Hello, it's Tom Robinson with another episode of the BBC Introducing Mixtape from 6 Music - 60 minutes of music from under the mainstream radar, uploaded direct to our network of local BBC Introducing shows by independent UK artists. This week we present:
LUNCH, PAIGE KENNEDY, BAD SOUNDS, ALT BLK ERA, LIFE, LIOTIA, POSABLE ACTION FIGURES, LUCY GIDLEY, NAMEKA, THE BUG CLUB, THOMAS TRUAX, MARCH, DIMES, EMILY BREEZE, JOSEPH LAWRENCE, TRILLS, and TREVOR BABAJACK STEGER
This is the episode released on Monday 23 January 2023 and available via BBC Sounds for 30 days until Wednesday 1 February 2023. You can also download & keep the show permanently using any podcast app, or direct from our podcast page.
Warm thanks to BBC Introducing in the East Midlands with Dean Jackson. BBC Introducing in Kent with Abbie McCarthy, BBC Introducing on Radio Humberside with Alan Raw, BBC Introducing in Manchester with DJ Roesh, BBC Introducing in West Yorkshire with Emily Pilbeam, BBC Introducing in Beds, Herts and Bucks with Honor Morrison, BBC Introducing in London with Jess Iszatt, BBC Introducing in the West with James Threlfall, BBC Introducing in Suffolk with Angelle Joseph and BBC Introducing in Hereford & Worcester with Andrew Marston for finding and forwarding tunes for today's show:
LUNCH - Stevia
https://linktr.ee/lunchbanduk
PAIGE KENNEDY - Love You From a Distance
https://linktr.ee/paigekennedy
BAD SOUNDS - More Than I Can Afford
https://badsounds.ffm.to/mtica
ALT BLK ERA - Off With Their Heads
https://linktr.ee/ALTBLKERA
LIFE - Our Love Is Growing
https://linktr.ee/AfghanMoon
LIOTIA - Let Down
https://liotia.bandcamp.com
POSABLE ACTION FIGURES - Shank
https://linktr.ee/posableactionfigures
LUCY GIDLEY - Can You Hear Me
https://www.tiktok.com/@lucygidders
NAMEKA - Froze
https://share.amuse.io/track/nameka-froze
MAYSHE-MAYSHE - How To Be Happy
https://linktr.ee/mayshe_mayshe
THOMAS TRUAX - The Anomalous Now
https://linktr.ee/ThomasTruax
MARCH - Hesperides
https://linktr.ee/musicbymarch
DIMES - State Run Press
https://linktr.ee/dimesbhx
EMILY BREEZE - Confessions of an Ageing Party Girl
https://linktr.ee/emilybreeze
JOSEPH LAWRENCE - Empty House
https://josephlawrence.lnk.to/EmptyHouse
TRILLS - Every One
https://linktr.ee/trills
TREVOR BABAJACK STEGER - Rambling Man
https://www.trevorbabajacksteger.com
PS FOR ARTISTS:
What happens next? Radio airplay is a great affirmation of your work. It's great to be able to mention it on your CV and social media. But radio play won't make as much longterm difference as you may think - it comes, and then it goes. The trouble is that radio can accellerate a career that's already got momentum - but it can't kickstart a career from scratch.
Bulding an audience for your music (and continuing to write great songs) takes time and effort. The good news is that, unlike radio play, it's entirely within your own power to achieve and costs next to nothing. And although this only one man's opinion, you'll find a few suggestions about how to do this this in my closing talk for BBC Introducing Live 2019.
Hiring a radio plugger in the hope of getting more airplay is an expensive gamble - and only worth considering when there's already a buzz about your latest song and a growing audience for your music. But early on in their career, most emerging artists get MUCH better results themselves than by hiring a plugger. For suggestions on how to do your own music promotion see the free advice section at my Fresh On The Net blog (freshonthenet.co.uk).
Once an artist's career does start building momentumn - with views, plays and comments growing measurably each week - that's when an expertly run radio campaign can be a great way of putting a foot on the accelerator. Once you do choose to go down that route, the next problem is how to find a trustworthy promo company? One possibility might be to copy and keep the weekly playlists published by your target radio stations every week, and look up which small labels are regularly getting featured. Then google those labels, drop them an email, and ask which radio pluggers they use. [NB bigger labels tend to have their own in-house promo teams.]
And however things pan out, don't forget to carry on uploading your new releases to BBC Introducing so that we can carry on supporting you as your career unfolds.
AND FINALLY...
We only get enough airtime on this show to feature artists - even our absolute favourites - about four times a year, however much we love their work. So after you've been been on the Mixtape, please wait 12 weeks before sending me your next brilliant track. This leaves us time to help a load of other deserving artists meanwhile.
The best way of getting a tune direct to me is via Fresh On The Net using Soundcloud. From 10m on Monday mornings anybody is welcome to send us a track and we keep the inbox open until 200 submissions have arrived - so it's best to get in early. We publish all 200 tunes on our Soundcloud each week, and a dozen of us then listen to every single track. And be sure to also upload your tune to BBC Introducing, to make it eligible for Introducing airplay...
Tom Robinson