How To Get Your Song On Commercial Radio

Howard, G. (2011, September 15) . How To Get Your Song On Commercial Radio - TuneCore Blog . Retrieved November 30, 2014, from http://www.tunecore.com/blog/2011/09/how-to-get-your-song-on-commercial-radio.html

In this article, a system between record labels and radio stations is explained, where third parties called independent promoters or "indies" work as the middleman between the two in order for an artist's song to end up on the radio. In order for a song to get on the radio, the system could be based off of merit, where a song is tested on a smaller station before being able to air on one of the "Big Time" radio stations, but companies have found a way around that. The labels pay these independent promoters that "...work...like an intermediary to pass the label’s money to the radio station." The "indies" use the money they were given to pay the radio stations "for various listener give-aways, bumper stickers and so on." The "indies" are given money by the labels again to go to the radio stations "to advise the stations on what songs they should play." This system has made radio stations prioritize major labels and won't give non-major record labels the time of day to play a song on a big radio station. But since customers listen to the music of "the higher bidder" often, they are looking to other radio stations such as subscription services and internet/satellite radio for alternatives. 

I was shocked when I read this article. One way to get a song on the radio is not by how successful the song is to the consumer, but by how much money a major record label is willing to give to the radio stations through a third party in order for a song to be aired onto a popular radio station. Radio is becoming commercial and lacking individualism. No wonder whenever I go through radio stations I hear the same song over and over again. Becoming an artist these days is much different than it used to be. Talent is not the only factor anymore. It is money and the record labels willing to pick an artist up. It is disappointing that the music and radio industries are not honest and sleazy underhanded work is the norm.