As we continue to investigate the best ways for independent artists to get their music played on both terrestrial and online radio stations, we wanted to talk to someone with first hand knowledge of what stations look for when selecting music to play on air. To do so, we reached out to our friend Erica who has been involved in the radio industry for over 25 years. She is currently a program manager WXNA 101.5 FM in Nashville, TN, where she hosts two shows, ‘Soul of the City’ and ‘Mode.Radio.’ Through her ‘Soul of the City’ show, she has introduced many local and independent neo-soul artists to her listening audience.
The Crafty Musician blog is proud to feature Erica from WXNA in this edition of Industry Spotlight, to tell us how to get your music played on the radio…
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First of all, tell us about the focus and mission of the station you work at…
It’s a freeform, listener-supported radio station created by and for the community in Nashville, TN. Our mission there is to provide diverse and innovative programming that reflects the music, culture, concerns, and interests of Nashville and the surrounding area
How did you get into radio in the first place?
I actually got my start in radio at WUOG 90.5 FM in Athens, GA (University of Georgia). After finishing my Bachelor’s degree at UGA in 1994, I started teaching while doing part-time radio work. Then, in 1998, I started working on my masters at Georgia State University and worked at WRAS 88.5 FM. I also worked at a volunteer station in Atlanta at the same time.
How did you end up at WXNA in Nashville?
One of the founding DJs, Tim Hiber, was an old friend of mine from when I was working at a WRAS in Atlanta from 1997 to 2003. I ran into him at an event in Nashville and he told me about WXNA. I was originally going to do a electronic dance show, but Tim was already doing one, so I decided to try a neo-soul show because I already had so much of that in my collection. I have been at the station since its first week in June 2016.
Tell us more about your neo-soul show, Soul of the City…
I had subbed for a similar show in Atlanta and I had always enjoyed neo-soul and alternative soul music. Since WXNA is pretty much a “bring your record collection” station, that’s what I did. I had a lot of Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, and lesser known artists like Julie Dexter, Omar, Anthony David. I wanted to model my show after the neo-soul/alternative soul shows in Atlanta that have a nice mellow vibe. Once I started, I began to realize that there was a community of soul artists here in Nashville that never had radio airplay. As those artists began sending me music, I began to play them and fit them in the show with the more well known music. I decided immediately that my show would be that source in Nashville for the soul artists that were expanding the genre and showcasing their talent.
Nice! It sounds like quite a few local and independent artists have been sending you their music. Have you been impressed by some of them?
Yes, almost all of them, especially those from Nashville or who had lived/worked in Nashville. There are Nashville natives like Lindsay Lomis and CoJo Ko, who live and breathe “Music City.” Many of the artists back country musicians or are session musicians. Mike Hicks, who plays keys for Rascal Flatts, is one of them. Along with Jason Eskridge, who is a backup singer for almost everyone in Nashville and the founder of weekly “Sunday Night Soul” show here in the city. Some artists are connected to Nashville’s rich African-American heritage. Lauren McClinton, a former Fisk University Jubilee Singer is doing big things now. Saaneah, a Tennessee State University grad, is now an international model and amazing singer! Some have come to attend Nashville’s largest university music programs, like Morgan Bosman and Jamiah, who attended Belmont University. Of course, there are the transplants to the ‘Ville, like Anitra Jay ;), R.Lum.R and Devon Gilfillian who added their slants to Music City. All of which have appeared on “Soul of the City.”
Wow, sounds like there’s a nice scene there besides country music. Kind of makes me wish we hadn’t left. What are some things that have allowed artists to really stand out to you?
Creativity of sound is the biggest thing for me. I want that wow factor that will make me listen to a whole song and not skip through. Marketing is key too. If I see a great photo with your music, I’m more tempted to give it a full listen.
Okay, so maybe including a nice and interesting promo pic along with the music will encourage the stations to give it a listen. If someone other than the artist is sending you their music, like a manager or representative, does that improve the chances of you playing it, assuming it’s good?
It really doesn’t matter who sends it, it’s all about the music. There are some mainstream artists that I’ll get that just doesn’t work on SOTC. There are some indie artists with amazing packages but the music just is not working. The reality is good music gets good radio airplay. Period.
Got it! What percentage of one of your typical shows would you say consists of local and independent artists versus mainstream? Do you consciously try to stick to a ratio on a regular basis?
