Radio Promotion & Airplay Flashcards
7 cards from real Music Promotion practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Radio Promotion & Airplay flashcards as text
What is 'indie promotion' in the radio industry?
Answer: Hiring independent radio promoters outside of label staff to pitch songs to stations
Indie promotion involves contracting independent radio promoters — freelancers not on label staff — to pitch songs to stations, often used to supplement or replace in-house promotion efforts.
What is 'payola' and why is it illegal in US radio promotion?
Answer: The practice of paying radio stations or DJs for airplay without public disclosure, violating FCC rules
Payola is the illegal practice of secretly paying radio stations or DJs to play a song without disclosing it as paid promotion, which violates FCC regulations requiring transparency.
What is the key difference between 'adds' and 'spins' as radio promotion metrics?
Answer: Adds are the number of new stations playing a song; spins are total plays across all stations
Adds tracks how many new radio stations begin playing a song each week, while spins measures the total cumulative number of times a song is played across all stations that carry it.
What is a 'radio edit' of a song?
Answer: A shorter, radio-friendly version with edited length and censored content suitable for broadcast
A radio edit is a modified version of a song shortened to fit format requirements (typically 3–4 minutes) and cleaned of explicit content to meet broadcast standards.
What is SoundExchange and its relevance to radio promotion?
Answer: A nonprofit PRO that collects and distributes digital performance royalties for recordings played on digital radio
SoundExchange is the designated nonprofit that collects and distributes digital performance royalties when sound recordings are played on satellite radio, internet radio, and cable music services.
What does 'format radio' mean in the context of music promotion strategy?
Answer: Radio stations that program music within a defined genre or audience demographic category
Format radio refers to stations that program within a defined genre niche — such as CHR, country, rock, or urban — targeting specific listener demographics to guide music and promotion decisions.
What is 'call-out research' in radio promotion?
Answer: Surveying listeners via phone calls to gauge song familiarity and preference for playlist decisions
Call-out research involves radio stations surveying listeners by phone to test their awareness and reaction to songs, using the data to make informed decisions about what stays in or leaves rotation.