Whether you’re considering a career in radio or an artist that’s trying to get your song played on the radio, let us expand your knowledge with the radio terms. If you’re considering a job in radio or are an artist that’s trying to get your song played on the radio, let us expand your radio terms vocabulary.
Now, you’ve probably come across a video of your favorite artist’s reaction to the first time they heard their song on the radio. If you’re that artist, you’re most likely contacting radio stations, and connecting with radio promoters. Consequently, it’s time to brush up on all things radio promotion.
Like the music business as a whole, the radio promotion business is a niche area of the music industry. Meaning, it’s going to need some research. You need to know what kind of radio stations are best to reach out to and who from those stations are best to make contact with. Then you will ensure that you’re making the most out of the radio station’s time (and your own).
Going into this research blind can be tricky. Here is a list of some terms and organizations to help you get started.
Here are Some Key Radio Terms You Should Know
DSP (Digital Service Provider)
You might not be familiar with this radio term right away, but you might recognize their classic examples, such as CD Baby, The Orchard, and TuneCore. DSPs are to thank for bridging the gap between music and technology, and have become one of the main forms of music consumption. Yet, DSPs are more than the songs you’re able to listen to on your phone. They’re the curated playlists, videos you stream, and even the small details on your preferred DSP that make it an easy-to-use interface.
AAA (Adult Album Alternative) Radio
Think of AAA as the much-needed escape from mainstream commercial radio. There are over 100 AAA stations across the country. Some of these are non-commercial radio, while others are commercial radio. These stations cover a variety of genres, but tend focus on local/indie artists. Artists such as Lorde, Fleet Foxes, and The Black Keys got their big break on AAA radio. If you check out AAA stations like FX Alternative Radio or hitsradio.com, you’ll find a lot of familiar songs. And artists you never thought would played on AAA radio.
NACC (North American College and Community Radio)
If you want your music to end up on the college radio charts, NACC is a good place to start. NACC has a many charts for artists to land on. The NACC Radio 200 compiles the top 200 tracks from all college radio stations. These tracks land there due to people at the station being fans. Some of these songs may not have seen airplay, but still made the cut, nonetheless! NACC also has genre charts, which include AAA stations. Plus, charts that cater to specific geographical regions.
CMJ (College Music Journal)
CMJ is a New York-based music trade magazine/website. They shut down right before the emergence of NACC, but made their comeback in October 2020. In their comeback, they hosted a virtual music festival. Besides to virtual performances, exclusive content such as interviews and more. It all ended up available to watch through Amazing Radio.
All these terms showed up in the first episode of our new podcast, The Music Rookie. We interviewed Shil Patel, owner of Tiger Bomb Promo. Check out the episode here and see how these terms fit into the the picture of radio promotion!
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