Podcasting – What Is It And How Can You Benefit From It?

Traditional radio is slowly becoming obsolete as technology in modern times grows in leaps and bounds. We last discussed internet radio, which is basically audio files streamed over the internet to whomever chooses to listen to it. And in this article we’ll be discussing podcasting. Which is very similar to internet radio, yet has its differences. Basically it is an updated version of streaming internet radio, and then some.

What is podcasting?
A podcast is a multimedia file that is distributed by subscription over the Internet using different syndication feeds. Podcasting is an automatic mechanism whereby multimedia computer files are transferred from a server to a client, which pulls down XML files containing the Internet addresses of the media files. In general, these files contain audio or video, but also could be images, text, PDF, or any file type. You can playback these files on mobile devices such as iPods, and personal computers. These podcast subscriptions can be both paid and unpaid, allowing the podcasters (author of the podcast) to be compensated. One of the big differences between podcasting and internet radio, is that with podcasting you have the ability to download the podcast automatically using software capable of reading feed formats such as RSS or Atom. The feed is a list of the URLs by which episodes of the show may be accessed. This list is usually published in RSS format, which provides other information, such as publish date, titles, and accompanying text descriptions of the series and each of its episodes. Standard podcasts consist of a feed from one author. More recently multiple authors have been able to contribute episodes to a single podcast feed using concepts such as public podcasting and social podcasting.

How do I create a podcast?
The process of creating your podcast is almost identical to the process of creating content for an internet radio station. If you haven’t read my article titled “Setting Up Your Own Internet Radio Station”, I suggest that you go back and read that for a primer on what gear you’ll need to create your final podcast (most likely) MP3 file. When you do have your final content in hand, you’ll need to submit it to different podcast listing sites. One very visible podcast site you should look into is Yahoo podcasts, and also check out this massive list of podcasting site links. http://www.podcasting-tools.com/submit-podcasts.htm

This is a simple description of what a podcast is, and very basic directions on how to record and distribute your own cast. With the popularity of iPods and other portable media players, podcasting seems to be the next step in the evolution of standard radio. With the large amount of people utilizing this media outlet, it stands to be something that has yet to display its full potential of use and usability. If you have something to say, say it via podcast.

About Author:
Jason Cole and DiskFaktory Jams offer free downloadable music videos and music lyrics. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting DFJams.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Guide To Radio Promotion - Radio Promotion Basics

Guide To Radio Promotion - Radio Promotion Basics

by The Music Connect,
Radio is becoming more and more important in an artists career, but steady radio play is becoming harder and harder to obtain. The best way for an artist to get radio play that people are listening to is satellite radio via XM or Sirius. This form of radio is more supportive and accepting of independent and unsigned artists.

When starting your radio campaign most artists should start at a local level by contacting there local stations and see if they have a show for local artists, which many stations do. Make sure you post the station's request information on your website and have all of your fans request this song. This will get the stations attention. Even if they were not going to play your music, they may now take a second look after they see you have a fan base in the area.

The new step in your promotion of your song towards radio is pressing up copies of the single. There are many places that will thermal print your CDs and put them in jewel cases. You should not pay more then 55 cents a unit for this.

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The next step is sending this song to your local radio stations again, all of the stations pertaining to your genre in your region, XM and Sirius, as well as any internet radio stations.

Radio promotion can be very time consuming and frustrating, and for many artists, a waste of time. You have to know when it is right to take your band to the next level by pursuing radio plays. This should come at a time when you have a fan base and have done a consistent amount of shows in your region. The radio play should accompany an album release. If it doesn't, many stations will not even think about playing your song unless you have a release coming out that has distribution where the radio station's signals reach.

Once you do start receiving some radio play contact the stations to see if you can do a "phoner" (an interview on their station via phone). Many of these phoner interviews are recorded and played on air at a later date, while a few are actually live.

Many artists wonder whom to contact at the radio station. The person you should be directing all of your music and information to is the program director. You should also give your music to popular DJs at the station you are targeting as they do have a very small bit of input on what is added to rotation, and some might help by giving your album a mention during their show.

You can employ a radio promotions company, but this will not be cheap. I do not recommend hiring a radio promotions company for an unsigned artist or an independent artist with a small budget because the failure rate of these campaigns is very high and many singles. And, artists are broken on radio with little or no money invested at all. Wait until you get a substantial budget to use a company that promotes to radio.

Before you start your radio campaign you should have the following checklist with all of the boxes checked:

* A budget of at least $1,000 USD for printing of CDs, mailing, mailing supplies, and other costs you may incur.

