Internet Radio - Pimp Your Song!
Internet Radio - Pimp Your Song!
Hi,
Every songwriter wants to be heard on the radio. Unfortunately broadcast radio has become almost entirely corporate playing short playlists targeted at narrow demographics for marketing purposes. They are not in the business of providing music to listeners. They are in the business of providing listeners to advertisers.
Internet radio provides songwriters and indie bands with a great opportunity to be heard. Sure you can put your songs on your website and MySpace but if someone hasn't already heard you how will they know to go to your site? By getting your songs played on internet radio alongside other songs that are similar you will be heard by a new audience that hasn't heard you before. Then if they like your music they will find your website and MySpace to hear some more.
more...
There are two types of internet radio stations. Them that pay and them that don't.
Live365 is the leading provider of internet radio infrastructure with royalty payments in place. The advantage of using a service that pays royalties is you can broadcast any song you want whether it's your favorite top forty act or the indie band down the street. Live365 and similar services will make sure the royalties get paid keeping you legal. Another advantage to using a service like Live365 is that they provide all the software setup and support. All you have to do is manage your station.
Blues City Radio contacted me yesterday through MySpace.
Blues City Radio MySpace
The station is run by Sheila. She has a blog entry about how to submit your material to her station.
Attention Indie Blues Artists
They are on Live365.
Blues City Radio
Or you can listen from her website.
Blues City Radio website
The other type of internet radio station is called royalty free. Since they don't pay royalties they must have permission from the songwriter to play the songs. One way of getting this permission is by contacting the songwriters directly. Permission can be written or verbal.
Another way to play songs royalty free is through blanket permissions. This is often called cleared for internet distribution or podsafe.
Podcasting is like blogging but it's audio instead of text. Podcasters produce a show and then make it available for download from their website or from a podcast internet service like blogtalkradio. Most podcasts provide RSS feeds so listeners can subscribe to the show. Since the music on podcasts is available for download it must be precleared or podsafe.
Fortunately many artists and labels realize that the internet is the new AM radio and preclear selected songs. Even major labels are getting on the podsafe bandwagon. Recently I added Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis doing "Bright Lights Big City" to Delta Boogie Radio. I was also able to add the Elvin Bishop hit "Struttin' Your Stuff". Of course most of the songs on Delta Boogie Radio are from indies. That's not a bad thing. I get a lot of CDs from bands you've never heard of and I mostly prefer them to what the majors are putting out.
I discussed Creative Commons licenses in this diary. They have a search engine for podsafe music. Here's a couple more good sources for podsafe music.
Podsafe Music Network
Hi,
Every songwriter wants to be heard on the radio. Unfortunately broadcast radio has become almost entirely corporate playing short playlists targeted at narrow demographics for marketing purposes. They are not in the business of providing music to listeners. They are in the business of providing listeners to advertisers.
Internet radio provides songwriters and indie bands with a great opportunity to be heard. Sure you can put your songs on your website and MySpace but if someone hasn't already heard you how will they know to go to your site? By getting your songs played on internet radio alongside other songs that are similar you will be heard by a new audience that hasn't heard you before. Then if they like your music they will find your website and MySpace to hear some more.
more...
There are two types of internet radio stations. Them that pay and them that don't.
Live365 is the leading provider of internet radio infrastructure with royalty payments in place. The advantage of using a service that pays royalties is you can broadcast any song you want whether it's your favorite top forty act or the indie band down the street. Live365 and similar services will make sure the royalties get paid keeping you legal. Another advantage to using a service like Live365 is that they provide all the software setup and support. All you have to do is manage your station.
Blues City Radio contacted me yesterday through MySpace.
Blues City Radio MySpace
The station is run by Sheila. She has a blog entry about how to submit your material to her station.
Attention Indie Blues Artists
They are on Live365.
Blues City Radio
Or you can listen from her website.
Blues City Radio website
The other type of internet radio station is called royalty free. Since they don't pay royalties they must have permission from the songwriter to play the songs. One way of getting this permission is by contacting the songwriters directly. Permission can be written or verbal.
Another way to play songs royalty free is through blanket permissions. This is often called cleared for internet distribution or podsafe.
Podcasting is like blogging but it's audio instead of text. Podcasters produce a show and then make it available for download from their website or from a podcast internet service like blogtalkradio. Most podcasts provide RSS feeds so listeners can subscribe to the show. Since the music on podcasts is available for download it must be precleared or podsafe.
