College Radio: The Most Important Radio Level for Musicians
For the self-promoting independent artist, the idea of taking
on a radio promotion campaign can, in itself, become
overwhelming. But, this idea is usually based on such artists
attempting to obtain worldwide airplay on a local budget. And, in doing so, self-promoting independent artists quickly
discover another factor not usually considered previously...
that engaging in a worldwide radio promotion campaign
translates to hundreds and, possibly, thousands of CD units
for media contacts alone. As you can see, this can also quickly become a nightmare for
indie artists, particularly, if the promotion budget only allows
for the purchase of 1,000-CD packages at a time. Starting in the 1980's, college radio became a dominant force
in not only discovering independent recording artists, but also
in introducing new artists to the general public. Hundreds of
these particular artists have gone on to become established
'household' names. Likewise, the college radio level has a continued history of
presenting, practically, all forms of music, much of which
would never see the proverbial light of day at the commercial
radio level and, in many cases, neither at the non commercial
level. Therefore, if an artist has limited funds for radio promotion, it
is highly advisable that the he begin exclusively with college
radio for the following reasons: * Far easier and faster access to airwaves * Far more plentiful specialty and mix shows and programs * Greater chances for both in-studio and telephone interviews
to promote music releases * More possibilities for station ID checks for further publicity * Corresponding college campus newspapers that will more
readily accept and support music aired on their campus
stations for creating a campus-wide buzz * A ready and built-in market in the campus community for
repeated live performances to further support and supplement
campus airplay and campus press coverage * An opportunity for grassroots distribution through supplying
both campus bookstores and campus music stores with
music releases Is the college market a viable market for your music sales? Though the question is rhetorical in nature, please review the
below U. S. college population statistics: * There are 631 public 4-year colleges and universities that
have a combined student population of 6,236,455. * There are also 1,835 private 4-year colleges and
universities with a combined student population of 3,440,953. * Additionally, there exists 1,081 public 2-year colleges with a
combined student population of 5,996,701. * Even further, 621 private 2-year colleges host another
253,878 students. This brings the average U. S. student population total to a
whopping 15,927,987 minimum every year. And, more
people are attending some form of higher education than
ever before. Now, even the least popular music genres are certain to find
a financial comfort zone with a market of almost 16 million
unique principals. So, what results could really popular commercial music
genres experience, simply by working the various entities of
the college market, i.e., campus radio, campus press, campus
bookstores, campus music stores, campus live performances?
Quite pleasant ones, I would suspect. But, remember! The above statistics only reference the
United States college/university potential listenership. College
radio also has a respectable portion of listeners who are *not*
students. Add to that, listeners of college radio who strictly listen to the
streaming portion of college radio online, and who may, or
may not, be in the college's geographical area, i.e., military
service members. Plus, there is lot more of the college market abroad, of which
U. S.-based artists would do well to approach English-
speaking nations first, i.e., United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland,
subsequently, moving into additional nations. While it may (or may not) be true that it is possible for
commercial radio stations to be the primary driving force
behind most retail sales, that theory may not be so valid
today, given the fact that: * With the Internet, artists are no longer required to sell
millions of CDs to make a great living financially * Artists have greater and easier access to far more radio
stations (broadcast, satellite, internet, college) * With the college community, and all of its combined
promotion and sales aspects (radio, bookstores, music stores,
live performances), if conducted correctly, the college market
campaign can equalize and, in some cases, even supersede
commercial radio results.
______________________________________________ [---Additional Statistics---] Top 10 College Enrollment: Miami-Dade College (51,717)
University of Texas at Austin (50,616)
Ohio State University (48,477)
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (46,597)
University of Florida (46,516)
Arizona State University (45,693)
Texas A&M University (44,618)
Michigan State University (44,227)
University of Wisconsin Madison (40,912)
Pennsylvania State University at University Park (40,828) (The above figures were reported in Almanac 2004-2005,
published by the Chronicle of Higher Education,
August 27, 2004.)
______________________________________ What College Students Spend on Music: According to a recent Harris Interactive survey, college
students spend $200 billion...that's right...BILLION dollars
per year, with 76% of the students having spent $2,746,000
on music alone. Note: As an added advantage, the self-promoting independent
artist should also create an Internet radio promotion campaign
simultaneously, since most 'net stations are accepting of MP3
files for airplay, thus, reducing packaging and shipping costs
of CDs to stations. You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated. About the Author: Kenny Love is president of MuBiz.com, a radio promotion, media
publicity and music business/career firm for musicians. He is
also the author of "Explosive CD $ales Tips," as well as
publisher of The B# Newsletter, a highly informative music
business resource. Visit his website at http://www.MuBiz.com
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