It took me 6 songs and 4 years, but I finally did it. I’ve sent all my songs to a radio plugging company named iPluggers and each time I got the stock answer, “It’s not what we are looking for at this time.” Ok, so I sent my last release, “You Don’t Know The Trouble You’ve Caused” figuring I’d read more of the same. But, I didn’t. I received an acceptance letter! I chose this company because they have been around 13 years and they have a promo package that is reasonable. Being a relatively unknown brand, I didn’t want to spend 2-3 thousand on radio promotion. The best known stations tend not to play indie artists. My song was plugged for 4 weeks and it ended up in 14 different countries. It was placed on playlists on a few FM stations and internet stations, but received the most traction with companies that sell music/playlists/stations/custom channels to retail, hotels, resorts, restaurants, professional offices, cable networks, and B2Bs. Now, one of these companies has 400 million subscribers in over 150 countries. One company has 580,000 commercial locations in 41 countries. One runs over 100 radio stations, another has 50,000 locations in 20 countries. You get the picture. I won’t have any idea how often my song is played or where until royalties come in from SoundExchange, which maybe 9 months from now or more. There are services out there that you can pay to track your songs, but since I only have one out there right now, I’ll wait.

So what did I change…yes, I did purchase and add some plugins. Tokyo Dawn Labs has some great free plugins and some you need to pay for. I added their Slick EQ M to help me with mastering and their Slick EQ GE to help me on individual channels in the mix. I also downloaded their free versions of 2 compressors and an EQ. Great sounding transparent plugins. From PluginAlliance I purchased the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor. It is something I am still learning to use. From oeksound, I picked up soothe2. From Mastering the Mix , I added Limiter and Bassroom. I already had Reference2. From Leapwing Audio, I added Stageone 2. Cableguys has a free plugin called PanCake 2, which made my panning less time consuming. Lastly, I upgraded my Melodyne Editor to the Studio version (on sale). What else did I change…me…my propensity to keep parts, patterns, beats, and phrasing predictable. I allowed myself to have more fun with the recording and mixing. I believe also my hearing, my discernment, has improved. My critical listening skills are better. I believe it is a skill that can be continuously improved with dedication and honesty. So, I hope you found this helpful and continue on your creative journey! Best Regards, Sue