The Music Scout (Alternative)

Author: Jay Goldberg

Last month I mentioned a marketing program to provide stations with music that can only be heard on their stations (for a year) and use that music as giveaways in station contests, as listener rewards, etc. It is asking an indie artist to record a cover song; have the station pay for the mechanical license for 100 digital downloads (use easysong.com and enter the code "musicscout365" to get 30% off the admin fees at Easy Song, making your cost about $24); ask for a one year exclusive on the cover song; and then feature the song on your station back-to-back with an original song by the indie artist. The station keeps one digital download for airplay, and uses the other 99 however you like. For more information, read last month's column.

Now on to how to program the back-to-back songs using clockwheels and then something I want to implement to enhance the value of this program, and future programs I will write about.

On my station I have a shoutout of the week which is a song I feature Mondays through Thursdays approximately 6 times each day using a clockwheel. I accomplish this by having a clockwheel run for 23:59 and having a rotation of category codes that I estimate takes 4 hours. Here are the parameters I use for the over 6,000 songs I have on the station: same artist 45 minutes, same album 60 minutes, same title 30 minutes, and same track 120 minutes. I then add the category code "shoutout" to the current song that is shoutout of the week and temporarily eliminate all other codes whereby the song could be selected for that clockwheel (I keep track of the codes I eliminate so I can remove "shoutout" and add them back when the song's reign ends). Do the same thing for the cover you are featuring using a category code like "featurecover." For the the second song in the back-to-back, temporarily remove all codes for the clockwheel you are using for that artist's songs and add in a category code like "featureartist." When the reign ends, get rid of "featurecover" and "featureartist" and put in/back the appropriate category codes. One additional note and recommendation, I have the shoutout at the end of hour 2 in the estimated 4-hour clockwheel. I would move that back to the end of hour 3 or beginning of hour 4 depending on the scenario. Occasionally I have to program my 23:59 day with a 1 hour block and then a 22:59 hour block because of the separation rules going from the end of a day to the beginning of the next day (since I have a 2 hour separation of same track, if a day ends with the shoutout I have to put in an hour of the clockwheel so the shoutout won't first play until the end of hour 3 instead of hour 2.)

Next, I believe a Live365 radio station marketing co-op is a good idea. In fact, I want to start one with a minimum of 12 stations (including mine) and a maximum (for now at least) of 25 stations. As I write about marketing ideas in future columns, I will indicate how a marketing co-op could benefit that program. For the co-op I am creating, stations must play mainstream rock, alternative, adult alternative, or new wave and play (or will play) current indie and small label artists. Assuming 25 stations, in terms of this “cover song” promotion, the originating station for the cover would keep a 6-month exclusive and then send the cover to the other 24 stations in the marketing co-op for airplay. This gives all stations in the marketing co-op a limited 6-month exclusive for that song; and means that the originating station now has 75 digital downloads to use in station contests and listener rewards instead of 99. In addition, when they send the cover to the other 24 stations, they should include the names of at least 2 or 3 original songs by the indie/small label artist that they recommend the other station owners check out. This greatly enhances the value of the offering to the indie/small label artist who is recording the cover, and should also result in an ongoing relationship between that artist and the station going forward.

Send an email to rockonneon@gmail.com if you want to be kept in the loop regrading the marketing co-op. Please write marketing co-op in the subject field so I can give your email more immediate attention (I get thousands of song submissions every month).

Now onto the music.

“Camus And Satre” by Subtheory

The Subtheory is a project by Andy Hill who has had music played on TV broadcasts of European football, American football, boxing, and more. This song is about rivalry. Camus and Sartre were once friends who had a falling out (and to tie in sports, they were both avid football fans).

“One in the Same” by Soul Solution 696

How about a crossover song from a metal band that works as a heavier alternative rock song as well? The band describes themselves as having a vintage metal feel with a very modern twist, and is known for their live shows that include a quality light show.

“Goodbye” by Ashbury Keys

Ashbury Keys is a Texas-based alternative rock band centered around brothers David and Darwin Keys. This song is about a difficult relationship where the singer seems to desperately want it to work. The music and lyrics are ideal leading up to the singer's final goodbye, where I actually get chills.

“They Want More” by Ages and Ages

This Portland, Oregon band has gone through some personnel changes with Tim Perry and Rob Oberdofer being the only two remaining original members. This song is off the band's second album Divisionary released in 2014. Their song “No Nostalgia” was used by President Obama during his 2012 campaign.

“The Light At The End Of The Line” by Janis Ian

Here's a song for adult alternative stations and for progressive 60s and 70s stations that want to include more current songs from the artists they play. This song was released in 2021 by an artist whose song “Society's Child” was one of the first records (a 45) I ever bought.

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