Fortunately many artists and labels realize that the internet is the new AM radio and preclear selected songs. Even major labels are getting on the podsafe bandwagon. Recently I added Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis doing "Bright Lights Big City" to Delta Boogie Radio. I was also able to add the Elvin Bishop hit "Struttin' Your Stuff". Of course most of the songs on Delta Boogie Radio are from indies. That's not a bad thing. I get a lot of CDs from bands you've never heard of and I mostly prefer them to what the majors are putting out.
I discussed Creative Commons licenses in this diary. They have a search engine for podsafe music. Here's a couple more good sources for podsafe music.
Podsafe Music Network
Ariels Cyber PR
If you're promoting your music on the internet you should clear some or all of your songs for internet distribution and make downloads available. Then you should contact internet radio stations and podcasters that play similar music and make them aware of your songs. They are always looking for new and interesting material so you will be played. Then their listeners will get to hear what you do.
Another option is to start your own podcast or station and include your music along with other songs providing your listeners with variety while still highlighting your recordings.
That's what I did.
I run two internet radio stations.
Delta Boogie Radio - All Originals!
KGPL - All genres and all styles
If you have songs that you would like me to play get in touch. I'm always looking for new and interesting material.
Both of these stations run on different versions of my KGPL software. Both versions are free software licensed with the GPL license. If you are interested in using this software to program your internet radio station I'll be glad to help you.
Do you listen to internet radio? Please post your favorite stations in the comments. And don't forget. If you're a songwriter or musician Pimp Your Song!
Thanks,
Hairy Larry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com
Click here for discussion and more clips.
Tags: blues, internet, music, radio
Views: 53
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Hairy Larry on -
Sheila,
I understand. I ran on live365 for a couple of years before I wrote my own software. Now I run a royalty free station on a virtual server called Delta Boogie Radio
http://deltaboogie.com/hifi
and on Google apengine I run KGPL, a station that links to mp3 files wherever they are hosted on the internet.
http://www.kgpl.org
They both run different versions of my KGPL program. The KGPL softwares are GPL licensed so anyone can use or modify them. They run on m3u playlists and all songs are available for on demand play and download as well as being in the playlists. This is why Delta Boogie Radio is All Originals! with the songwriters permission.
Are you trying to get a sponsor for your live365 station? They really have a good station setup. Easy to use and everything. Or are you trying to move to your own server?
Anyway please keep in touch and let me know when you can accept submissions again.
Thanks,
Hairy Larry
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Permalink Reply by Sheila Cain on -
My ooops perhaps, but I am still taking submissions.
I just have to rotate the songs in an out of the playlist more
frequently. It's a dirty job, but hey, somebody's gotta do it.
I was thinking of moving to my own server, but after checking
out prices and royalty payment, it's probably easier and less
expensive to stay with Live365 and get a "pro" package.
Hope this clears up any confusion I might have caused in my
earlier post.
BTW, this is a way cool site. I love it!
Sheila
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Permalink Reply by Hairy Larry on
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Sheila,
Live365 is a great service. Since they pay royalties you can play anything you want. And their promotional library has great material in any genre.
Because they pay royalties and have other expenses everyone has to pay a little bit. The stations, the listeners, the artists seeking promotion by placement in their library. (the listeners pay with a small monthly fee or by listening to commercials) If you want to play anything I don't think you can beat their service.
Delta Boogie Radio is royalty free. We play only with the songwriter's permission. Or I can play precleared music under a blanket license without contacting the songwriter.
KGPL runs on links. KGPL doesn't host the songs it only links to them.
Royalty free stations are much cheaper to run but much harder to administer because of the permissions required. No contract or written agreement is necessary. Verbal permission is fine but still you have to get in touch with every songwriter. Also a great deal of material including most songs on major labels cannot be played on royalty free stations.
Many labels now have a policy of clearing some songs for internet download. Because of this I can play Wynton Marsalis and Willie Nelson playing "Bright Lights, Big City" and Elvin Bishop's "Struttin' Your Stuff". Still I can't play just anything off of these CDs and many artists I cannot play at all.
Delta Boogie Radio runs on the same virtual server as Delta Boogie so I incur no additional expense. If it gets real popular that may change in the future. Virtual servers have their limits.
KGPL runs on the Google appengine so it costs me nothing too. Google appengine is designed to scale so KGPL can get as popular as it wants to. But KGPL does not host the songs. They are all somewhere else out on the internet. KGPL is still a work in progress. Fortunately the current beta is running pretty solid but I have many improvements to make to it. When I get a round tuit.
To do what you do, mixing indies with major labels is great for the indies. Nothing like getting your stuff heard alongside major label releases and listened to by a major label audience. For this type of station I don't think Live365 can be beat.
If anyone else has other turnkey radio services to recommend please add them.
Thanks,
Hairy Larry
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