MUSIC BUREAU

Thanks for coming!

WHAT DOES MUSIC BUREAU DO?

• Curate the on-air music selection at KAFM!
• Provide insight into new music/genres/songs
• Language check albums for airplay
• Enter music data in the KAFM Music Database (MusicBee)
• Recruit new distributors and seek out new artists

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COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Do I have to do ALL of the above to be a part of Music Bureau?

• NO

Entering data is incredibly helpful, but reviewing/language checking the album can be done away from the station at your leisure.

Check with me at any time about your availability and we’ll find something that works with your schedule!

If I can’t make it Friday mornings, can I still be on Music Bureau?

• YES!
• Friday mornings are simply for entering albums into the database and finding albums to review. You can come in at ANY time to get albums to review.
• The LISTENING is what takes the most time – which you do on your own time!

COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

How long does music live in the studio?

• Three Months! (12 weeks)
• Most radio promotion lasts for 6 weeks, but since most of our programmers have a show every other week, we want each DJ to have a chance at each release, so we keep things in the studio for 12!

Where does our music come from?

• Record labels -> hire a promoter -> promoter sends us CD as part of their contract with record label -> will continue sending us music if we chart their music (CMJ, NACC, etc.)
• Artists and Record Labels send us music in order to chart, we chart because they send us their tunes and we like it – It’s a mutually beneficial process!

WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP!

• Without enough people to LISTEN to the music that comes into the station, important things WILL be missed, simply due to lack of time.
• Volunteers are needed who will:� - listen to CD’s for QUALITY and CLEAN LANGUAGE

- Recognize their own knowledge and apply it to album recommendation – Opinion Leaders!

- Be willing to expand their genre knowledge and learn more about other forms of music

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With your help, KAFM can expand it’s music base EVEN FARTHER and reach EVEN MORE audiences than ever before.

WE ARE THE OPINION LEADERS!

• What does that mean?
• Trust yourself, your taste in music, and your knowledge of certain genres.
• Our programmers TRUST US to give them good advice when it comes to new music, so give them some solid information to go off of! (Song/Album descriptions and reviews – up next!)
• You are an expert in your chosen genre – tell it like it is!
• Don’t be worried about giving too much information
• Be honest with yourself and the programmers – if something’s good then it’s GOOD, but if it’s not worth air-time, don’t waste your time.
• We are trying to make the BEST MIX CD OF ALL TIME for our listeners!

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IMPORTANCE OF THOROUGH ALBUM REVIEWS

The more INFORMATIVE we can be, the more likely someone will be to PLAY it.

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• LABEL – the Record Label. This is needed for Spinitron data entry in the studio
• SOUNDS LIKE – Pick 2-3 artists/groups that this artist/group reminds you of
• LANGUAGE CHECKED BY – Your name
• SONG TYPE – this is more a description of tone/style of song. I.e. Upbeat, Midtempo, Instrumental, or other descriptors that would help a Programmer add songs into their show without knowing too much else about it. If this song has an FCC violation, mark this box with ***FCC***
• TRACK RATING – 0-3 *’s based on its playability. 0 generally means DON’T PLAY and *** means MUST PLAY. * and ** fall somewhere in the middle of GOOD and GREAT. If a track has an FCC violation, mark this box with FCC
• REVIEW – Do you best to write an OBJECTIVE review. Not good, not bad, just describing the album and artist/group to the best of your ability.
• COMMENTS/2^nd OPINION – this is left blank for other programmers to leave notes
• GENRE – Write in this box whatever genres you intend to mark on the spine of the CD.
• RIPPED – This is boxed will be checked off once it is ripped onto the Music Computer.

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HOW TO DESCRIBE SONGS/ALBUMS

Songs – Descriptor words!

• Indicate Tempo!�- ex. Fast, slow, ballad, upbeat, waltz, quicker, laid back
• Indicate Style!�- ex. Poppy, smooth, groovy, latin, ethereal, beachy, electro, heavy, dark, experimental, cinematic, catchy
• Create connections!�- ex. Paul Simon-esque, Sounds like the Beach Boys, Video-game style synth
• The more info you give about the TYPE of song, the more likely a programmer is to play it – it won’t throw them any punches!

Albums – Be objective!

• When reviewing something, be as OUTSIDE of the album as you can be. Simply describe what it is to the best of your ability�- ex. Slower Americana, more s/s with male & female vocal harmonies. Mostly covers, a few originals.
• That being said, YOU are the TASTE MAKER for that album – be honest and value your own opinion!�- ex. Audio quality is sub par, and harmonies leave a little to be desired. Monotonous song structure all the way through.

LET’S TALK ABOUT GENRE

BASIC GENRES AT KAFM

• Americana
• Country, Alt-Country, Folk, Singer/Songwriter

Rock

• Indie, Alternative, Pop, Punk, Jam
• Bluegrass
• Jazz
• Big Band
• Blues
• World
• Reggae, Celtic, Latin
• Electronica
• Pop, Alternative, EDM
• Soul
• Hip Hop
• Funk
• R&B
• New Age, Spoken Word
• Classical

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ARTS & CRAFTS ARE IMPORTANT

Genre stickers & Name stickers need to be TAPED OVER, otherwise the stickers will fall off eventually.

Flags go on new albums! I’ll remove them after their new-ness fades.

These albums will live in our library if they are successful on the new rack – make them look shiny and ready for years of airplay!

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IMPORTANT LINKS:

• Music review form
• Digital music library here
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