However, things have changed. Fans and radio station alike have certain demands. Should artists just give in and make radio-ready music? Is there a specific length songs need to be in order to have mass appeal? But first, if it's your aim to do music professionally, you'll want to check out our free ebook while it's still available:. In general, a radio-ready song is one that is three minutes, give or take 30 seconds. It doesn't have a long intro, and it should get to the main hook within the first 30 seconds.
Typically, even if it has an instrumental break, it's a shorter one, because three and a half minutes doesn't offer a lot of breathing room.
But to really get to the bottom of this issue, we have to take a closer look at radio in general. If you're an independent artist, you have to remember that your chances of getting on mainstream radio are close to none. College radio, community radio and internet radio tend to present better opportunities for independents. So, if you're going to be sending your music to specialty programs, college stations, community stations and the like, you don't necessarily have to fit the typical pop mold.
You'll still want to make sure that your music fits the esthetic of specific stations or programs you're sending it to, but you'll probably have a lot more flexibility as far as song length is concerned. If you one day hope to be heard on mainstream or DAB radio , then perhaps deviating from the formula isn't a good idea.
Sticking to the format won't guarantee you airplay, but at least you'll be better positioned to move into that space should the opportunity present itself. In the end, it really depends on your goals.
At the same time, if you're going to be sending your music to radio stations — no matter the format — you do need to be aware of what they're looking for so you have a better chance of getting played.
There are a few different ways of answering this question when starting a song. If you recorded and released a seven-minute song, would your fans listen to it and enjoy it? Would they appreciate the experience that such a song could provide? Or would they rather hear a radio-ready hit?
This depends on what your fans have come to expect from you. In general, though, your fans are the ones supporting your music and your career, so pleasing and delighting them should be high on your priority list. If you give them something they like, you'll keep them coming back for more. Also keep in mind that longer intros, instrumental breaks and solos tend to work well onstage, and even bands or artists that aren't in the habit of writing longer songs may play extended versions of their songs in concert.
This means that you don't necessarily have to sacrifice your vision onstage, even if you do in the studio. We get in big trouble and we will never, ever play you again.
So, edit out the swearing! There is a sweet spot for a radio edit length, and that is around 3 minutes. It fits nicely into an hour and you can fit all the components of a song into it. I hear what you're saying but that is an exception to the rule. You have to earn your stripes to be able to play a song of that length.
Keep it simple, keep it short. Generally, as presenters, we have to hit the news as close to on-the-hour as possible, so we tend to end up with this awkward amount of time that is hard to fill.
If you can make a song that is 2 minutes to 2 minutes 30, then we can just throw it in there. This is so much better for the listener than listening to us waffle to fill the dead air. You may have heard people say you have to get straight into the vocals, but as a presenter sometimes I like a little intro that I can talk over. There is another part to this. Every week, pluggers come in to play their latest tracks by their clients to you as a music coordinator.
They have a 10 minute appointment and want to play 5 or more songs. Do the maths - they cannot play every song all of the way through. They can really only play a little snippet of it. It is always important for your track to be a radio edit. This leaves all the juicy hook lines and catchy choruses for the radio listeners to enjoy. Some radio stations prefer songs to be fresh and new to the market, whereas others could not care less about how old the song is.
You really need to get to know the DJs at the station and actually listen to their shows. See how your genre and music could possibly fit in. Maybe they have a section of their show dedicated to your genre of music for example? Do you have any tips for songwriters increasing their chance of radio play? Leave them in the comments section below! Publishing Sync Roster Blog Contact.
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