Have you ever sent your music to a radio station?

I haven't but wouldn't that be something?

Of course it would be something! What song would you sing/play? Would you cut it at the "make-a-record" booth at a local fair or would you fire up the computer?

I'd just come to the station with my guitar, my hair in a slight pompador, with my big sideburns, my dirty trucker's clothes and say, "Hello Mister Roberts, my name is Frick, and I'd like to sing a song for my mama."

Oh Frick, that was YOU. Sorry security was so rough with you. What song did you want to sing?

Yeah... I got a little roughed up, they broke one of my guitar strings, but that's okay. I was going to sing a medley of Barry White songs.

You guys crack me up. But in this day and age of "America Votes on America's Next Top Star Search Idol", I'd think someone somewhere out there has tried to bust into the business with an unsolicited cd send...

I had two teenage boys come up to me at the Fair on Sunday (I was volunteering at ye old MPR boothe), and one of them said, "My buddy here is too shy to ask, but he's a got a band and wants to know how he can get his music played on the Current."

After telling him my harrowing tale of being kicked out forcefully, they ran off screaming in terror.. I keed!! Seriously, I told them to look up the procedure online and send it in to the station. I don't know what the band's name is, but I wonder if they'll ever get played.

Yes.

Related question: Why are the listings for the Local Show not posted till after the show -- wouldn't it make sense to have at least an outline posted on MPR's site some time before the show? Wouldn't that encourage people to listen?

And related to that -- It's September 1st. Why is the latest playlist dated August 20th?

To more fully answer the Big Question:

"Have you ever sent a demo album/tape/cd/mp3 to a radio station? Were you hoping for a big break or was it just a lark?"

I regularly send out my albums to radio stations for promotion. The first time I heard a record of mine played on the radio was way back in '79 when (I think it was KJJO back then) the opening track of Fine Art's first LP ("Don't Tel Me That") came on -- K and I were driving back from a studio, just about to get on the freeway. We almost went off the road!

Since then I've sent just about every release to local radio, at least to stations I thought would play it. Last year I sent a copy of my first Blue Water Records release, Millions to Chris Roberts (as well as other DJs at The Current), who played the title track once... I recently sent him a copy of the Sound Commandos album, which he has yet to play.

I send them out not for a lark or for the Big Break, but mostly to let people know they exist. Promotion, yes, but locally there are very few shows willing to play longer chillout style tracks, and I send them guessing they won't get played too often, but more to inform local music mavens they're out there.

- Colin

http://www.colinmansfield.com
http://www.soundcommandos.net