right label support behind you.

The Bwog: "A band or label employs a promoter to push its albums to radio stations and handle press. Promotion comes at a steep price—around $1,000 a month on the cheaper end—and bands that can't afford it don't have anyone sending free CDs and records to stations, and thus aren't getting airplay before their albums are released.

"WBAR doesn't have the money to buy 50 or even 10 new records a week, and neither does almost every other college radio station in the country. Instead, they rely on freebies bestowed by the promoters. In short, the stations need the promoters to be able to play music and the promoters needs the stations to play their music. It seems like a happy symbiosis, but it depends totally on a third party—CMJ.

"Chris Baio, C'07, and Chas Carey, C'08, are the college rock directors at WBAR. They sort through up to 100 albums per week, deal with nagging promoters who want their artists to move up in the charts, and process the new acquisitions. When I asked Baio how he chooses what to add, he told me it's often a 'superficial choice' based on cover art, press releases, a few minutes of listening, and a feeling of what the DJs will want to play. As for unsigned or unpromoted bands? 'There is a glimmer of hope, but it's unlikely,' he said."

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