The Science of Radio: Understanding the Format

[Derek Jurand]

http://www.newindustrytips.com/2011/03/14/the-science-of-radio-unde...

 

When listening to the radio, what are the first thoughts that come into your mind? Maybe it’s the artist, the melody, or even the lyrics. To the average person, it’s their favorite song. How does one who is doing business with the radio station view it? That’s the view we want to approach when creating music and approaching radio stations for airplay consideration.

 

The questions you should be considering are:

Whenever anyone hears my record, will I be able generate sales/downloads, and will advertisers want to support my music?

Which artists are playing on the radio and why are they playing at different times?

Which time of the day do I hear any new music on the air, if any?

Does the station have mix shows? If so, who are the DJs and what time do they air?

Are the DJs in or out of the market?

Why is it necessary that a song is no longer than four minutes?

How long do average listeners actually listen to the station?

So many questions, too many answers. However if you’re smart in your approach and have the right team around you, finding out the answers to these questions will make your job easier. It may cost you some on the front end, but the benefits will be great in the end. The goal is to get your song into rotation because the people want to hear it. In 2011 there is no room for records that will not become classics in 30 years. Some of the music we hear now will be forgotten about and just fade away. If you want to be on the radio and have staying power, you need to make classics.