Planetary Group has been helping brands and musicians get radio airtime since 1996. We develop specific, targeted campaigns based on your goals to help you access regional and even national radio stations. We solicit radio stations to play your music, offer feedback, and we even set up interviews that align with your touring markets.

You have enough to worry about as a musician and a content creator; that’s why Planetary Group offers a simple, easy-to-use radio promotion service that you can trust. We work with musicians from all genres and experience levels, from up-and-coming artists to more seasoned professionals. We guarantee to provide you with the exposure you deserve.

Our radio department develops campaigns that target college radio, AAA, non-commercial, public radio, and commercial specialty shows. In this section, we will give you an overview of our AAA radio promotional campaigns.

What Is the National Public Radio Format?

National Public Radio (or NPR) is both a privately and publicly funded non-profit media organization based out of Washington DC. It was originally established through an act of Congress and serves as a national syndicator of over 1,000 public radio stations in the US.

In addition to cultural and news-based programs, NPR hosts a variety of music programming and has a very strong digital following via programs such as Tiny Desk Concerts and First Listen. While most public radio affiliate stations carry some of the more popular syndicated shows (such as All Things Considered), the vast differences in programming across geographic areas provide a large number of diverse music programs that Planetary Group can help promote your music to.

What Kind of Music Does NPR Typically Play?

Finding the right programming to fit your music helps drive your music to your intended audience, and NPR hosts a variety of both radio and video-based programs that focus on music.

The main music programming produced exclusively by NPR include:

• First Listen
• Jazz Night in America
• Songs We Love
• The Thistle & Shamrock
• Tiny Desk Concerts

Additional music programs distributed by NPR include:

• From the Top
• JazzSet
• Metropolis
• Mountain Stage
• Piano Jazz
• World Cafe
• Live from Here

In addition to these widely syndicated programs, the thousands of local NPR stations all typically carry programs produced within their local studios. These hugely diverse and locally produced music programs often contain opportunities for musicians of all genres, including folk, indie, traditional, jazz, electronic, rock, and more.

How Does Our Process Work?

First we will need to listen to your release to determine if it’s something that aligns with the public radio stations we’ll be reaching out to. If so, then we will reach out to you to discuss your goals and touring plans so that we can create a customized, targeted campaign that works for you.

Radio campaigns typically run 6–8 weeks, where Planetary Group is actively soliciting radio stations for airtime and feedback, saving you time and energy.

What You Need to Provide

You’ll need to provide us with a promotional allotment of CDs to send to radio stations, along with a brief bio to help provide some background for your work to the stations.

For regional campaigns, you would typically need to provide between 100–150 copies, and you would need 300+ copies for national campaigns. We will let you know the exact amount when we discuss your customized promotional plan.

What Planetary Group Delivers

• A specific, targeted NPR promotion campaign based on your needs
• Weekly status reports with radio feedback, pulled from our website
• Tour support promotion to ensure advance exposure in your pending tour markets
• Peace of mind — knowing that Planetary is adept at taking music of nearly every stripe to the radio

A Final Word About NPR Radio Promotion

Writing, recording, and releasing your music is hard enough without thinking of the time and effort it takes to promote it. Let Planetary Group ease your stress by managing your NPR promotion campaign, that way you can get back to what really matters to you — creating fantastic music for everyone to enjoy!