Hans Erik

Statistically, college-aged people are more open to new things and actually seek novel experiences.  This makes college campuses a great place to promote your music.  I ran college radio campaigns for both my bands, HanZsolo and Hanz Erik and the Hims, and am going to detail how you can do the same.

What You Need To Start

1. Professionally mixed and mastered CD’s:  This may be in the process of changing but for now assume that college stations require a physical and at least professional looking/sounding CD.  If they don’t they will tell you (in Step 1).
2. Spreadsheet software: I use Google Docs almost exclusively these days, it’s free and you can access the information from anywhere.
3. A one sheet: One sheet of paper with a photo of you, a bio, track listing highlighting singles, and any reviews of your music.
4. A phone
5. Postage and padded envelopes
6. Time and diligence

Let me start by saying that radio campaigns are not hard to do, but they take time and careful diligence.  If you are not organized you will be wasting your time, money and energy.  Let me also say up front that you should really think about what you are trying to accomplish with your campaign.  Are you trying to get more gigs in your region?  Are you trying to chart with CMJ (College Music Journal)?  Either of these scenarios means something different for your time, money and energy.  If you are starting out I’d recommend doing a regional radio campaign, maybe like 30-50 stations.  You will get your music heard, be able to actually get to the studios to perform live and undoubtedly will build support for your music.  Charting with CMJ is a whole different level of diligence, time and effort, though not impossible.  To chart with CMJ you have to send your music to around 300 stations.  This is a hefty loss for most beginning bands and while charting certainly looks good to labels and other industry professionals, that’s really all it’s good for. It isn’t practical in any other way because you can’t follow up with a physical presence in most of those 300 places. Either way, once you have decided upon and created all of the above, here is what you do:

Step 1: Gather Information and Get Organized

Program Directors and Music Directors are constantly changing at college radio stations but these are the people you will be initially seeking.  So I’d start with a list, here’s one from Wikipedia, and here’s another from an old colleague of mine at Vitriol Radio.  You can also sometimes buy them, but beware, information goes out of date very quickly at college radio.  Best to collect it yourself.  Then go to the station websites and identify the Music Director, their preferred method of communication and when they are available.  If you can’t figure this out online pick up the phone and call the station and ask them who to contact about new submissions and how and when they like to be reached.  They often have set office hours when they deal with the public.  One idea is to approach stations as “someone else”, as in, not the artist.  Some don’t like to deal with artists directly, so make up a name and say you are working for your band as a radio promoter.  Make up a promotions company name if you want.  Tell them you are just getting started out and “they” (as in your band) are you’re first client. Some are happy to work with artists.  It’s kind of a tough call.

Here is where you will begin using your spreadsheet software.  Create headings, as many as you need.  I start with:

• Station Name or Call Letters
• Contact Name
• Office Hours
• Address
• Phone
• Email
• Status
• Notes

Add any others you find useful, if you’re working stations across time zones maybe make a column for time zone.  Or make a separate column for the State the station is in so you can easily see all your stations in New York for example.  Build to suit your needs.  And the beauty is, you can always add columns!

Step 2: Send Your Music Out

Put a copy of your CD, your one sheet and a letter stating that you would like to be considered for placement in rotation at their station into a padded envelope.  Mail them all out, ideally at the same time.

Step 3: Follow Up and Tracking

Roughly 10 days after you send your discs out you need to reach out to that Music Director and make your initial contact.  Ask them if they received your disc, if they had a chance to listen to it and if they put it into rotation.  If they haven’t listened to it ask them when they think they’ll have a chance to get to it, make note and follow up accordingly, in exactly the manner they prefer.  Remember, they are being inundated with requests for their time and attention.  Follow their rules and you will get farther.  It’s really nothing to them to just throw your music away, suddenly you’re one less thing they have to deal with.  So remain endlessly patient with them.  If they listened and did not add you to rotation go ahead and ask them why, you have nothing to lose at that point, your disc is already in the trash (or on Amazon or Ebay).  Thank them for their answer, even if it hurts.

Now if you do get into rotation (give a silent cheer) thank them and ask them if they have any particular requests on how you follow up with them for what’s called “tracking”.  Tracking is just basically checking in with the station to see how often you are getting played.  These are called “spins”.  You ideally should be checking in with them once a week to see how many spins you get.  If you’re calling on the phone a typical tracking call goes like this,

“Hi, I’m calling to track the Hans Erik album.  How many spins did it get this week?  You don’t know?  Ok, is it in light, medium or heavy rotation?  Ok, light rotation, sounds good, thanks very much.”

Some radio stations do their tracking over email,  some keep track of exact spins and some just give you a ballpark guess on how much it’s played.  If it seems appropriate, as in the person you’re communicating with seems open to talking a bit, ask what the name of the DJ’s are that are playing your music, find out who at the station likes what you do.  This information feeds into Step 4.  Either way, you have to keep up your tracking.  It ensures that you stay present in their minds and will actually drive spins.

Step 4: Capitalize on Success

Undoubtedly someone will love your music.  Some Music Director or DJ.  Reach out to them, thank them for their enthusiasm and spins and offer to come in and do an in-studio performance or a phone interview.  This can be a great experience and an awesome way to promote yourself.  Do live giveaways on the air.  The important thing is to let them know you are available to them.  Time it with a gig in town to build a greater audience for your show, or work backwards, approach local clubs and tell them that you are getting airplay at their local station, that you will be in town to do an in-studio performance on such and such a date and that you’d like to play a show later that night.  Parlay your successes in one area into even greater opportunities.  That’s how it’s done.

There really is nothing like the excitement of  hearing your music coming out of the radio.  I hope you get to experience it and I hope my posting has helped you on your way toward it.  Best of luck to you!

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