Nathan S from DJBooth.net strikes down any illusion about indie artists getting put into regular rotation. Real talk.

“Let’s start by setting aside any idea that mainstream radio has any “obligation” to play and support local, independent artists. There’s a conversation to be had there, but this isn’t that conversation. This is a conversation about the simple, hard realities of how the business is run, and make no mistake, the songs that get played on mainstream radio are all about business. Business can be cold, but at least it’s direct. Does it make money? Answer that question and you’ve cracked the code.

What bothers me is the lies and half-truths, when people like Ebro Darden, Hot 97’s former program director and the public face of the station, claim that indie artists aren’t being played because they’re not “hot” enough, or they need to “get their buzz up.” The simple truth is that no amount of “hotness” or buzz really matters if you’re not signed to a major and your song is testing well with audiences. Period. Deal with it. Thinking anything else is to give yourself false hope, and false hope can be too expensive for an indie artist to afford. ” Read more…

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