Promote music to radio with Caster
To make promoting your music to radio and more, even easier, Play MPE is proud to announce a major update to Caster. Get an account set up faster with Self Sign Up and promote music to radio (and more) with Caster even more efficiently.
If you are new to music promotion and want to get started but need some advice, contact support to get connected to an industry relations team member. Need advice on radio formats, music markets, how to best work within your budget and still meet your music goals? Want to be sure your recording is broadcast ready?
Our experts have decades of experience in radio, promotions (major record labels, independents and top promo companies), music supervision and sync licensing, artist management, music media and more.
If you have a broadcast ready release (read: mixed & mastered WAV/AIFF) that you want curators in radio, media and more to hear – Play MPE is for you!
This latest feature update to Caster supports those who don’t need a consultation and are ready to start promoting music right away.
If you are serious about leveling up your music career by getting your music to verified industry contacts in radio, media, blogs, music supervision (film & TV sync), curation (retail/restaurants/airlines) – make sure to sign up for Caster here.
Check out this video to see how to promote and track your music with Play MPE
Why promote your music to radio with Caster?
Play MPE’s distribution lists are filled with up-to-date, verified contacts to help you get your music heard by industry professionals across 6 continents. You can target curators by music format and market with a la carte promotion packages, or get your music even further with an International Bundle.
Sign up for a Caster account
Sign up for Caster by clicking any Promote Music button on the website, or sign up here (link to sign up). Enter your email address and create a password. Sign up for Caster first, and a MTR account will be set up for you automatically. Once you have signed up for Caster (or MTR) you will receive a Welcome Email and can sign in!
Before creating your first promotional release, we recommend having the essentials ready to go.
You will need:
- Album art
- Broadcast ready WAV or AIFF song files
- Metadata (ISRCs, UPC, songwriter splits, publishing details)
- Promotional information: press release, bio, tour dates, music video link etc.
- Assets: promo photos, one-sheet, bio – you can include up to 5 attachments
If you are missing any information, or simply need more time, you can “save as draft” and come back to complete your release before submitting.
Learn more about Caster before you get started, by watching tutorials for each step of our easy 4-step process:
Caster Tutorial 1: Uploading Music
Caster Tutorial 2: Promotional Email
Caster Tutorial 3: Distribution Packages
Caster Tutorial 4: Release Summary & Next Steps
Ready to start promoting your music to radio and more? Sign up for Caster here.
View curator engagement with Caster Reporting
After you have distributed your music promotion, it is key to keep tabs of Caster Reporting. This is where you will see which curators are engaging with your release.
View which contacts (included in your promotion packages) have streamed and/or downloaded your release from Player. Learn who opened and clicked your email blast, and when they were last active.
Reporting makes it easier to prioritize which contacts to follow up with. Whether that be to thank a programmer for downloading your track, or to introduce yourself to a curator who showed interest by streaming your song. Curators are sought after and receive a lot of music, so building relationships is important and can go a long way.
Track your radio airplay with MTR
Caster Reporting will show you who is engaging with your promotional release, while MTR monitors the airwaves and tracks your radio spins.
MTR is currently available across North America and tracks 5000+ radio stations.
It’s easy to get started. Simply upload the song(s) you want to track whether it is a single, multiple songs (EP or album), or multiple songs by multiple artists (if you are a promoter). Some music formats are album-centric (Jazz) – so track accordingly!
Upload one or multiple song files for fingerprinting, and purchase a 1, 3 or 6 month tracking plan. We recommend tracking for at least 3 months. If radio adds your song it could get spins for months and months. We do offer a 1-month option, that you can extend anytime!
If you already signed up for Caster, you can sign in to MTR with your Caster credentials as an account has already been created for you. Otherwise simply sign up for MTR here. Just make sure you upload the same song you promoted to radio so the fingerprint matches and can be detected.
Building momentum during a release rollout with resends
After you have sent your release to curators, consider when to use your two free resends. With every release you can update your promotional email blast and release overview with fresh content and the latest buzz anytime within 6 months of your first blast.
We recommend waiting at least 2 weeks after your release.
Here are examples of how to update your blast to grab and keep the attention of curators:
What to include:
- An exciting new email subject – entice more email opens!
- Fresh content such as:
- Tour dates
- Music video
- Press quotes
- Radio adds
*Essentially anything buzz-worthy to let curators know your release is making waves and your promotion rollout is still going strong.
Want to use a free resend?
Simply contact your release coordinator by replying to your SAMPLE email or you can contact our friendly support team for assistance.
Once you have used your first resend, make sure you plan ahead and use the second one before the 6 month expiry. Many clients notice a considerable increase in activity after each resend. It all depends on the music and the campaign of course, but to maximize the potential of your promotion campaign, don’t miss an opportunity. These resends are included with every release to help you keep curators engaged and curious to learn the latest in your trajectory!