What does it mean to get added into rotation at radio ?
You promoted your song to radio with Play MPE’s Caster and want to know if it is getting airplay, so you sign up for MTR to track your spins. Now what? Once a spin is detected by MTR your airplay data will show up in your MTR dashboard by radio station, city and daypart. When a station plays a song more than once it can be an early indication of a potential “add”. Getting a song added into rotation at a radio station is a very exciting moment for many reasons. With MTR’s latest update, now when your song is added into rotation at a radio station it will send an alert directly to your inbox!
Getting your first spin at a radio station
Your first spin at radio can be a tremendous moment for a new artist or even a promoter pushing a brand new single. It means the song is resonating and is in the early stages of making an impact at radio. MTR is a great way to keep on top of your radio spins whether you are an industry professional looking to track multiple releases by a roster of artists, or a manager or independent artist or label looking to monitor spins DIY. MTR tracks 5000+ radio stations across North America. To learn more head here. Some stations might test out a new song once and never play it again, or they may play it a few times and then stop. But when a song is having its moment – whether that be because a DJ is obsessed with it, and/or listeners and street teams are requesting it, or there is just a ton of buzz around it, that station may add that song into rotation!
What does rotation at radio mean?
Once a radio station plays your songs more than a set amount of times within a particular time frame – this indicates that the station has added the song into some form of early rotation. I.e. that radio station is likely to keep spinning the song for anywhere from 2 – 4 and upwards of 6-12 weeks, or even longer in some cases. Rotation is essentially when a song is getting repeated spins on a continuous basis whether that be light, medium or heavy. While established artists are more likely to get automatic “adds” leading to heavier rotation than emerging artists, it does happen!
What is the difference between light, medium and heavy rotation?
Light rotation indicates that a station is playing the song once a day or say around 5-10 per week. Medium rotation can mean multiple spins per day. And heavy rotation would be for those massive hits or any song the DJ or station can’t stop spinning on repeat daily for weeks on end! You are unlikely to hear the song twice within an hour as radio stations aim to avoid over saturation to keep listeners engaged. However the song will likely be spinning frequently throughout the day, every day, for weeks or months depending on how long the song is at peak impact.
Why does rotation at radio matter?
Getting a song added into rotation at a radio station is a good indicator that the song may chart if it is playing on reporting stations. It also means there is a solid chance the song will get airplay and even rotation on other radio stations. Radio rotation means your song is trending! Not only does every spin at radio mean hundreds to thousands of listeners could be tuned in, it also means increased royalties. Radio royalties are known to pay substantially more than streaming. So while you are generating income from your songs, you are also growing your fanbase and building solid relationships with stations that can lead to many opportunities!
A station that has added a song into rotation is much more likely to be open to doing on-air interviews, in-station performances and/or ticket and merch giveaways. You are also going to be much more appealing to booking agents looking to get bands into better venues on prime dates for more money.
How to Leverage Radio Spins
Tracking your radio spins – especially at stations where your song is in rotation – is integral to any well-thought out release rollout. Learn when & where your song is gaining traction so you can better map out tours in target music markets and reach out to the media for potential interviews. Update one-sheets and bios with impressive stats for your music team whether that be your label, manager, publicist or booking agent.
Radio serves to not only provide another source of income for recording artists but it helps to legitimize an artist in the industry’s eyes. Rotation at radio can really help an artist grow a fanbase in a particular area! So make sure to not only track your radio spins with MTR, but analyze this crucial data to optimize your overall marketing strategy and benefit from buzz points and related content!
Sharing Your Radio Wins
What band doesn’t want to tell their social followers they just got added into rotation at their favourite radio station. Radio promotions love to be able to tell an artist and their music team that they just landed heavy rotation on all of their wishlist stations!
It’s not just about rotation. If a song gets a spin at radio and the station this is the moment where an artist can rally their fans or street team to click “like” on a radio station’s post about a song of the week, or they can call in to request it. This information gives a promoter the chance to reach out to stations and consider a radio tour or other means to help the song’s potential expand. These early moves may make the difference between getting an add into rotation or not. MTR’s dashboard empowers indie artists and promoters by providing airplay reporting in real-time so you don’t have FOMO. Don’t miss out on opportunities that radio play and rotation can provide! Get MTR today.