Release dates and track exposure

When is the best time to upload your track to BBC Introducing East Midlands?

Whilst there is no ‘right’ answer, my view is … about two weeks ahead of any ‘impact date’ (or ‘release date’ in the pre-digital era) you have in mind.

In the East Midlands we listen to tracks very quickly. Thursday morning is usually our cut off point for tracks to be played over the weekend (or even on Thursday night); except at Christmas when there can be a longer delay due to review shows. Be mindful of the fact that once a track is uploaded, it is fair game for airplay, irrespective of the release date. So if you don’t wish your track to be aired at the weekend, it’s best not to upload it until after. The table at the foot of this page shows the most likely day of airing based on the day you upload it (though, of course, not all submitted tracks will ultimately get aired.)

If you’ve received notification that your track has been selected for airplay and, for some reason, you wish it to be delayed, email me at once requesting that it is withdrawn from the show. You may only have a few hours in which to achieve this. And as I’m hyper focussed on production of that day’s show, I cannot guarantee seeing your email in time. Also, keep in mind that if your track has been selected (from the hundreds I receive every month), it’s part of quite a precious group. Withdrawing it now doesn’t mean it’s automatically guaranteed to be played in the future. You can email again in due course requesting that it is reconsidered but this is a rather ‘hit and miss’ process and other newer tracks may now be prioritised though ideally / eventually I will aim to play it.

Some musicians wait until the ‘impact date’ before uploading. My view is that this does not serve you well. Here’s why…

  1. Playing a track ahead of release date encourages listeners to investigate the track and to pre-save / pre-order it. The same applies to albums. Algorithms used by most DSPs reward the number of pre-saves when the time comes to expose it in playlists. When the track / album is finally released this ensures a higher chart ranking too. Conversely if the track is only played after release, the best you can hope to achieve is a few extra streams / downloads but their impact in terms of popularity metrics will be far less significant.
  2. Once I have played your track it will be flagged to other BBC shows / presenters / producers (local and national) who will look upon it more favourably for exposure on their shows. It can take a few days or even weeks for them to action this so, again, the benefits of these plays is somewhat diminished as the release date has gone.
  3. Some artists are suspicious that if I play a track first, the BBC national networks will be aggrieved as they prefer an “exclusive”. This is not the case. No national show has ever rebuffed a track because it’s had prior local support. In fact the reverse is likely to be the case. Most national producers regard local exposure as an endorsement not an undermining.

I hope you find this information useful. If so, please consider joining my mailing list for local musicians.

Dean

Day you UploadMost likely day for first airplay
MondayThis Saturday (maybe even Thursday)
TuesdayThis Saturday (maybe even Thursday)
WednesdayThis Saturday (maybe even Thursday)
Thursday (before noon)This Saturday (maybe tonight)
Thursday (after noon)NEXT Saturday (or next Thursday)
FridayNEXT Saturday (or next Thursday)
SaturdayNEXT Saturday (or next Thursday)
SundaySaturday (or Thursday)

For more tips like this, please join my mailing list for East Midland musicians.