Actually, this wasn’t going to be one of the hundred questions I keep getting asked about music online… but it’s a good question, and I’ve come up with a fun theory about it.
I’ve been doing some consultancy for an artist known as Krause. You might place her sonically between recent Madonna material and Peaches.
We’ve talked about all sorts of things along the way, from online marketing priorities to er… ponies — but that’s a long story — and I’m delighted to say she was the winner of the Lopend Vuur Sony BMG pitch in Holland last month.
One of the things that Krause’s keen to focus on, as well all the online stuff, is traditional media. In short, she wants a radio hit. And she’s perfectly capable of achieving that. But I made a suggestion I think might help.
Radio likes to play songs with the word ‘radio’ in them.
That’s it. Simple as that. Put the word “radio” in the title or the chorus, and your chances of airplay go up by a factor of ten. I spent close to 20 years in the radio industry – and trust me: it’s more true than anyone would like to admit.
In fact, it’s fair to say that a bad song with the word ‘radio’ in it stands a better chances of being selected for airplay than a good song without. I’m sure you can think of a few examples.
Now, I meant it as a throwaway observation – but Krause is keen as mustard. So she wrote a song.
Check this out: a great radio song that manages to fit the word ‘radio’ in 24 times (as well as once in the title). Not only that – but the entire lyric is specifically directed at radio programmers:
Tell me – how does it sound? The radio edit…
That has to work…
UPDATE: The link to this mp3 has been removed at the request of both the artist and Sony BMG. There’s a story here, but it’s not terribly sensational. I’ve put a few questions and answers in the comments.
Of course – when you want a bit of mainstream airplay, having a major record label on side and a decent plugger working for you – as well as a decent promotional strategy and a bit of budget wouldn’t hurt. But a bit of psychology goes a long way.
Enjoy the song. Oh yeah – and it’s pretty much a race to playlist it first.
It’s got HIT written all over it.