Any discussion about the strengths of radio and how the medium will survive into the future inevitably comes around to the importance of being local. I mean, c’mon. As someone reminded me the other day, it’s exactly what the broadcast license calls for — serving your local community.
For stations that play Classic Rock and Hits music, that’s not always easy to do. Not every metro area is a bustling metropolis with lots of unique stories to talk about. Not every station has a fully local air staff out experiencing things that are going on in the area. A lot of events and happenings that do occur don’t always fit with your target audience.
But there has always been, and continues to be, one consistent topic that is incredibly local. And from research I’ve seen, information on this topic is something listeners say they want — and if you deliver, they will give credit to your station for being local and part of the community.
Concert information.
Attacking the Concert Promotion
But here’s the rub: as stations have gotten increasingly lax about features like concert calendars, or promoting that there is information on their websites and apps, Apple and Spotify are swooping in trying to steal this valuable territory.
Just last week, Apple Music announced a partnership with Ticketmaster with the goal of improving how users discover live music events that are relevant to their listening habits. With this new integration, there will be links on the homepage carousel, in the dedicated “Concerts” tab, and on artists’ pages, along with push notifications that connect consumers directly to Ticketmaster where they can purchase seats.
This integration comes just a month after Spotify teamed up with SeatGeek to provide direct ticket links to fifteen major U.S. venues. That partnership was revealed soon after Spotify announced it had already helped artists generate over $1 billion in concert ticket sales through partnerships with more than 45 ticketing partners.
And while it might be easy to dismiss the issue of concert information as being relevant only for stations that play newer music, the fact is Classic Rock and Hits artists continue to tour and do huge business.
Fighting On-Air
This summer alone brings us Rush, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, Journey, Rod Stewart, the Black Crowes, Santana, Foreigner, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Styx, Alice Cooper, Chicago, Cheap Trick, John Oates, Toto, and many others — all on the road.
That makes it important to consider what radio stations can do to hold off Apple Music and Spotify and remain the source of local concert information for their listeners. Here are some of the basics to get you started:
Concert Calendar Promos: Whether live or recorded, this is the simplest way to be sure your station is talking about the concerts coming to the area.
Sweepers: Short produced pieces that play in front of artists who have concert dates in your area can be a quick and easy way to incorporate more local information without disrupting the flow of the station.
Fighting Online and In-Person
Social and Digital: If you don’t have a dedicated spot on your website and app for concert information, find a way to create one. Then find interesting content to post on social media about shows that are coming to town. It will make your social posts more valuable to listeners.
Be On Site: I realize radio stations are shorthanded. This isn’t as easy to do as it used to be. But you won’t find a more concentrated group of potential listeners all in one place than at concerts that fit your format. When it comes to allocating resources, this should be a priority.
Giveaways: Your listeners are struggling to make ends meet. And ticket prices are skyrocketing at the same time as the cost of necessities like gas and groceries. Free tickets to these shows represent a bigger opportunity than ever to win over listeners. Don’t just bury the tickets you get inside existing features. Turn them into big, memorable promotions right when your listeners need them most.
Those may not be the five most original ideas, but I’m surprised at how many stations fail to even execute the fundamentals that can make a big difference in how listeners perceive their station. For music stations that want to be local when budgets and other resources are tight, concerts are a golden opportunity.
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Mike Stern is a Classic Rock columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. He has been with Jacobs Media consulting stations in the Classic Rock, Rock, Alternative and AAA world for more than a decade. Prior to that he programmed stations in Chicago, Detroit, Denver Las Vegas and other markets. He also worked as News/Talk Editor for Radio and Records, wrote about Top 40 Radio for Billboard Magazine and had his own radio talent coaching business called Talent Mechanic.
