My name is Kate and I  started this research paper for my 102 english course.  I had fun with this topoc and I wanted to see what it  would look in a web-site, so here it is.  Thank you for visiting.

On the Radio

       I can turn on the radio and flip through channels. I may hear music from bands like Life House, Match Box 20, Queen, Faith Hill and many others (depending on the station). I won’t, however, hear music from artists like Rockport Road, Alansmithe, Caledonia, S.J. Tucker, or Ilsey Juber. Why, aren’t these musicians on the radio, are they not good enough? This thought brings up more question. Why is radio important? How does an artist get on the radio? What are the benefits of Radio?

     There is life without radio. A musician can be successful and have a large fan base with little to no air time. "Through out most of the 80’s Metallic had one of the best selling albums with out any radio time," said Beej Bretz from Alice 96.5. He also pointed out that Phish was successful, but they couldn’t get on the radio, despite their success. "They were popular, but radio said, ‘You don’t belong here,’" said Bretz.

     So we see that radio is not a factor that shows whose successful or not, and it is not solely responsible for musical success. Never the less Radio is beneficial to musicians. Radio is basically advertising because the artist doesn’t make money directly but they are getting their product out there and it is being heard. "Generally, when music gets played on the radio, people who really like it enough would just buy a copy of it’s CD, so this way, radio promotes the artist and help them sell recordings," said Eric Jordan, Sax player of Rockport Road. "The radio would have to get permission from the artist to broadcast it, because playing music on the radio is kind of like giving it away for free."

     Since radio is simply a tool to promote music, it is a step that comes after the band or artist has already started to establish their career. It is not a first step. Getting signed and getting a good gig are usually the first breaks that get an artist rolling, but it all varies between artists. Lenny Kravitz and Madonna both said that their first break was getting signed, however, for Madonna, this happened when she got her demo to a deejay named Mark Konin at Danceteria (Oseary). The important thing that applies to all artists is to get their name out there.

     "A band either needs a major record-label deal or a large fan following in one area so that the radio station will feel that it can cater to the local people by putting that band on their station," said the band Alansmithee. A radio station’s main goal is to play music that appeals to their target audience. So they play music they think their selected audience will want to hear. Audience researchers know that they must interpret their data very carefully and read the number cautiously. A staff to do this can only be afforded by a big radio station (Baskerville, 365). Alice caters to its listeners by playing music that the audience can listen to for about twenty minutes and hear the popular songs. For this reason they play a smaller amount of music that belongs to the "super stars." This is some times referred to as "fluff" (Bretz).

There are smaller radio stations that play independent and local music. It is easier for a musician to get their music played on these kinds of radio stations. Two stations like this are KTHX here in Reno and KMHD in Portland. "They pretty much like to get what ever they can," said Eric Jordan of independent and armature radio stations. It may be good to get on to a smaller station, however, being played on a bigger station with well know artists is probably a little more effective in selling an album.

     A band doesn’t just get together, make a demo CD and send it in to a big radio station and get played right away. A band would most likely start out doing gigs before they get their music played on a big radio station. The bigger stations, like Alice, use the singles sent to them by the major-record label. There are so many independent artists and small labels "to wade through," so it is easier to go through major-record labels because they have already sifted through them. "It is also safer because the major-label has done a lot of research" (Bretz). The term "safer" refers to when the station and the record label have a band that they know will do well and there is not a lot of doubt about their success. A safer group or artist could be some one with a previous back ground that they are well known for. An example of this would be an American idol or an old band that has gotten back together.

     Every once in a while, however, someone breaks through with out a major-record label. For example Alice gave Luc a shot after they got their song on a national sound track.. After their first single did well Alice played a couple of their other singles (Bretz). Even the bands like Better Than Ezra and Collective Soul, who are both on the radio with small labels, were previously with major-record labels. Better Than Ezra is making a come back and Collective Soul simply prefers the smaller label, but the radio excepts them because of their major label background. The station knows they are "safe."

