This is an 8 week, UK and EU promotion that is designed for bands/artists who are interested in pursuing a presence in the territory. Support in the form of radio, radio interviews, Spotify® campaign, submission to podcasts, and an introduction to press (in the form of a handful of write-ups). We will also provide our clients with our lists of social media links to stations so that they can thank stations on their social media platforms.

Radio promotion comes in the form of specialty shows, which are common across the UK. Specialty airplay is when a song is played on a specific show, usually encompassing a particular genre (ie. Rock Show or Jazz Show) that is regularly scheduled throughout the day and overnights on various radio stations. The shows are found on traditional radio stations including community, regional & national stations, syndicated shows, university stations, and internet stations. Both commercial and community stations can have specialty shows.

While not all of the campaign is specialist airplay (some general programming as well), a large percentage is targeting programmers of specific shows, which are chosen based on the music. This means that it’s possible to get multiple shows at the same station to play the music. Promotion for these campaigns is complex and in many cases, this requires contacting each specific programmer rather than one overall Music Director, which is the standard in places like the United States.

This 6 week UK Regional Radio Campaign is designed for artists who are starting to become commercially established but still need foundation development. It works well for Pop, Adult Contemporary, Country, or commercial Alternative/Rock genres. The artist has ideally already addressed the social media platforms and has a solid following, are on the DSPs, usually have a PR team (not required), have streamlined their branding, and are ready to take their campaigns to the “next level”. The objective is to pursue a presence in the UK market by targeting both regional radio and specialty shows by presenting the music to the presenters and heads of music (music directors). Radio airplay will vary between regular rotation and spot plays, depending on the station/show and how much the decision-makers like the music. This campaign is a stepping stone to “daytime radio” (the USA term would be commercial or national radio). Although this is not a daytime radio campaign, it is considered the first step, and the music is serviced to the appropriate programmers to introduce them to the artist. Daytime radio generally requires a solid foundation at regional radio before they will commit to playing a record. That is what this campaign is designed to do.

Specialty airplay is when a song is played on a specific show, usually encompassing a particular genre (ie. Country Show or Jazz Show) that is regularly scheduled throughout the day and/or overnights on various stations. The shows are found on traditional radio, including community, regional, national stations, syndicated shows, university stations, and internet stations. Both commercial and community stations can have specialty shows. We target both. While not all of the campaign is specialist airplay, a large percentage is targeting programmers of specific shows, which are chosen based on the music. This means that it’s possible to get multiple shows at the same station to play the music. Promotion for these campaigns is complex and in many cases, this requires contacting each specific programmer rather than one overall Music Director (Head of Music), which is the standard in the United States.

As the artist/band develops, more services can be offered such as radio interview tours, special promotional shows, festivals, etc.

The artist is encouraged to post and tag stations as they play the music. A list of social media links (Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram) will be provided. Many (not all) of our stations are listed there.

This campaign differs from the “B Team” campaign because the objectives are different and this campaign is more aggressive. Some differences include (1) it is focusing on mainstream commercial music (2) the artist’s main goal is to eventually go into Daytime Radio (which is a different campaign which is likely to be done with a new single once the objectives at this level are accomplished.) (3) We may include or recommend additional support services or referrals to other team members that can help including a press team.

Please note, the nature of UK radio is that we will not be able to get exact spin numbers as you may be accustomed to on US radio tracking reports. We can get a sense of spins via a tracking service but it is limited to a small percentage of stations. Rotations are broken up into A List, B List, C List, D List, Spot Play categories based on the individual station’s definition of that playlist. Also, the UK uses the term IMPACT DATE to mark the end of a campaign, not the beginning as the USA does.