Hey guys,
I'm pleased to announce the arrival of http://www.indiehighway.com! I've been working on developing this site for about a year now and we just officially launched it just a few days ago. I am proud to say that this website is a first on the internet.
In a nutshell, it's a place where independent artists can release their material to radio via mp3 format. As many of you know, most all stations rip everything down to an mp3 and throw the CD in the trashcan. We review all material for style, quality and content, only accepting what we feel is worthy of airplay. Registered worldwide radio stations can then download the music from our catalog and put it on the air. Our tight screening will make it easy for radio stations to find qaulity music for thier programs without having to go through pages of inferior artists with poor material.
As an artist, I know all about the toil and expense of searching out stations, mailing CD's and press kits. I've spent thousands of hours and dollars doing it. That's why I developed this site...I have hundreds of international radio contacts that I have made that other indie artists can greatly benifit by.
I now have the daunting task of searching out talented artists with strong material in Americana genres;
Acoustic
Americana
Blues
Bluegrass
County (traditional, alt. country, rockabilly, western)
Folk
Gospel (traditional, christain country or gospel blues)
Rock (roots, retro, southern, alternative)
The submission process is easy, fast and free.
1. Hit the "join" tab and create an artist account, typical username, password and email confirmation.
2. Set up the artist profile (optional at this point)
3. Go to "Manage my music" and upload Mp3 and song info.
We will review the material and email results in 1-3 business days.
I could really use your help to spread the word. If you know of any artists that you think may fit our criteria, please send them my way. I'm giving away approx 100 free spots on the site to build the catalog before I officially release it to radio.
We are all about good music... without the hype. Hopefully, that's what's going to make this thing take off.
Thanks,
Doug
http://www.indiehighway.com
Americana mp3 radio releases
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Comments
BrianAltenhofel wrote: I don't see anything about royalties bein
BrianAltenhofel wrote: I don't see anything about royalties being paid by the radio station to the artist for airplay. How is this being handled?
Hi Brian,
Royalties from airplay are handled through a performance rights organization (PRO) like ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC. If the artist has a published work that's registered with a PRO, then the artist can collect royalties. On indiehighway.com , there is a field on the artist profile that has this info. for radio stations to look at.
Thanks,
Doug
http://www.indiehighway.com
Americana mp3 radio releases
Sorry, what I meant to ask (but was dead tired at the time) is h
Sorry, what I meant to ask (but was dead tired at the time) is how is an artist or publisher contacted if a station wishes to play their song? Even with ASCAP (of which I am a member) things still have to be legally dealt with between the artist/publisher and the radio company. I'm not trying to be skeptical, in fact, I've already registered on your site. But I just want better details on your process before I start putting up any songs. I guess I'm too used to working directly with the local radio stations.
Basically, is this kind of like a place for the station to approach the artist/publisher, or do you go beyond that?
BrianAltenhofel wrote: Sorry, what I meant to ask (but was dead
BrianAltenhofel wrote: Sorry, what I meant to ask (but was dead tired at the time) is how is an artist or publisher contacted if a station wishes to play their song? Even with ASCAP (of which I am a member) things still have to be legally dealt with between the artist/publisher and the radio company. I'm not trying to be skeptical, in fact, I've already registered on your site. But I just want better details on your process before I start putting up any songs. I guess I'm too used to working directly with the local radio stations.
Basically, is this kind of like a place for the station to approach the artist/publisher, or do you go beyond that?
Brian,
indiehighway.com is basically a place where radio stations can find high quality indie music for their programs. If a radio station wishes to contact one of our artists they may do so if the artist agrees to make their address visible on their profile page.
It is up to the radio station to log the artist's PRO affiliation that we provide. Again, if the song is published and registered with a PRO, that PRO will send a quarterly report to the publisher and any royalties due.
Keep in mind that major market top 40 stations typically won't play indie artists. Those spots are bought and paid for thru the big record companies. That's a whole other story. Fact is that there are thousands of small independent radio stations around the globe that play indie artists. That's where we fit in...getting indie artists airplay on indie stations.
If royalties are the bottom line, your barking up the wrong tree. There is little money in indie royalties from airplay. Most of us indies are in it for the exposure and simply to be heard. To have a song played around the world is a great accomplishment.