* A fan base of many people who check your website and buy your CDs regularly. If no one at all is buying your CDs, then what makes you think they want to hear you on the radio?

* A song of yours that many people have listened to and they all feel it has the potential to become a hit. Even run it by your local radio station to get their feedback.

* Make sure you have a release, tour, or many shows coming up so the promotion on radio is worth it. So many artists attack radio with everything they have trying to get a major deal, and it doesn't work out and the money they spent is not recouped. Don't always shoot for a record deal. Work on selling your albums and growing a fan base and the fame and money will come.

Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © MusicDish LLC 2007 - Republished with Permission

Radio Play: Will Topping The Charts Make You Bigger Than Elvis?

Every true life rock ‘n’ roll television melodrama has the same scene: the unknown artist/band gives their freshly cut 45rpm single to the local disc jockey. He spins it on his top 40 radio show…and a star is born. This legend has been passed down through the generations of wannabe popstars like an ancient family recipe. The ingredients may differ, but in the end you get the same glorious results: radio play equals fame and fortune.

But does this Top of the Charts fairytale still apply today in the sardonic post new millennium world we call “today”? Can a band in our current music scene walk into a radio station with a CD single in their hot little hands, impress and wow the DJ with their enthusiasm and chutzpa, obtain the magic and golden FM radio spins and then ride the wave of success all the way to Graceland? Well, then, I guess the real question would be, “Do you believe in fairytales?”

Unfortunately, the music industry, like the entire Earth, has become so overpopulated and so oversaturated with artists, music, CDs, and radio stations/shows of all kinds, that the chance of your own personal radio fairytale coming true is probably slim to none. But, don’t give up on your favorite audio media outlet. Radio may not catapult you to instant superstardom but it certainly can help to push you down the path to success.

The following are a few tips that will help you to make your own music fairytale and get your music heard throughout the airwaves:

1.) Get Out Of Major Market The Top 40 Station Mentality---There was a day when getting played on a big city Top 40 radio station was like winning a gold medal at the Olympics. Bands that were chosen for play were handpicked by the voices of the airwaves whose ears were finely tuned to pick out the next new rising star. Today, things are a little different. Radio has become a huge corporation with three major conglomerates owning most of the stations in the United States. Sadly, Disc jockeys are no longer the innovators their predecessors were. Station management hands down a playlist (made exclusively of artists signed to mostly major labels) and the voices you hear on your radio are just that…talking heads animating a script. It’s nearly impossible for an unknown band to break into mainstream large metropolis radio and a waste of your time and money to send packages blindly to a medium that will more than likely reject you again and again.

2.) The Specialty Show Is Your Ticket In---Still determined to get played on that hot radio station with 10 million listeners and a celebrity DJ? Well, there is a backdoor that you may be able to slip through. It’s the specialty show. Many huge stations feature a weekly show structured just to highlight the little guy…to showcase unsigned artists from that station’s area and sometimes beyond. These shows are always worth sending your press package to, as they tend to base their playlist on your music and your credentials on not on the typical corporate artist roster. This is where you just might wow that innovative disc jockey and garner play on some of America’s biggest stations.

3.) College Radio Still Rocks---One area of radio that has stayed unaffected by the huge corporate retooling is the college/university station. Unlike companies/labels deciding what the listening audience thinks is cool or hip, college radio DJs and program directors are still setting their own cutting edges, breaking new artists, and finding the hot fresh stars of tomorrow hiding in their local clubs, coffee houses and garages. It’s always beneficial for unsigned artists to send as many CDs (or email as many MP3s, if the station will accept that medium) to as many college stations as you can find. You will find stations to play you and people will be listening. This could lead to new fans, tour possibilities, and will definitely look fantastic on the radio page of your website or EPK. Whether or not it will actually make you a rockstar, it will sure make you feel like one.

4.) The Unlimited World Of Independent Radio---Back in the early days of radio, indie stations were limited to audio pirates in their basements stealing airwaves from unsuspecting Top 40 giants. Now, thanks to the internet, satellites, cell phones, iPods and cable TV, independent stations outnumber their AM/FM constituents in the thousands and new ones are created every day. Since doing a search of indie radio stations online has been known to cause a brain embolism in some, know that you will probably never be able to solicit them all in one lifetime and just relax and enjoy sending music to whomever you can, as you will probably garner hoards of airplay. Furthermore, your wallet will grow to love you as most of these stations will allow you to submit MP3s online.

