How to Get Your Music Played on College Radio (And Why It’s So Important for Indie Artists)

College radio is a blend of non-commercial stations that range from small student run operations, to public and/or community radio stations.  This variety provides opportunity for many indie artists to find radio airplay, provided their music is good. The College Music Journal (CMJ) defines the parameters for which non-commercial statation can be considered as “college market” stations.

If a station reports to CMJ, it will be considered a “college market” station.  If you want to promote your record nationally at college radio stations, you should focus on the stations that report to CMJ so you have the best opportunity to chart on the national CMJ charts.

The big question than many artists want to know is…How do you get your music on the air?  The answer is you need to get your music to the right person, like a station’s music director.  Indie artists often hire companies who already have relationships with music directors like Tinderox because it can take a lot of work to get your music in the right hands, and keep track of all the CMJ reporting stations and their contact information.

Once your music is in the hand of the music director, you need to get your songs into rotation.  Here’s the process:

1) Dial in when you’re ready for your add date, so you can release your record to the radio station.

2) Mail physical CD’s (since many college stations still deal with CD’s) and one-sheets to the stations about two weeks before your add date.

3)  Get your preliminary calls/plugs in.  You’ll have at least one week before your add date to do this.  Your promoter or label typically does this for you.

4) Your promoter or label will begin to track your records progress to find out how many spins it’s getting, and to learn which stations add or pass on your music.  This process typically lasts 8 weeks.

Despite any challenges that may exist, college radio airplay still matters, so make sure you consider this option, because it can be great exposure for your music.