Thanks,
Doug, choose your words carefully. Don't come in here soliciting
Doug, choose your words carefully. Don't come in here soliciting a service and then say, "You're barking up the wrong tree" to someone who asks a simple, very obvious question because you are the only one barking up a tree here. He didn't come to you, you came to him. 8-)
As for the free exposure line; you may love music but the bottom line is that you are in it because you see an eventual path to personal gain of some sort. If you want indie artists to help you (for free) realize that dream then at least be polite. 8-)
Radio stations which play indie music currently have a glut of material. A large glut. A *HUGE* and rapidly widening glut. There are no significant radio stations searching the internet for remote indie music to play in regular rotation and even if there were, your site would not be found in any of those searches anyhow. You have a lot of work to do and money to spend if you want to penetrate those rankings. As it sits today your service is a much less efficient path to free exposure than many existing avenues or even many similar online services which are much better established.
As for the value of your service today. It is nil, you have nothing of value to offer artists yet. So it's yours to sell, not theirs to buy. Your attitude should reflect that if you want the really skilled indies to join you and not just the random randoms. I wish you the best of luck with this, it's a tough row to hoe. 8-)
I'm sorry if I offended anyone here but I thought my post was co
I'm sorry if I offended anyone here but I thought my post was courteous and polite. I'm sorry if I ruffled anyone's tail feathers!
Let me respond here in self defense of our website:
1. We know significant radio stations will not play indie artists. I state that on our website in plain english. So who will? There are thousands of small indie stations and programs that do. I know, I've had my own material played on many of them.
2. We are very exclusive and want only the "really skilled indies". That's why we screen so tightly. We don't want to have a catalog full of medeocre music.
3. I'm giving away the first 100 submissions that we accept for FREE. We havn't taken a dime in and probably wont for quite a while. I'm having much difficulty trying to find top shelf artists with solid material.
I hope you can see our heart and intent here: I know it's a rarity this day in age of hype, scam and screw.
Tough row to hoe..you know it man. Got the gloves on.
Thanks,
Doug
http://www.indiehighway.com
Americana mp3 radio releases
More Cowbell wrote: Congrats on your web page. But radio is dyi
More Cowbell wrote: Congrats on your web page. But radio is dying a slow death, pod casts will eventually take over. Getting music heard on the radio will only work if you have big pockets full o' money. But I wish your site the best of luck. 8-)
Getting your music heard on COMMERCIAL radio takes more than pockets full of money my friend. It takes money bags full of money from the promoters who work for the giant labels.
We are talking about a different ballgame here. Grass roots artists on worldwide grass roots radio stations is what we're all about.
Thanks,
We are talking about a different ballgame here. Grass roots arti
We are talking about a different ballgame here. Grass roots artists on worldwide grass roots radio stations is what we're all about.
Can you actually name some of these stations? If you are creating any type of business plan this is info you typically figure out in advance.
Seems like you have a very idealized view of the radio business. IMO you're promising something which simply doesn't exist to a large enough extent to deliver in this manner. Seems like you haven't done any due diligence on this...
FWIW a little due diligence would probably go a long way on both sides of the issue in terms of establishing something which will attract seriously talented indies. The really talented folks tend to be careful about who they lend control of their music to. They definitely won't just "roll the dice" with material they've worked hard on. Most of them already have various avenues they work within so to penetrate that sector requires a compelling value proposition. I think what you're doing is noble and worthwhile but your approach is not founded in current market reality so you're basically working uphill when you don't need to be.
Anyhow cheers. 8-)
Oh, I'm sorry. :( But.... You host a catalog of mp3's of inde
Oh, I'm sorry. :(
But....
You host a catalog of mp3's of independent artists for indie radio to download something from that they choose to play on their station?
Isn't that just like a podcast? I mean I download a podcast of a podcaster's program in which I like. A program that has similar likes in what my musical preference is, and I get to hear artist I've never heard before and if I like what I'm hearing I can download it and go check out the band or artist myself and buy their cd. So that way I'm purchasing the cd from the band or artist directly since they are independent and all.
Besides...Haven't you ever listened to indie radio before? They suck ass, I mean, the DJ plays like 10 songs in a row, then comes on the air and starts naming off what you just heard starting with the first song 10 songs ago, so if your not counting, your screwed. You'll think damn that song was kick ass I just heard, I can't wait until 4 or 5 songs from now so the DJ will come on and tell me who the hell it was.
But this just M.O.
Nice work Doug, I hope everything goes great for you! 8-) 8-)
Nice work Doug, I hope everything goes great for you! 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)