I know what you may be thinking...I want to have my own radio station, but where am I supposed to get content for it? Well, to answer your question, here is a list of some great places to start to find content for your station!
Although purchasing digital or physical copies online and in-store are the most common sources of content, there are also several other ways to obtain content. Check out the list below.
Purchase digital or physical copies from online stores and databases:
- Ebay
- Discogs
- Bandcamp
- 7digital
- Bleep
- Murfie
- eMusic
- I Like Music
- Amazon Digital Music Store
- iTunes Store
- Artist Websites
Purchase physical copies in store:
- Target
- Walmart
- FYE
- Barnes & Noble
- Local CD Stores
- Thrift Stores
Free music sites:
- Jamendo Music
- The A-Infos Radio Project
- SoundCloud
- Note that only some songs are downloadable on SoundCloud.
- SoundClick
- Note that only some songs are downloadable for free.
- Last.fm
- Free Music Archive
- NoiseTrade
- Musopen
- DatPiff
- Note that only some songs are downloadable on DatPiff.
Subscriptions to new music release sites:
- DJ Record Pools: Some of these pools often only allow more established DJs and are therefore hard to get into, but if you are a growing station, then this is potentially an amazing way to get content for your station. However, there are a ton of pools and many allow most DJs in for a monthly subscription fee.
Free music from record labels, recording artists, music promoters, & PR firms:
- It's always a good idea to network with the artists, labels, etc. that you support, especially if you are growing your station. And, not only will networking help grow your station, you might even get some free music too!
Purchasing/receiving copies at concerts and events:
- Artists are always selling (or even giving away for free!) their music at concerts and events, so be on the look out next time you're at a concert or event!
Facebook Groups:
- There is the Facebook Marketplace as well as tons of other Facebook groups for selling things, so join some groups and search around!
Yard Sales:
- If you see a yard sale nearby, check it out! You never know what music you may find.
Your personal collection!
- Your own music is the perfect place to start when building your own station!
Note that you cannot use music from digital streaming services, such as Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, YouTube, or Amazon Music, on your station due to their terms of service. You must purchase a copy, either physical or digital, of the audio material that you intend to use. However, there are some platforms that you may find that offer content for free. As long as you are legally obtaining your content, you can use it on your station.
As you can see, there are many places to obtain content for your radio station. While some content that you are looking for might require you to purchase it, you will surely encounter some other great content across these different sources to make your station the best it can be!
Interested in learning about how to keep up with music releases? Check out this article.
Ready to start your own station? Contact one of our Product Consultants or visit our website today.
Discover thousands of free stations from every genre of music and talk at Live365.com. Keep up with the latest news by following us on Facebook (Live365 (Official) and Live365 Broadcasting) and Twitter (@Live365 and @Broadcast365)!
Article Image: A man with headphones on sitting in front of a laptop. (Wes Hicks via Unsplash.)
