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Local Music

Because

1.) most of it is cr@p-produced on cassette in a basement and the like

2.) if they play one they'll have to play them all (including lots of the above mentioned cr@p)
 
That's not necessarily true these days; the affordability of technology has lent its creativeness and simplicity to many of the up and comers. Mostly, the days are gone when an audio cassette is dropped off at the studios that sounds like the tracks were recorded underwater. In fact, many of the local bands support themselves and create their own cds.



NE Miss Radio said:
Because

1.) most of it is cr@p-produced on cassette in a basement and the like
Click to expand...
 
I'd say formatics and listeners wanting to hear what they're USE to and not always whats local! I think PDs realize that just because it's local doesn't mean it air worthy! In fact, more often than not it's usually pretty bad. That being said the only people wanting to hear it on the radio is the garage band that "produced" it and their few fans (both of them) and moms and dads! Everyone else starts tuning out looking for something more palatable like fingernails on a chalkboard! Look, I play and sing in a band. We gig regularly! The band actually is pretty good and in clubs, folks sop us up with a biscuit. But I DO NOT play our stuff on my radio station! It's not THAT good! ;) Yea we have originals too. But in the clubs, the folks want to hear "Free Bird" more than anything we wrote! It's tough hurdle to get over! But I take the money and play Free Bird in the meantime.
 
Three issues:
One: Quality, artistic and technical. Is it any good?
Two: Formatics, does it fit with the overal format of the station
Three: Legal. Is the song published by BMI/ASCAP/SESAC? Even if it's the band's own creative work, you can still run into some legal ($$) obstacles. And check your BMI/ASCAP/SESAC contract. Some contracts won't allow you to play "unpublished" works.
 
As for quality of the cd we did our recording with the late great Clyde Holly. And i can see where the rest of the replys are coming from....
 
When I first started out in the music biz about 7 years ago it was unheard of to get a local band on the radio. In fact I’ve honestly had DJ’s laugh at me when I asked to get some spins. But now days it’s getting a little better and I can understand why. Radio peeps are starting to see the benefit of having a local band played on the air. It’s kind of like a territorial thing. The fans and the listeners feel like they have something that no one else does. It’s “Their” local station and “Their” local band. And it’s also “Their” local bars and clubs that they go to and hear the local bands, and most of the time the local bars and clubs advertise on “Their” local station. So it’s sort of like a music community thing as well. Not that the local station necessarily needs the extra push but you can bet that if you spin songs from a local band, that band is going to shamelessly promote the crap out of your station for doing so.

As far as recording quality it might not hurt to just be honest with the bands that send in low quality recordings. That might be the push that they need to go out and get a well produced album. That’s basically what my band did. Our first album was horrible, and that’s being generous. I wouldn’t blame anybody for not airing our first album. So we saved up our monies from gigs and went and got a good producer and spent a week in the studio getting a good quality album done. Radio is a very powerful tool for local bands and my hat goes off to the DJ’s and program directors that have given unsigned bands a chance.
 
WBLE has a special one hour Sat. Morning "Local Yokel" show.
We require:
1. All music be on CD and professionally recorded.
2. All music to be licensed or in the PD.
3. We promise to play all submissions that meet these requirements at least ONCE!
AND...We get submissions from Memphis, Tupelo, Greenwood and the Delta and from Arkansas...We are amazed at the response, and the Sponsors like it too. PLUS...all the locals that want on the radio have an avenue to do so. Hence, everybody wins. Only in Mississippi and in a small market, I guess.
Thanks
 
In the late 80s I was Music Director at a CHR in a small Indiana market. A local band called *Hammer* brought me a self-produced cassette and hoped I'd give them some airplay. I said I'd think about it after I listened to it. It was crap. Horrible music and horrible production. The band and their friends started harrassing me to play it from the moment it in my hands. The same half-dozen people practically hijacked the phone lines while I was on the air, requesting I play this garbage. After 2 days of this, I called the guy who dropped off the tape and requested that he come and get it because it was never going to air. Rather than tell him it was lousy music, I blamed it on the production and told him it just wasnt airworthy (which WAS the truth) but in all honesty, I probably would have aired it couple of times just for the novelty if they hadnt become such pains in the rear.
 
