Radio pluggers are the people who try to make sure that your record is played on the radio. Getting a good plugger can make the difference between a single becoming a hit or a flop and between a band having a successful career or disappearing into obscurity. Radio pluggers are the link between bands/labels and radio station managers, producers and DJs.
A plugger is essentially being paid for their contacts in radio and the relationships they have built up with those contacts. A good plugger will have a range of contacts across different radio stations, covering DJs and producers as well as music and playlist programmers. A good plugger will have a "black book" - or these days a database - filled with contact info, as well as the type of music the contact's into, the format they like releases in (do they prefer MP3s, CDs or vinyl) and the results they've had from them in the past.
Basically, the job of a plugger is to get the acts they're representing exposure on the radio. The different kinds of exposure they might try to get include:
- Radio plays for the act's music. Depending on the act, this could mean inclusion on the stations' playlists, spot plays or plays on specialist music shows.
- Live performance sessions and interviews for the act on radio
- Organizing competitions on radio that give away the act's CDs, T-shirts, posters, gig tickets, etc, as prizes
- Getting the act's releases and upcoming live shows mentioned on air.
When it comes to the internet there's a blurred line between press and radio plugging. Many radio stations will have a presence online, plus magazines may have an online radio station and there are internet stations and MP3 blogs. The plugger should be aware of the differences between streaming, podcasts and downloads. Some internet stations ask artists to waive their royalties to avoid paying a licensing fee, but many large labels won't allow this, nor will they allow their material to be used in podcasts or as downloads. Many smaller labels and acts are happy with the publicity that these avenues provide.
Pluggers will often only take on acts that they believe in and like and that they think their contacts will play. Getting a plugger is like getting any other music industry professional to work with your band. Do you research and approach pluggers that work with acts in a similar genre to your own band. There's no point trying to get a plugger who works predominately with rock to take on your hip hop act. Pluggers will be more likely to work with an act that have shown they're prepared to work hard. If you can't find/afford a plugger, consider doing the job yourself.
Plugging companies often take on interns, which is a good way to build up contacts and experience. To set yourself up as a plugger you'll need to build up your contacts list. Station websites will often have show contact details, but if not, you can often hazard a guess (e.g. showname@xyzradio.com would be a good start). There are many bands looking for a plugger, but be picky. Don't necessarily start working with the first band that approaches you, or the one that will pay the most. It's important to build up your reputation as a plugger, and that will be best done by working with an act you believe in.
Although it's hard work, working as a radio plugger has a lot of upsides:
- You get to work closely with both with musicians and the media.
- You can watch, and help with, the development of a band's career.
- It's a great feeling to hear a track you've been working being played on the radio.
- Good pluggers can be paid very well.
Of course, life as a radio plugger isn't all sunshine and flowers. There are some cons to consider:
- It can be extremely depressing when a track you really believe in fails to get any exposure.
- No regular income - you'll only get paid job by job. Plus, although good pluggers can paid very well, reaching that status takes a lot of time - and a lot of working jobs for next to nothing to establish yourself.
- It can be repetitive sending CDs to, and phoning, the same people over and over again. Like most people working in PR, radio pluggers have to become accustomed to being ignored again and again and again.
It's up to a plugger to agree a fee with the client. This is best done before the campaign starts, to avoid any dispute later on. Some clients will pay by results - the plugger will get a certain fee when a certain level of exposure is reached. The problem with this model is that a radio plugger can put in a lot of work, yet the track could get very little (if any) exposure. Conversely, a track to get a huge amount of exposure even though the plugger has done hardly anything. A good compromise is that the plugger gets a basic fee, with bonuses for achieving certain results. On top of any fee, the client will be expected to pay the costs of the campaign - postage, phone calls etc. What is included in the costs and what isn't should be agreed before the campaign starts. Sometimes, the artist or label will put a cap on these approved costs as well. For instance, postage may be an approved cost, but if the total cost of postage surpasses X amount of dollars, the artist/label must clear the expense.
Many new pluggers will do a campaign for free, or for a greatly reduced rate, allowing them to get experience. Even established pluggers will do jobs for cost, or cheaply, if they really believe in an act. They may work for free if they think the band are going to go on and become successful, so that they get work from the band later on in their career or for the kudos that will be associated with working for the act.
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