So, edit out the swearing! There is a sweet spot for a radio edit length, and that is around 3 minutes. It fits nicely into an hour and you can fit all the components of a song into it. I hear what you're saying but that is an exception to the rule. You have to earn your stripes to be able to play a song of that length.
Keep it simple, keep it short. Generally, as presenters, we have to hit the news as close to on-the-hour as possible, so we tend to end up with this awkward amount of time that is hard to fill. If you can make a song that is 2 minutes to 2 minutes 30, then we can just throw it in there.
This is so much better for the listener than listening to us waffle to fill the dead air. You may have heard people say you have to get straight into the vocals, but as a presenter sometimes I like a little intro that I can talk over. There is another part to this.
Every week, pluggers come in to play their latest tracks by their clients to you as a music coordinator. They have a 10 minute appointment and want to play 5 or more songs.
Do the maths - they cannot play every song all of the way through. They can really only play a little snippet of it. So the sooner you get into the song, into the vocals and display the tone of who you are, the better.
Maybe in the future, you will be working with a plugger, or perhaps, you already are. You can imagine me sitting in this meeting with the head of music for national radio stations, with the job of selling your music in a matter of seconds.
How I do that? This means I come away happy and will want to work with you again, and the head of music remembers you. Those are my three easy tips. To add to these, there is an extra little bit from me and that is please make my life easy. Label your track, send us nice artwork, have a good story about where you started, who you have supported, and what gigs you have lined up.
You have to remember that when you send your songs in, there are a million other things going on. So, if you're going to be sending your music to specialty programs, college stations, community stations and the like, you don't necessarily have to fit the typical pop mold. You'll still want to make sure that your music fits the esthetic of specific stations or programs you're sending it to, but you'll probably have a lot more flexibility as far as song length is concerned. If you one day hope to be heard on mainstream or DAB radio , then perhaps deviating from the formula isn't a good idea.
Sticking to the format won't guarantee you airplay, but at least you'll be better positioned to move into that space should the opportunity present itself. In the end, it really depends on your goals. At the same time, if you're going to be sending your music to radio stations — no matter the format — you do need to be aware of what they're looking for so you have a better chance of getting played.
There are a few different ways of answering this question when starting a song. If you recorded and released a seven-minute song, would your fans listen to it and enjoy it?
Would they appreciate the experience that such a song could provide? Or would they rather hear a radio-ready hit? This depends on what your fans have come to expect from you.
In general, though, your fans are the ones supporting your music and your career, so pleasing and delighting them should be high on your priority list. If you give them something they like, you'll keep them coming back for more. Also keep in mind that longer intros, instrumental breaks and solos tend to work well onstage, and even bands or artists that aren't in the habit of writing longer songs may play extended versions of their songs in concert.
This means that you don't necessarily have to sacrifice your vision onstage, even if you do in the studio. There are some things that just can't be said in a three-minute song. A concept album, or a thematic release might call for songs that are longer, build over a longer stretch of time, are more intense, or feature an unusual arrangement. Some bands, like King Crimson, have virtually never sacrificed vision for song length.
King Crimson may not be a known act everywhere, but they have a long and illustrious career, and rest assured they have a large fan base too, even if they aren't talked about in the gossip columns. Even here, there is a happy middle ground, however. Just look at a band like Marianas Trench. While they are undoubtedly appealing to pop sensibilities, their albums are more conceptual in nature, and the songs tend to blend into each other. In short, there's nothing saying you can't have it both ways.
Another important element, as already discussed, is radio play. If you want to get DAB radio play of any kind, song length is something you have to pay attention to also remember that you may have a little more flexibility with the stations you're sending your music to as an independent artist. Ultimately, you have to weigh what you value most. Is it popularity? Radio play? Is it your fans? Your musical vision? Sometimes there is a meaningful intersection of all of these elements, but don't forget that you can't please everyone.
Whether you want it played in live venues, over DAB radio, on TV shows or other, a song doesn't necessarily need to be a specific length. If you write, record and produce songs that you like, odds are you will also find people that like your songs too.
From a marketing or business perspective, you can't ignore song length. You have to be smart in how you frame and present your music. From a creative perspective, you can try just about anything you want. If you take this approach, it may take longer for you to find fans, but it doesn't mean that they aren't out there.
Also keep in mind that sometimes writing whatever you want is exactly what the world wants. At other times, writing what you think the world wants isn't what they want at all.
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