If you open the door to this, its hard to close it when it gets old and novelty is gone. They will wear you out and follow you to your home. The worst acts complain the loudest and expect the most. That fellow in small town has it right, one hour on saturday one time and thats it. In small market its called good community service radio, where ratings count, they call it a train wreck.
 
radionekkid said:
If you open the door to this, its hard to close it when it gets old and novelty is gone. They will wear you out and follow you to your home. The worst acts complain the loudest and expect the most. That fellow in small town has it right, one hour on saturday one time and thats it. In small market its called good community service radio, where ratings count, they call it a train wreck.
Click to expand...
Well said! You have to ask yourself "How many local bands have signed a record deal and are now nationally known and sell out concerts?" The answer to that question is the name and number of local bands you need to be playing on your station! Otherwise, it just a great big ole tune out factor! ;)
 
So play 3 doors down! Great band! ONE IN A MILLION! That's my point! Most of the other stuff (other "local bands") is what I said... Great big ole "tune out factor" for the rest of your listeners. Just because the band is local, dose NOT mean they should be played on the radio! ;)
 
Playing local music is really a Pandora's Box. If you open it for one, you will be expected to do it for all. I did this once at a small market CHR in Iowa and lived to regret it. For each one "diamond in the rough", there are at least 100 clunkers.

Having said that, there *is* some great local music on the Coast. At least there was before Katrina hit and took out most of the venues. Especially miss listening to Hank Berumen play "Havana" while watching the sunset on the water at Gorenflo's.
 
I would like to quote what a radio PD told me once in an email. It's kind of stuck with me. I was emailing him to thank him for all the spins and positive responses that we had gotten from it. His reply was

"Good music is good music whether it's a national artist or an unsigned band......it's radio's job to bring all music to the public.....not just corporate pushed crap."
 
killjayvox said:
"Good music is good music whether it's a national artist or an unsigned band......it's radio's job to bring all music to the public.....not just corporate pushed crap."
Click to expand...

And I totaly agree with that statement! My point is that just because it's local does NOT make it good or airworthy.
 
I couldn't agree less. Corporate music (and the numbers you get from playing it) makes my check good. But there was another P.D. that schooled me (back before there was hair and fire was a brand-new thing) in picking and playing music. He said, "There are two types of music. Good music and bad music. Put the bad music in the garbage can and put the good music in the control room."

I have to say that even most professionally produced music on major labels gets put in the "Stiffs" box. So competing with songs that have been recorded and produced in the most sophisticated studios around...well, you can imagine what P.D.'s think of local music.

Yes, there are exceptions to the rule. But those are so rare...so very rare.
 
Again, local does not always equal good. Good is good and we should play the good music whether it's local or NOT! That’s what I've been saying the entire thread! ;) The problem is I see so many bands (local bands) get an attitude because stations won't play their music on the radio. The firmly believe that it's good stuff, but sadly, their mom's and dad's and school mates generally are NOT the best judge of what's air worthy. Then you run in to the whole formatics argument! Yes your band plays "SCREAMO" and you want me to play this song in the morning on John boy & Billy!? On a classic rock station or country? Well that's just ignorant! I'm NOT going to jeopardize my station's ratings so I can say I promote "local" music. It's a business man! I know I'm preaching to the choir with most of you. I can hear the "DUH!" LOL But really, how many phone calls do you PD's get from a Mom or Dad asking if you'll play their son's song (recorded on a Tascam 4 track cassette recorder in the garage) on the air? Like I said before, air worthy bands are one in a million in my opinion. If your stations formatics match that of the genre a local band is doing....and they've got a super slick demo they've done in a first class studio... I might THINK about it! But man that local band better blow me away, or I AIN'T playing their stuff on my station! That's just how I roll! LOL
 
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