Right now I get up to ten friend requests on Facebook every day. No, I don't count the girls with scanty clothing that always are home alone who are looking for a male companion. Those are the ones who are just listening to bad Britney pop and have bad music taste my girlfriend tells me so I erase those. I don't want people with bad music taste in my feed. The ones that are adding me are real people. It's not that I'm popular either. I guess I'm listed somewhere.

Anyway, part of these is what I call drive-by shooters. People that just add you and then five minutes later send you a song to listen to. Just reminded me; I got one of those girls with fewer clothes playing ukelele the other day, oh well back to the subject, they send you a song but never tell you what to do with it. Okay, listen to it but what then? I have never encountered any of them that have ever been any good.

Then you have the ones that actually tell you what to do with the song. And sometimes  there are hilarious conversations you have with them. At the same time, this is why you have professional people talking to radio as the PR person, the record label as the manager. The risk to do it by yourself is that you blew the opportunity by just open your mouth. This one came into my Cashbox radio Facebook account today.

"Hi Cashpoint Radio, we’re like you, we’re also sick of corporate radio, we want radio how it used to be, so if you fancy a listen to our debut album ‘The Noise is Beautiful’ by my new band Tinkers Lane then the links are below, if you’d like the MP3’s then I’d be pleased to send them to you, just let me know. Stay safe and well
Links to:
Amazon
Spotify
Appel/Itunes

Sending links to sites where I have to pay for the music doesn't really work for me me. My guess IS that I would go out of business in just one month just buying  strange songs that do not fit the station’s format is overwhelming. The thing I love the most is that it's to "Cashpoint Radio". Still, I admire that he actually looked at the station to get our branding "Radio The Way It Used To Be" to be able to write that comment. He made a real effort. In a way, it's just writing slip. To help him along I sent back:

"Thank's, we actually have created a show for you. It's here and you can listen to it straight from the site. https://www.cashboxradio.ca/how-to-send-music-to-radio/

While you listen to that we will listen to Thinkers Bane."  (actual band name Tinkers Lane)

To tell you the truth I didn't follow any of the links, Instead, I went to YoutTube and found a hilarious video with rollerskating as one of their videos. The band is ok, but just because it gave me a laugh I have heard their song three times now. And started to like it, maybe I should just play that on the station anyway?

The more terrible ones are also ones I got in today. Straight into my personal Facebook after adding them in less than five minutes.

"Hi Peter, I hope you are well! My name is **** and I'm drummer of ******, alternative rock band from London/UK. I want to ask you how we can get airplay on your radio station and is it possible to put our songs on daily rotation? Thank you and stay safe! Link to song:

"Hello ****. Thank you for sending the song. The style is ok, but the song is not in our radio format. It has a 1:12 intro is 6:06 long and are too slow. That might work in playlists on Spotify but not on radio where you need to get the listener’s quick attention. But hey, feel free to send new songs when you release them."

I was, of course, trolling after a dumb answer. My guess was that he would send me another one. Of course, when I looked on the first one I quickly listened to three others they all had the same issues. The risk he had a song that fit was none. But here I took the thing that they could write a new one. I made a deal with myself to eat my girlfriend’s chocolate bar she left and told me not to touch, if he came back with a song that could be aired. I just felt, make my day, punk! Some normal day edge. Like just passing a fart after three days of diarrhea, normal life on the edge.

"Thanks for your message, Peter! I'll send you our debut album, 12 songs. If you like some of them for the radio I can send you the MP3s. A link to Spotify"

I love the fools, they really make my day, but they don't get me chocolate. 

Contact Peter@:
pastedt@gmail.com (personal email)
peter@casboxradio.ca (Station Manager)

Discover Sensation https://musichelp.se/discover-sensation/

Editor’s Note: Peter Åstedt has been working in the music industry for over 30 years. He has started record labels, distribution systems, and publishing companies. Peter also runs several major showcase festivals and is an advisor for INES and co-founder of MusicHelp/Discover Sensation. He has worked with the Top Ten most streamed songs and had music on both the Olympics and Super Bowl. Peter has currently taken up the seat of Station Manager of Cashbox Radio, working with MD, PD and station owner, Sandy Graham.