Radio has been one of the most powerful forces in popular music for a century. Streaming has changed the landscape, but radio still drives discovery for large audiences, influences charts, and pays royalties every time a song is played.
Types of radio
- National and commercial stations - large audiences, tight playlists, slow to take risks.
- Public broadcasters - in the UK, the BBC's networks, from Radio 1 and Radio 2 to 6 Music and the Introducing scheme for new and unsigned artists.
- Specialist shows - genre-focused programmes, often presented by tastemakers, more open to new music.
- Community, student and independent stations - local, adventurous, often the first to play new artists.
- Online radio and internet stations - global reach, often niche.
- Satellite radio - in the US, a significant subscription platform.
Playlists and decisions
Most music stations have a playlist - a list of songs in rotation, often categorised by how many plays they get per week. Playlist decisions are made by programme directors, music teams or playlist committees, and reflect the station's audience, format and data.
Getting playlisted on a major station is difficult. Specialist shows and smaller stations are more realistic starting points, and their support can build momentum towards larger playlists.
Pluggers
Radio pluggers are promotion specialists who pitch songs to stations and presenters. Established pluggers have relationships with programmers and know what each station looks for. Labels routinely hire them; independent artists can too, though fees vary and results are never guaranteed.
Getting your music to radio yourself
- Use the official routes. Schemes for new artists, such as BBC Introducing in the UK, let you upload music directly for consideration by local and national presenters.
- Target the right shows. Research presenters and specialist programmes that play your genre.
- Send professional material - a radio edit (usually under four minutes, with no explicit lyrics for daytime play), clean metadata, a short biography and contact details.
- Build a story - releases, gigs, press and streaming momentum make a case for airplay.
What radio pays
When a song is played on radio, royalties are generated - but who gets paid differs by country.
- The composition - songwriters and publishers earn performance royalties, collected by PROs: PRS for Music in the UK; ASCAP, BMI, SESAC or GMR in the US.
- The recording - in the UK and most countries, the owners of the recording and the performers on it earn neighbouring rights royalties, collected in the UK by PPL. In the US, AM/FM radio does not pay a performance royalty for sound recordings at all - only for the composition - although digital and satellite radio do, collected by SoundExchange.
Register your songs with a PRO and your recordings and performances with the relevant neighbouring-rights society so the money reaches you.
Radio in the streaming age
Streaming playlists now drive much discovery, but radio still matters:
- It reaches large audiences who do not actively seek new music.
- Airplay often boosts streams and sales.
- Specialist radio shapes tastes and scenes.
- Radio royalties can be a significant income stream.
Do this now
- List five radio shows or stations that play music like yours, and find out how each accepts submissions.
- Make a radio edit of one of your tracks: under four minutes, clean lyrics, a quick start.
- Check you are registered with a PRO and the right neighbouring-rights organisation.