I try to keep the percentage at 50-50, since I recognize that I have a portion of my audience who have never heard of neo-soul, indie soul before. I need to give them something familiar. Sometimes I do that by mixing each 15 minute set with indie, local, then mainstream artists, and sometimes I do that where 45 minutes of the show is mainstream or nationally known indie artist and the other 45 is local.
Wow, that’s great that you give the lesser known artists that much love! How do you typically find artists to play on your show?
When I first started, I would go to the social media pages of the artists that I was already playing and see who they followed. I also went to websites like neosoulcafe.com and wclk.com and just listened to what was out there. Finally, I went to my favorite record store in Atlanta, Moods Music, to get the latest. Now, I’m on many lists that send me music and I also get music sent directly to me either through social media or through email.
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What is your advice for artists when submitting their music to stations in general?
EPKs are very necessary. It helps us to find out more info on you, especially if you have no internet presence yet. Details in the EPK such as where are you from, influences, description of style, other tracks that have been released, and all social media are a must. Also, clean edits when sending songs. If I love a song, I don’t want to spend my time editing it for radio. I will quickly play a song already edited and ready to go versus one that is not.
So the takeaways there are to include your EPK along with your music, and to make sure any curse words are edited out of your songs. I understand this is specific to terrestrial radio and that cursing is usually not an issue with online stations, is that correct? If so, it seems like artists need to consider what type of station they’re sending their music to and to make sure they have edited versions if necessary…
Yes most definitely. All stations that are terrestrial have to abide with FCC rules, especially before 10PM at night. Even though WXNA has a strong online presence, we are still heard over the air on the radio. Simply put, we have to abide by those FCC rules or we could be shut down with excessive complaints. So the artists really do need to do their research. Also, in the case of WXNA and other volunteer stations, the programming could be totally based on who the DJ of the show is. Some stations have a “regular rotation” where they take songs suggested by their volunteers and play them at times where there are no shows. Other stations have so many volunteers, that they don’t have a “regular rotation.” Researching helps the artist to know who and where they should send their music to.
That’s really good to know. What are some mistakes you’ve seen artists make in the past when submitting their music to you?
Again, sending unclean versions and not returning my message to please edit. Also, sending just the track but not any promo material. You don’t have to send a pic, I just need to know more about you as an artist.
Okay, so including a short bio or some kind of introduction into who you are as an artist is helpful. Tell us about your submission process and requirements…
Any artist can email me at soulofthecitynashville@gmail.com with music, epk’s etc. I normally check my email on Mondays for Thursday’s show. Depending on how much music and if I’m doing any interviews for that week’s show, I may push your track from playing ahead a week or two. If I like your track, I like to email you directly to let you know when it will be played on the air.
What are some things you wish artists knew when submitting their music to stations?
Listen to the sound of the station. If you are a hardcore hip-hop artist but the station is playing neo-soul, they may not be able to fit you in. However, if you have a mellow hip-hop track for a neo-soul show, it may work.
It sounds like you get quite a few music submissions that really don’t fit the sound of your show…
Early on, that was true. Some artists and managers were like “This is a soul show. I’m going to send you Memphis Blues or pop with a soulful singer” The assumption was all soul shows were alike and that isn’t true. As the show became more popular, people “got it” and began sending stuff that fit in. Also, I began to be a little more discerning on what will work on the show, especially since we have now gotten a lot of music submissions. My primary goal in playing new stuff is finding what will work on the show and highlighting hard-working artists with good music who need a start.
Any other advice you’d like to share that we haven’t covered?
Research your station and listen to it. If you truly feel your track will fit, send it, Any doubts, don’t. Also, have a team to get your name out there. There are plenty of groups who send music to tons of radio stations and it will save you time.
How can we keep in touch? Do you have any upcoming projects you’re involved with on the station and how can we follow you?
Currently, my socials are @soulofthecitynashville for FB and IG and @soulofthecity9 for Twitter. Email is soulofthecitynashville@gmail.com. Soul of the CIty comes on every Thursday 4:30-6PM CST on WXNA 101.5/wxnafm.org in Nashville. Currently, I’m getting involved in the promotions end of the station so watch my socials for any upcoming events.
Great! Thank you so much Erica for your time and we wish you the best!
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