For all the talk of competition between radio and digital, is there any room for collaboration? Industry leaders from SiriusXM/Pandora, Audacy, and Broken Bow Records gathered to discuss the topic at CRS 2024, exploring how mutual benefit can still exist.
“Howdy Partners: The Potential of Great Partnerships” discussed the synergistic potential between digital service providers, labels, and radio broadcasters.
Audacy RVP of Country Programming Scott Roddy reflected on missed opportunities in the past, such as radio’s response to the iPod era, emphasizing the unique value of artist endorsements for local brands today. He shared Audacy’s successful partnership with Warren Zeiders, showcasing the impact of leveraging digital marketing capabilities to promote artists uniquely.
Broken Bow Records National Director Shelly Hargis highlighted the comprehensive toolkits labels provide for new releases, including liners, videos, and intros designed to enhance artist promotion on various platforms.
The discussion also covered the importance of creative requests and the ability of labels to accommodate these to strengthen radio and artist relationships. Bekah Digby of SiriusXM/Pandora underscored the importance of utilizing available tools like Chartmetric to analyze and leverage streaming data for effective artist promotion.
The panel agreed on the importance of open communication between labels, radio stations, and DSPs, sharing insights like artist heat maps from streaming services to identify potential hits. Roddy’s example of collaborating with DSPs to promote George Birge’s radio hit, which initially did not stream well, underscored the power of collective effort under the industry umbrella.
Digby mentioned DSPs monitoring Shazams and digital data, noting that increased radio play often correlates with a positive response on streaming platforms. Hargis shared a case where a single, initially successful on streaming, gained further momentum from radio play, illustrating the dynamic relationship between radio success and streaming playlist inclusion.
The session concluded with a call for radio stations to foster relationships with label representatives and utilize available promotional campaigns, like AMP’s featured track campaign, to maximize artist visibility.
Panel moderator John Shomby gave Radio Ink his six top takeaways from the panel:
