DO INDIES NEED AIRPLAY TO SUCCEED?

For decades radio airplay has been the mother ship for artist’s new albums or singles. It has served as the primary and most successful means of marketing musical products to the masses. Commercial radio has performed in constant and stellar fashion, weathering the fierce winds of many innovations, until now.

I would be hard pressed to present an honest, substantive, and relevant argument to refute the incredible benefit of assimilation into mainstream pop radio rotation. So I won’t waste your time with such a ridiculous attempt.

Instead, I hope to propose a less ridiculous concept, and I will attempt to liberate the minds of the masses from the tyranny of the either-or dichotomy that has consumed so many of our consciousnesses.  

Being a music lover has led to a twisted, on-off, love-hate affair with commercial radio. Historically, one of the greatest benefits of top 40 radio has been the breaking of new artists and new music. This vehicle has served society, although not always well, by introducing the music we’ve come to know and sometimes love.

I’m still transported euphorically when I reminisce about the first time I heard a new Michael Jackson record over the airwaves on my favorite station. Or my head almost bounces involuntarily when I recall listening to Erik B and Rakim or KRS One. However, to my displeasure I still shudder as I replay some of the more contemporary artist’s music as it is played repeatedly on mainstream radio. It has led to my permanent break-up with commercial radio.

Nevertheless, I must get back to the task at hand. The question remains; do Indies need airplay to succeed? This is a most important question to address. While it may be a proverbial no brainer for the major labels it is not so simple for Indies that are often fiscally challenged.

With money, or the lack of it, often being the most pressing issue confronting small independent labels it is often unrealistic for the Indies to secure airplay. The music is often the last concern as it pertains to commercial radio programming. We often hear the artists and music that the majors have paid to have placed in regular rotation. Advertising dollars often control the musical climate of our post modern world.

Does this mean there is little hope for the Indies to reach the masses with their often innovative and appealing musical expressions? NO! Does this mean that every artist intending to go it on their own is doomed to musical obscurity? NO! Does this mean Indie labels will have to rob banks to garner the kind of financial power necessary to break into the commercial markets? NO!

With the continued quantum growth of technological evolutions the playing field is being leveled quite rapidly. Gone are the days when it is utterly necessary to spend millions of dollars on commercial advertising, billboard campaigns, TV promotional spots, etc… I say hit the road jack!

If you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and do some work you can achieve the success you envision. It will not be as easy as hiring the best pitch firm in New York but it is possible to do it yourself. The first thing you’ll want to do is a little introspection. You will have to challenge your current and historical belief systems regarding the conventional approaches to reaching a broad market.

Understand you don’t have to do it the way the majors have done it since commercial radio was corporatized and nationalized. The first thing you may want to explore is the use of local or college radio. It is a growing phenomenon. Dependent upon your geographical location you may have a university in your area that has a radio program. Get in touch with them to discover what format they use, what kind of music, if any, they play regularly, and ask if they’d be willing to add your music to their playlists.

The next step you may want to explore is internet radio. There are a number of options available to you as an independent artist. There are new stations arising regularly. There are even broadcasts dedicated to breaking new or undiscovered artists. Do your homework and find a broadcast that best suits your musical expression. I came across a broadcaster that has provided extraordinary value to my label. You can check out Jango.com. They even offer tracking tools for the songs you place with them.

However, there is no replacement for the access provided through social networking sites. Although the big three are Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube, there are dozens of other viable networks available to you. I will not lie to you. This approach will take a lot of time and effort in the beginning but the initial investment of time and energy has the greatest return on investment that I’ve known.

The most recent statistics for registered users on social networks’ big three are compelling evidence for why you should consider using the social networks as part of your approach. For instance, Facebook currently has approximately 350,000,000 registered users. Are you aware of what it would cost you to attempt to reach that many people via a conventional marketing campaign? Do you have enough zeros in your bank account?

At present MySpace has approximately 271,000,000 registered users and you can actually set up a playlist to demo your songs on your home page in your profile. You can set up a store in your account to sell your records directly to those you befriend. You can target your market directly by accessing friend’s lists of artist with a similar musical styling as your own. No marketer, worth a grain of salt, would allow you to pass on such an opportunity. Get in there and start showing yourself friendly.

According to the statistics I could find in my research over 8 billion videos have been viewed by over 120,000,000 viewers. These numbers were recorded in August, 2009. The common consensus about YouTube is that it is “the” advertising medium of this era. If you chose to focus on this format and made interestingly unusual videos you could gain access to millions and leverage what is known as viral marketing. There are a growing number of people meeting with unexplainable success utilizing YouTube.

These are only three of the major social networks available for your use. The numbers are staggering and they don’t lie. Some of the others out there are: LinkedIn,Bebo, Friendster, StumbledUpon and the list goes on and on.

The key to your success rests in your commitment to creating content. The content can be in the form of written blogs or articles, videos or vlogs, or songs on your page(s).  The more value you create and offer to the world of social networking the more opportunities will open to you. Get used to the idea of sharing your successes and how you accomplished those successes at no cost to the public.

Please be clear on this point as you cannot expect to get something for nothing. Money and abundance only follows value. Commit to creating and offering value and you will realize uncommon success. It is advisable to post new content weekly. This will keep your internet presence fresh and alluring, and this will allow you to become known as an expert or authority in your niche.

If you are diligent to leverage the mediums identified in this brief article you can experience success that will surpass your imaginations. There is a huge world out there and they’re waiting to hear from you, to support you, and to help you get where it is you desire to go.

You do not need radio airplay to succeed. With a little creativity, grit, and unshakable resolve you could reach the world and incite a revolution the likes the world has never seen before.

So get to it! There are no limits but those you create. I wish you well and look forward to your contributions to the world’s community.

For music’s sake,

Rashiid K. Coleman

President/CEO, Regality Records, LLC

www.regalityrecords.com