Q: Why should I hire a jazz radio promoter?
A: Radio is still a major source of music discovery, and local radio connects audiences to your music. Jazz radio is primarily on non-profit radio stations. Yep. These are radio stations that listeners pay money to keep supporting the music they love. That would be your music.
A promoter's primary job is to get the music out there for you. It is very time consuming if you do it yourself. This is a full time job!
A promoter also serves as an intermediary. The hardest part of the programmer's job (Shaunna has been there…) is telling artists *directly* (rather than telling a promoter) "no". It is hard for an artist to directly hear *no* or *pass* from programmers. Even if many programmers are playing an artist's cd, every "no" an artist hears directly can hurt more than hearing it from a promoter -- especially if an artist is spending 8 hours a day calling and messaging programmers.
A promoter sets up any interviews and giveaways for you, so you don't need to work around programmers schedules.
Q: Will Jazzzdog work my record just because I want them to?
A: We do need to listen to it first, and be sure the recording is something that will fit well in the national jazz radio world. Shaunna was a Jazz programmer for a major market Jazz station for over a decade (and also worked with satellite syndication and NPR Music during that time), and has a pretty good pulse on all the little things that make or break a release for airplay purposes. She will go through your release track-by-track and make notes for each song. Every cd deserves that attention.
Q: Who do we send the record to?
A: Send it to Shaunna. Please either send digital files (via Dropbox, Wetransfer, Hightail…whatever file transfer service you prefer) to jazzzdog@me.com. Hard copies of cd's can be mailed to: Shaunna Machosky, Jazzzdog Promotions, 877 Kennebec Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15217.
Q: Why do I need to have an actual, physical cd in this modern digital world?
A: That is what the majority of radio programmers prefer. A wide majority of stations still play music strictly from cd. When they play music from digital systems, a cd provides reliable backup when digital delivery systems fail and music needs to be encoded again, or cd players have to fill in. Always count on technology failing. Have you ever had part of your iTunes library go down with a computer? Many programmers still really, really love liner notes, too. We do offer digital downloads to everyone as well.
Q: What is our phone number?
A: Shaunna Machosky (412) 600-5329 office/cell -- calls during 9-5 business hours (ET) are always preferred. If you need an evening or weekend call (especially West coast folks), just let Shaunna know ahead of time. No problem!
Q: What is our address?
A: Jazzzdog Promotions, c/o Shaunna Machosky, 877 Kennebec Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15217.
Q: Is there a good time or a bad time to release a record?
A: Well, not really…but sometimes Fall is still a bit busier for the major labels (which can make the field a little more crowded for indie competition). Jazzzdog always discusses street dates and mailing schedules with potential artists/clients before taking on a project. We will turn a project away if there is a big conflict of interest (like, when we are already scheduled to work a few singers, we don't want our clients to compete against each other) or if we feel an independent release will get buried in the competition.
Q: Will Jazzzdog work my record that I sell exclusively on my website?
A: No. Each artist has to have distribution of some kind. A "brick and mortar" store deal is not necessary, as more go by the wayside. However, you need to have additional ways for the station listeners to find and purchase your music -- hard copy or digital. We need the independent artist to have one or multiples of the following (outside your website): Amazon, iTunes, Bandcamp, CDbaby, etc. We want to help you be heard and to get your music into people's homes!
Q: Does Jazzzdog have a negotiable fee?
A: No. All campaigns are 'Life of the Project' (open-ended flat rate - see below - minimum of 12 weeks, usually 14-16 weeks). That means we keep rolling with a project until it comes to a natural finishing point.
One exception: We are able to do limited (Nov/Dec) holiday music campaigns for around half of our fee. We run no more than two holiday campaigns each year. Holiday releases must be available for programmers by November 1st.
note: We can bill in two installments if needed, to make finances easier. Everyone deserves to get their music out there!
Q: Will Jazzzdog work a record for a finite number of weeks?
A: Yes - 20 weeks maximum. The "life of project" program assures that Jazzzdog will work the cd the entire time it is on or battling to get on the charts and through to the end when there are less than 10 current JazzWeek reporters on the record. We don’t pull the plug after eight weeks and say, "Sorry, we're done." Each campaign includes two weeks of gratis pre-promotion before the add date.
Q: Will Jazzzdog do a regional only promotional campaign?
A: No. Jazzzdog does national radio campaigns only.
Q: Who does Jazzzdog talk to - and how many cd's do I need?
A: Jazzzdog talks to the entirety of the JazzWeek panel, Influential stations, satellite, internet, cable and syndicated providers on a weekly basis - about 240 total contacts. Our current regular hard copy mailing list is around 160-175 (more folks can use digital files now as COVID has forced more programmers to work from home). If you need to save on mailing costs, we can service physical copies to a trimmed or custom list - and make copies available upon request. That way, you aren't missing anyone. We have had very successful campaigns with both strategies.
Q: Does Jazzzdog prepare weekly reports?
A: Absolutely! Clients get a comprehensive weekly report including a narrative of the week's activity and trends, airplay notes, chart activity as applicable, weekly goals and feedback.
Q: Will Jazzzdog do cd mailings for their clients?
A: It is much more cost-effective for the artist to do their own physical mailing. Jazzzdog will send you a batch of pre-addressed Jazzzdog-logo mailing labels at no additional cost to you. Just slap them on a mailer and send! If a client really, really needs us to put the mailing together, all shipping and labor costs must be paid ahead of time.
Q: How does Jazzzdog bill?
A: Jazzzdog bills for the complete payment the week before the "add date" at radio (when the cd's are arriving on programmers desks). Each campaign includes two weeks of gratis pre-promotion before add date. We can bill in two monthly installments if needed.