How to Submit Your Music to Radio Stations

Radio airplay isn't dead — it's just changed. While commercial FM is dominated by major labels, college radio, community radio, and internet radio are wide open to independent artists. Getting played on even a handful of stations builds credibility, drives streaming, and can lead to bigger opportunities.

Here's how to submit your music to radio stations the right way.

1. Understand the Radio Landscape

Not all radio is the same. Knowing which tier to target saves you from wasting effort:

• College radio: The most accessible for indies. Stations like KEXP, KCRW, and hundreds of smaller college stations actively seek new independent music. Genre-agnostic but leans indie/alternative.
• Community / NPR radio: Community stations often have local music shows. Great for regional artists.
• Internet / streaming radio: Stations on platforms like SomaFM, Radio Paradise, and curated Spotify playlists' adjacent stations. Lower barrier, global reach.
• Commercial radio: Very hard for indies without a promoter and budget. Generally not worth pursuing until you have traction elsewhere.

Start with college and community radio. They're the most receptive and the gatekeepers are accessible.

2. Prepare Your Submission Package

Radio program directors (PDs) and music directors (MDs) get flooded with submissions. Yours needs to be complete and professional:

• Your best track — one song, mastered and radio-ready. Don't send a full album.
• A radio edit — clean version if there's explicit language (most college stations have FCC rules).
• Cover art — high-res, square, 3000x3000px.
• A one-sheet / EPK — a single page with your bio, photo, track info, ISRC, social links, and any press quotes.
• ISRC code — required by most stations for tracking airplay. If you distributed through DistroKid or similar, your tracks already have ISRCs.
• Genre and similar artists — helps the MD slot you into the right show.

3. Find the Right Stations

Don't blast every station on earth. Target stations that play your genre. A metal track sent to a jazz station is spam, not promotion.

For each station, find:

• The music director or program director name and email
• The station's submission policy (some accept digital, some want physical CDs)
• The show that fits your genre (many stations have specialty shows by genre)

Building this list manually takes hours per station. Gigging Toolkit maintains a database of 1,000+ radio stations with contact info pre-verified, so you can filter by genre and submit in minutes.

4. Write a Submission Email That Gets Opened

Your email is the first impression. Keep it short and professional:

Subject: [Genre] Submission — [Artist] — [Track Title]

Hi [Name],

I'm [Artist], a [genre] artist from [city]. I'd love to submit my new track "[Track Title]" for airplay consideration on [Show Name].

It's similar to [comparable artists]. The track is attached/streamable here: [link]. ISRC: [code].

One-sheet and cover art attached. Happy to send a clean edit if needed.

Thanks for your time, [Name]

Personalize every email. "Dear Music Director" gets deleted. Using the actual name gets opened.

5. Follow Up — Once

Radio MDs are busy students or volunteers. A single polite follow-up 1–2 weeks later is appropriate. More than that is annoying.

"Hi [Name], just following up on my submission of "[Track Title]." Totally understand if it's not a fit — I'd love any feedback if you have a moment. Thanks!"

6. Track Your Airplay

Once a station plays your track, you want to know. Tools like SoundExchange and station-reported charts track commercial play, but for college radio, you often have to ask the MD or check the station's playlist online.

Gigging Toolkit's radio submission tool tracks opens and downloads automatically — you'll see which stations actually listened to your track, not just which ones you emailed.

7. Leverage Airplay

Got played? Don't let it go to waste:

• Add it to your EPK and press kit ("Currently in rotation on [Station]").
• Post clips on social media.
• Use it to pitch to venues and festivals — radio play signals credibility.
• Report it to your PRO (ASCAP/BMI/SESAC) for potential royalties.

8. Rinse and Repeat

Radio is a numbers game. Submit to 50–100 stations per release cycle. Not all will play you, but even 5–10 stations in rotation is a meaningful win for an independent artist.

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Radio submission is one of the highest-ROI marketing activities for independent artists — it's free exposure to engaged listeners. The barrier is the manual work of finding and emailing stations. Gigging Toolkit automates the entire process: one submission emails 1,000+ stations, and you track who actually listened.

Ready to get on the radio? See how it works →