     A smaller record label may seem more appealing because they accept a large variety of artists and they are more personal, but there are definite advantages to having a major-record label. Smaller, or independent labels, can give more attention to an artist, but they do not have as much "muscle" or "Financial recourses" as a major-record label might. Also, because an independent label will often enlist the help of a major-record label in the distribution and recording of an album, a percentage of the sales go to both record labels. This results in smaller record royalties and advancements (Borg p.177). Major-record label is very beneficial, but their power is likely generated by only accepting artists they can count on to be beneficial to the company. Borg states that major labels look for artist that are "commercially viable" and give the label the greatest chance for the "quickest possible return on its investment. Some of the tasks that the major-record label perform include: A&R, promotion, advertising, sales, legal, finance, shipping and merchandising (Borg 178).

     Going in to the music business, there are costs and responsibilities to consider. After all it is a business, a career. "It is called show business. If you care about your art so much and you sign a contract, take the time to read it, even if you can’t understand it.," Mark McGrath, of Sugar Ray, ‘s response when asked what was his greatest lesson learned (Oseary p.148). To get a better understanding of how radio benefits an artist or band it is important to look at what it can cost to record a CD and how much money the artists get out of the sales. After all radio is the promotion of their album. In Borg’s handbook he includes a model of what a band receives in advancements from a $300,000 recording fund after certain cost are taken out. From the hypothetical $300,000 Borg takes out $200,000 for recording costs that cover the record producer, studio costs, and equipment. This leaves $100,000 for the band. However, the band must use this to pay of the attorney’s commission, the manager’s commission, the business manager’s commission, and then about $18,000 for taxes. This could add up to $58,000 leaving $42,000 in advancements for the band to divide amongst them selves (p.178-179). The royalties that a new band or artist can expect off an album produced with a major-label recording deal is about 11-16% off the suggested retail price, and 9-13% off the suggested retail price with an independent- label recording deal (p.177-178).

     Before a band gets a record deal they still invest in the making of a demo CD. A demo CD can be made at a private recording studio for about $15-$20 an hour. Another investment is $1,000 in PA systems, amps, mikes, and other equipment. (Eric Jordan). Eric’s band Rockport Road has not yet tried to get on the radio, but the do send out demo CD’s to clubs and bars for potential gigs. One of the things that they include with the demo CD’s is a biography of the band (a musical history of all its members). Eric recommends a website and business card to any band or artist. This is another way to get you name out there. Spreading the name of your band and making it known is important. Even though radio can help do this, there are some artists that prefer not to be on the radio if they can help it.

      Not being on the radio and having an independent sound has appealed to certain hip-hop artists. In 1997 a label called Ground Control Records formed to serve underground Hip-Hop. "The idea was to create an independent label that does deal with artist development; to create a label that pays homage to all the elements of Hip-hop," said Bill Baren, Ground Control’s GM and founder. One artist from Boston, EDO.G. explains that he like this label because of the control they allow him to have over his music (Rashaun p.1). In this situation the bands don’t have a big desire to be on the radio, so they don’t need the muscle power of a major record label.

      Radio is a useful tool, but like all tools, it is not mandatory. Some artist will use this tool a lot and some won’t use it at all, the other will fall in between. The important thing about the music business is the radio, but love of music. It is not just about getting a hit single on the radio; it is about living what you love. "You have to be willing to endure an immeasurable amount of resistance. This is a subjective world where nothing is fair and very little sense can be made of the way things pan out. It’s a pursuit for those who truly love the way music makes you feeling the middle of the night, by yourself, alone in your bun huggers," said McG a producer (Oseary p452). The importance of radio is that is gives us, the listeners, a glimpse of this passion every time we hear a radio playing.

The pictures on this page come from these web-site's:

http://vcpractice.com/shanamorrison5-21-05/pictures/_dsc0125.jpg

http://www.ilseyjuber.com/photos/index.html

http://www.myspace.com/rockportroad

http://www.myspace.com/alansmithee

http://www.custombassguitars.com/images/custom-bass-guitars.jpg

http://vcpractice.com/shanamorrison5-21-05/pictures/_dsc0145.jpg

This webpage was edited by Kate Jordan, December 1, 2005

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