How to Email a Radio Station Your Music
Email a radio station only after confirming email is its current submission route. Address the right music director, programmer, or show; name one focus track and why it fits; include release date, location, clean or edit status, accurate eligibility and rights metadata, and one tested stream/download link. Follow the station's response expectations, record the sent version, and stop respectfully.
Lead visual
Radio promotion map
Context
Radio · Promotion
What this guide is helping you understand.
Decision
Email a radio station
The practical choice or setup step to get right.
Next
Action
What to check before you move the release forward.
Radio · Promotion
Email relationship map
signal
Earn permission, set an expectation, and send something specific enough to deserve the next open or reply.
What to measure
Consent source, promised content, sending domain, preference, message job, click or reply, and unsubscribe state.
A large list can lose trust quickly when acquisition, frequency, identity, or relevance is unclear.
The point of Email a radio station is not more activity. It is a clearer loop from signal to next action.
Key takeaways
- Verify that email, the recipient, and the program are current before writing.
- Give every sentence one job: identity, fit, focus, release, asset, evidence, or next action.
- Link one approved, accessible package in the version the station requests.
- Preserve recipient source, message version, sent date, status, and follow-up rule.
- Stop after a pass, closed window, do-not-contact request, or the station's stated no-response path.
How should the station-email workflow move from research to close?
Radio service workflow
Seven states for one station and focus track
- 01
State 1
Research
Verify station, model, city, audience, program, programmer, source URL, contact route, format, and recent playlists.
- 02
State 2
Qualify
Match focus track, version, release timing, local or Canadian facts, campaign job, and evidence to that target.
- 03
State 3
Prepare
Freeze subject, message, stream/download link, WAV or required file, metadata, artwork, clean status, and contact.
- 04
State 4
Test
Open links logged out and on mobile, verify download and filenames, scan the full audio, and confirm recipient spelling.
- 05
State 5
Send
Use the official route, preserve exact content and timestamp, and record Submitted rather than Added or Spun.
- 06
State 6
Follow
Add a useful update only under the target's expectations, then record response, next date, and stop condition.
- 07
State 7
Close
Mark received, review, add, spin, pass, no response, closed, or do-not-contact with the supporting source.
What job should each sentence in the radio email perform?
Subject: Airplay consideration: North Window, Vancouver, “Glassline” clean WAV Hi Maya, I’m sending North Window’s new single “Glassline” for consideration on Night Signals because the show regularly programs melodic electronic records from Western Canada. The single is out September 18 and is MAPL-qualified; this link opens the approved original and clean WAV downloads, full credits, ISRC, artwork, and a short bio: [tested link]. If another route or version is preferred, I’m happy to use it. Thanks, Ari Chen Authorized artist contact
- “Airplay consideration”
- Makes a request without implying a prior add, promise, or relationship.
- “because the show regularly programs”
- Names a verifiable program-level fit instead of flattering the station brand.
- “approved original and clean WAV”
- States exactly which controlled versions and file job are available.
- “MAPL-qualified”
- Provides a relevant factual classification that the artist can substantiate.
- “If another route”
- Respects the programmer's process without asking for a status response.
| Include | Avoid | |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | One current program, format, community, language, territory, or audience reason | Generic praise or claiming to be perfect for the whole station |
| Asset | One focus track, approved version, tested stream/download, exact format, and clean status | Large unsolicited attachments, locked folders, or unlabeled alternatives |
| Evidence | True release, location, MAPL, local date, chart, press, or audience fact relevant to this programmer | Invented familiarity, inflated draw, fake requests, or irrelevant streaming totals |
| Ask | Consideration through the stated process or correction to the appropriate route | Guaranteed rotation, urgent reply, or contacting every staff member |
A template is a field order, not finished copy
Research and rewrite the fit, focus, version, timing, and eligibility for every station or program. Preserve the stable facts, but do not manufacture personalization at scale.
Which sources govern radio-station submissions?
Frequently asked questions
What should an email to a radio station include?+
Include the correct recipient and program, concise artist and location identity, one honest fit sentence, focus track, release and service date, clean or edit status, accurate Canadian or local eligibility where relevant, a tested stream and download destination, compact metadata, authorized contact, and one clear ask. Follow the station's own required fields and attachment rules first.
Should musicians attach audio files to radio emails?+
Only if the station explicitly asks. KEXP currently requests streaming and downloadable WAV links and says not to attach files. Other stations use uploaders, promoter systems, physical service, or specific formats. Test access while logged out, label the version, avoid expiring links during the review window, and never make the recipient request permission to hear or download.
Who should an artist contact at a radio station?+
Use the official submission route and the person responsible for that music: a music director, program director, format programmer, specialty-show host, local-music producer, or named uploader. Research current staff and show pages before sending. Do not email every presenter, executive, and social account with the same pitch or infer private addresses from naming patterns.
How often should an artist follow up with radio?+
Use the station's stated expectations, campaign timing, and any response received. One useful update can clarify a corrected link, confirmed local date, new clean edit, or relevant campaign result. Repeated status requests create no programming value. Record the next action, stop after a pass, do-not-contact request, closed window, or the station's published no-response policy.
Should fans request an artist's song from a station?+
Only through genuine listener behaviour and the station's normal request process. Do not organize repeated, scripted, incentivized, automated, or misleading requests. KEXP explicitly tells artists not to have friends, family, or fans request music incessantly. Fan brigading can damage the relationship and does not replace a qualified submission or prove organic listener demand.
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