It’s true that the legendary story of the unknown band that got one single played on the radio and became superstars within a month is probably as outdated as the 8-Track tape. But that doesn’t mean that the process of artists soliciting music for radio play has become archaic. Radio remains, to this day, one of the best ways for musicians to promote their music and their projects in their area….and now, thanks to terrific technological advancements, nationally and worldwide. The repetition of your single in the ears of even the most jaded radio listener, may lead to: CD and merchandise sales, gigging opportunities in your city and others, visits to your website, posts to your fan club forums, potential press and even maybe industry attention. So, don’t stop sending those CDs, and emailing those MP3s because the next person who hears your song on the radio might just be the one who leads, either directly or indirectly, to your much sought record deal. And who knows? You might just wind up becoming bigger than Elvis.

About Author:
Sheena Metal is a radio host, producer, promoter, music supervisor, consultant, columnist, journalist and musician. Her syndicated radio program, Music Highway Radio, airs on over 2,400 affiliates to more than 126 million listeners. Her musicians’ assistance program, Music Highway, boasts over 10,000 members. She currently promotes numerous live shows weekly in the Los Angeles Area, where she resides. For more info: http://www.sheena-metal.com.

Your Music on the Radio

Radio Artistopia is where the Internet listens to new music from the best indies and unsigned artists and bands from across the world.

Radio Artistopia (RA) is a free music webcast with the sole purpose of providing independent artists with on-air exposure. With an all-day program packed with a variety of independent music, RA plays music from all walks of the music industry. From pop and electronic to smooth jazz to heavy metal to country and gospel, you can be sure to find the right mood on RA, for free! No paid subscriptions, no annual dues, no 99 cent downloads, just virgin music performed by talented underground artists looking to build a fan base.

How can you get your music on RA? The great talent heard on Radio Artistopia are all members of the artist development and community at Artistopia - so join today and get on the playlist!

Some Radio features:
Radio Intros are a very cool part of the webcast where members can basically intro their own song by stating their name and do a station identification and include a vocal riff.

Song requests - hear a band or artist and want to hear it again? There are two ways to do that, the first being to click on their name and follow the link to their member profile to learn more about them and listen immediately to their song. Or directly request their song to come back up in the next playlist cycle.

All musicians, singers, songwriters and bands would like feedback on their creation. You can rate the production of the song quality right from RA and go to their profile for a star rating and comment area.

Latest news releases from your favorite artists is a great way to see what that artist or band is up to.

Music charts show the top genre cream of the crop artists from Artistopia.

Webcast Schedule

Religious
Time From - 6:00:01 AM To 8:00:00 AM Everyday (USA EST)
Wake up in the morning to the heavenly sounds of gospel and Christian music performed by talented independent artists.
Included Skits - Gospel, Christian

Ole West
Time From - 8:00:01 AM To 10:00:00 AM Everyday (USA EST)
Begin your day with country music delivered to you from gifted and poetic independent artists.
Included Skits - Country, Western

All Day Mix
Time From - 10:00:01 AM To 4:00:00 PM Everyday (USA EST)
Spend the day listening to chart toppers, popular downloads, and peer reviewed songs of all genres.
Included Skits - Top 100 Mix

Indie Request
Time From - 4:00:01 PM To 6:00:00 PM Everyday (USA EST)
Radio Artistopia levels the playing field amongst the artists by airing songs strictly on a request basis.
Included Skits - Indie Fan Picks

Bang Yer Head
Time From - 6:00:01 PM To 7:00:00 PM Everyday (USA EST)
Bang yer head with heavy metal rock and alternative music performed by talented independent bands.
Included Skits - Heavy Metal, Alternative

Mainstream
Time From - 7:00:01 PM To 11:00:00 PM Everyday (USA EST)
Tap into every type of music from pop to hip hop to rhythm and blues backed by powerful and soulful vocals.
Included Skits - Pop & Rock, Hip Hop & Rap, R&B

Buzzzzz Zone
Time From - 11:00:01 PM To 11:59:59 PM Everyday (USA EST)
Fall into a trance by listening to digital music designed to control all aspects of your emotions.
Included Skits - Electric

Piano Lounge
Time From - 12:00:01 AM To 3:00:00 AM Everyday (USA EST)
Ease your mind to a relaxing lounge atmosphere of jazz, blues, and easy listening music.
Included Skits - Jazz, Easy Listening, Blues, Classical

Pangea Mix
Time From - 3:00:01 AM To 5:00:00 AM Everyday (USA EST)
Enjoy cultural music performed by rising independent stars from all over the world.
Included Skits - World

Undetermined
Time From - 5:00:01 AM To 6:00:00 AM Everyday (USA EST)
Listen to experimental music thriving to discover its own space in the music industry.
Included Skits - Undetermined





Let the music play!