If you're an artist, the number two thing you want the most is to have your online music promotion played on the radio. Of course, the number one thing is to sell a lot of records and make a lot of money doing so. So, with these top two goals in mind, the typical artist/record label will go about pursuing these goals by hiring a radio promoter to work the single and get radio spins (especially if there's a budget to do so).

Let me just say that going about it this way is not enough and just won't work. Especially today since the online music promotion industry goes digital and social media has had a tremendous influence in an artist's success, there is no way to expect the record promoter to get the job done. Let me also say that I am not saying that record promoters don't work. I'm simply saying that it is not enough to do the job.

Usually what happens is that an artist will create a new single then almost immediately push it to the record promoter to get some radio spins. If your money is right and you have the budget for it, then of course, you can get some radio spins, BUT that's just in the short run. Getting a couple of spins here and there is not enough to sustain the single and build a steady rotation on radio, especially if your goal is to be on rotation across multiple stations and even regionally or nationally. The problem is that the artist has not given the single enough time to test itself out in the marketplace and gain support from DJs. Another big problem is that artists fail to realize that it's just not that simple getting a radio station to put the single on steady rotation.

The station either needs to have seen a strong buzz for the record and/or artist AND have its DJs have to had supported the single with spins. While a DJ may be one method for getting the single some air time, the decision to put it on rotation is all in the hands of the Music Director, and if the MD doesn't add it to its rotation, then it will be a tough challenge to get those necessary spins.

All is not lost. What I always recommend for artists is to first create a push and pull effect and generate buy-in. What I call push and pull is aggressively servicing the single to DJs, DJ coalitions, and record pools to generate enough support from these DJs so that they can push it out to the marketplace.

DJ support is extremely important to how a record is broken. If enough DJs can get behind the music and push it out there on their mixshows, mixtapes, club sets, and even their online stations, then eventually you'll be able to generate buy-in from your audience and pull them in. It's all about the push and pull effect, and that's how radio also operates.

If the single is buzzing and the artists is generating some attention, then radio is more likely to get behind the single and give it some spins. And that is the point when a radio promoter comes in handy, but DON'T focus on getting radio spins if you haven't created a buzz. Instead, focus on your DJ marketing, digital music promotions, and on building your fan base.