Gig success tip 7#: Get thee behind me Radio

There’s no doubt that to a large degree, it’s the internet rather than video that killed the radio star!

Because back in the day, radio exposure – be it commercial or community, was pretty much critical to the success of any original music gig and even some cover gigs.

But with an invention as revolutionary as the internet, something had to give and radio has certainly taken some body blows as a result - both as a publicity and advertising medium.

Exhibit A is the growth of internet-friendly podcasts as radio chiefs look for new ways to monetize any valuable content they can muster.

But while it competes with Spotify and podcasts for content and social media for promotion, traditional radio still commands healthy audiences that are definitely worth the trouble of reaching out to.

What’s more, both government funded and community radio have three attributes that the internet struggles to duplicate.

Radio’s three-play of benefits

Firstly, deep music niches.  While Spotify offers ‘radio’ channels for most performers with enough releases, its algorithm doesn’t quite match the expert curation of real music enthusiasts who put radio programs together and its local context.  Nor does it offer the valuable commentary that accompanies the broadcast of a track.

Second, loyalty.  Radio commands listener loyalty that Spotify et al just doesn’t have.  While Spotify offers unparalleled convenience to access music, it has also commoditized it to a large degree.  While audiences remain loyal to artists, I think its fair to say that if a competitor offered a lower subscription price, few would stick to Spotify.

On the other hand, radio listeners build valuable relationships with both radio stations and its individual broadcasters.  Therefore if a broadcaster recommends a gig, their listeners take note and usually action too.

Thirdly, cheap advertising (though not for government channels).  Community radio ‘sponsorships’ and now even some commercial radio packages are well within the budget of bands, venues and promoters.  Given the aforementioned loyalty, the success rate of this advertising can be very high indeed.

Could radio sponsor your show?

Better still, convincing a radio station (and even Government channels can do this) to become a ‘media sponsor’ of your gig is promotional manna from heaven.

The way this works is that instead of you paying for advertising, the radio station ostensibly ‘sponsors’ your show or festival in return for your carrying their branding on all of your promotion and perhaps some tix to give away.  Ads for your shows are then created and broadcast at agreed times without any charge to you.  They do this because they see a branding benefit of being associated with your show, be that straight exposure of their brand or the association with your band or lineup and their listeners.

Securing a media sponsorship of this kind pretty much guarantees the success of your show as it almost eliminates the need for further promotional expenditure.

This model applies to other mediums like printed magazines and even websites, but radio of course has the benefit of being able to play your music with the promotion.

Build your relationships with broadcasters

A critical factor in securing airplay and/or an on-air mention is not just the artistic merit of your music but your relationship with the broadcaster.

You have to remember that every muso and their dog is wanting this free promotion, which is why broadcasters are so ‘hounded’ (no pun intended) by them. 

A good relationship with the broadcaster cuts through the morass of content they are bombarded with and gives your gig a much better chance of getting plugged on their programs.

So its important to nurture any contact with a broadcaster that comes your way so that you can leverage it when you next have a show to promote.

Don’t forget to offer them tix to your show too as extra incentive!

Get your music on AMRAP

It’s also critical that broadcasters have easy access to your music.  While good old CDs are still useful, many Australian broadcasters use the wonderful government-funded music database AMRAP which literally puts your music at the fingertips of broadcasters not just in Australia but internationally too.

What’s more it offers a number of promotional channels for any newly uploaded content.  A presence on AMRAP remains a priority for any new music release you may have.

What about cover acts?

For pretty obvious reasons, radio offers considerably less opportunities for free promotion for cover acts than original acts, unless of course you have a killer interpretation of a cover that you’ve recorded.

In this case you might have to spend a little on paid radio promotion.

Either way, radio remains a very valuable component of your gig promotional mix and should definitely be considered when planning it.

Need professional, yet affordable help with your marketing? Reach out to Craig today.