I can still remember my first radio gig in ‘99 as an intern/music assistant at an internet radio station in the DC area. In those days, internet radio was unheard of to a lot of people; commercial (terrestrial) radio was still the norm, and there was a large population of dial-up users, which rendered streaming broadcasts practically impossible. Not to mention all of the folks who still hadn’t even jumped on the computer/internet bandwagon. Nowadays, everyone has the internet, whether it’s on their computer, phone, or mp3 player, and programs like Pandora and iTunes have become household names. Even my computer-illiterate father has ditched his Ham radio for his Mac, which he uses to listen to broadcasts from all over the world.
As we all know, the internet has made it easier than ever to discover new music, and internet radio is no exception to that. Without the rigid restrictions associated with most commercial radio formats, internet radio programmers have the potential leeway to play independent and unsigned artists, and are free to devote entire stations/channels to specific genres/subgenres and other unique programming which may be under-represented (if represented, at all) on terrestrial airwaves. This presents a great advantage for artists, as the diversity of online programming gives listeners more control over what they’re hearing, potentially decreasing tune-outs caused by content that falls outside of the listeners interest.
It’s this type of user-customization that makes online radio and services like Pandora, Jango (who we recently partnered with), and Slacker so great; the idea of radio is still there in the sense that music is being programmed for an audience by someone else, but the audience has the ability to directly influence and personalize that programming. And unlike the geographical limitations of terrestrial radio, internet radio stations can be heard around the globe, potentially extending your exposure far beyond your local AM/FM station’s frequency.
So how do you go about getting your music online? Our pals at MusicNomad have some great info and suggestions, especially in regards to higher profile services like Pandora (which has a built-in audience of 20 million listeners worldwide), which you can read more about here. Otherwise, like with anything promo-related, do your research; network with other artists who are getting online play, and find stations that are relevant to your music and send your EPK to their Program Director/Music Director. If you check out the aforementioned MusicNomad link, you’ll also find a few directories you can use to look up various internet radio stations. Or you can just perform a simple Google search.
Additionally, we always have a number of internet radio listings open, which you can search for using our Find Gigs page and submit your music to for consideration.
With more and more people turning to the internet as a tastemaker, it’s important to have your music online and accessible through multiple avenues, like internet radio. In addition to the promotional aspect of internet radio, it’s also something you can use to potentially get paid. So what are you waiting for, put yourself out there and get heard!