Marketing an Unsigned Band with Internet Radio
Digital Stream Radio Can Earn Fans and Money
Nov 2, 2009
Many of the bands of today are much too young to remember the Payola Scandal of the Sixties, which essentially revolved around bands having to pay in order to get their songs on the radio. Almost unbelievably, as recently as 2005, there are still allegations of, and investigations into, Payola schemes.
While it is illegal for a terrestrial radio station (read “regular free radio”) to accept payments in order to get a song into rotation, it is not illegal for Internet radio to do the same thing. Fortunately for today’s unsigned bands, the cost to put a song into rotation through digital stream radio can be relatively low, and doing so can increase the band’s exposure and attract fans around the world. This can be a huge boost for the band that is just starting to tour. (See Getting Bands out of Their Own Back Yards for information on starting that process.)
Artist Airplay on the Cheap
Pandora Radio may be the most widely recognized of the Internet stations, but it is not one that allows a band to enroll and immediately have a song placed into rotation. Musicians should consider, instead, streaming radio sites such as Jango.com, which provides a method by which a band can upload photos and biography information in addition to its music. Jango is relatively inexpensive, and charges the band by the number of times it will play a song.
Jango also provides a method by which fans can vote for the bands they like, and offers the band reports that show which fans are most likely to enjoy its music based on the other songs and artists they are also selecting. Jango further offers a “Listener Age/Gender Report.” Both of these can be valuable marketing tools to help a band target the correct market for its music.
Of further benefit is the “Listener Geography Report” that shows where the band’s songs are getting the most hits or requests. When planning a tour, this information can be considered in order to ensure maximum attendance at shows. Combined with do-ahead marketing in those cities (which will be discussed in an upcoming article), the band will achieve the highest possible level of success when on the road.
Jango is not the only streaming Internet station available, and is discussed here only to illustrate how the concept works. In order to locate thousands more such stations, a band can visit sites such as StreamFinder.com, select by musical genre or format, and find those stations that match the band’s marketing goals. In just the Alternative Music category, StreamFinder currently lists more than six-hundred such stations.
Music Apps that Make Money
A very valuable resource for bands that wish to have their songs available for purchase and download on sites such as iTunes, Rhapsody, eMusic, or Napster is Tunecore.com. Tunecore allows a band to distribute its music while retaining its rights to that music, all while earning royalties. There is a fee involved, but Tunecore’s agreements with the sites that distribute streaming music can work to earn the initial sign-up fee back in the form of royalties.
With the ever-increasing popularity of cellular phones that double as portable digital media players, it makes sense to showcase a band’s music through applications that allow its fans to download and listen from any location.
Two-Pronged Approach
Although a band can (and should) increase its presence by availing itself of Internet radio, the power of traditional terrestrial radio and CD sales must not be overlooked. It is important to approach both methods of marketing in tandem.
Many fans may find a song on the Internet that moves them to the point where they wish to purchase a tangible CD, and, for some people, there is nothing quite like having a well-prepared jewel case with the cover art and information on the band. Building and marketing a corporeal CD will be the topic of an upcoming article in this series.
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