Claire,

First off, I would like to apologize for not getting back to you after I received the CD. I did receive the CD and I have played it on my show.

Your points are really good and I recently had the honor of sitting on a panel at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance about what artists should do to help receive airplay.

Sending out CD's blindly is a hit and miss situation, and it can be an expensive one. Those of us who do radio shows can receive dozens of unsolicited CD's each week. Many of us only have a few hours of airtime each week, so it becoems harder and harder to "crack the list". Most of us have other "day" jobs and families that take up time. I'm not complaining, but it is a challenge to find time to listen to new CD's. The rewards however are worth it!

Instead of sending out CD's blindly, I recommend targeting specific shows.   E-mail the host and see if you get a response. Speaking from experience, it sometimes takes a few days to respond. In addition to the ton of spam mail that all of us seem to receive, I receive a handful of e-mails from artists each day. I also spend a lot of time on Mudcat (as you can tell!). Be patient, and if you do not receive a reply in a week or so, send a POLITE e-mail inquiring if they received the original e-mail and if they have any questions or need additional information. If you don't hear back, don't push it - and don't take it personally. There are additional steps you can take.

Finding out which radio program will air your CD requires a bit of homework. One place to start is www.folkradio.org - known by the name FOLK-DJ. This is a website where many (but not all)of us post our playlists. Reading through the lists, you will find out which shows play music that you think is similar to your style of music. If you play Irish trad and see a program that only plays contemporary American singer-songwriters, you might have a tough sell. You can also check websites of the individual stations to see if there is information about the show and/or DJ that will help you decide whether to send a CD blind.

E-mail is great. I try to read posts at FOLK-DJ where in addition to Folk-DJ's posting playlists, many artists will post information about their CD - and most of us read them!. We are all consumers. I do not have to read how Billboard Magazine called you (I speaking in the wider sense, not you directly Claire) the best thing since sliced bread or how Bob Dylan worships your music. We can read through the hype just as anyone can. A few notes about the type of songs, instrumentation, etc. will suffice.    If you've managed to raise our curiosity, we will contact you.

When you e-mail a Folk-DJ, remember to be polite. I've received notes from artists that literally insist we go to their website to listen to their music. Be subtle. Include your webaddress in the salutation at the end of the note.

IF you fail to reach a folk-dj via a direct e-mail or a post on Folk-DJ, then you can decide whether you wish to send a CD. IF you do, include brief but important information. I always recommend adding a small card, about the size of a CD booklet, that lists your songs, the duration (always important - we often scramble to find a tune that will fit a certain length, and if you do not include times, your CD won't be considered), and a few brief descriptive words that describes the song. "trad song about xxx", "original song with banjos", "upbeat", "slow air", etc. On the flip side of the card, add a few bullet points about you. Perhaps a few competitions that you may have won, some festivals you've played, where you are from, etc. A few bits of information give us something to talk about on the air.

These are a few items that come to mind. I would be happy to give anyone additional information or answer questions if you PM me, or I can post here.

All of YOU who have the talent to make music are the ones that enable us to have radio programs. Thank you!!!!

Ron