Dutch radio stations accepting music submissions

The Netherlands has a clear radio map. At the top sit the public NPO stations and a handful of national commercial brands, all reachable but crowded. Underneath is a layer of independent online stations and volunteer-run broadcasters that pick their own music and say exactly how they want to receive it. The directory lists 17 Dutch stations; here is how they break down and how to approach each kind.

The independent stations built around new music

Start here. These stations exist to play music the big playlists skip, and most of them publish a clear way in.

IndieXL is an online station devoted to indie and alternative music, run since 2013 by a nonprofit foundation with more than twenty volunteers. Its shows include the Free40 and Indie charts and a program called Nieuw uit Nederland that promotes independent and emerging Dutch acts, and artists upload music through a submit page on its site. Pinguin Radio, started in 2011 by people from KINK, plays non-stop indie and alternative pop with a preference for guitar bands and extra room for Dutch and Belgian acts. It only takes plugs through the Musisum platform, and tracks that do not make the station can still land on its public Spotify playlists.

In Groningen, TalentCast is a volunteer-run, non-commercial station that plays only independently released music, with weekday blocks of alternative, folk, singer-songwriter, country, fusion and jazz. It is specific about delivery: submit through its artist upload page or send WAV download links through the contact form, and do not email music files.

Online and community stations with a point of view

The Netherlands has a strong scene of independent online stations that work more like cultural platforms than broadcasters. Echobox in Amsterdam describes itself as independent radio broadcasting from below sea level, with resident shows, live broadcasts from local venues and a catch-up archive; programming pitches go to its program address. Operator in Rotterdam is an online station and cultural platform with a special focus on alternative sounds and underrepresented stories, built around residents, events and talent development. Radio TNP in Amsterdam spotlights unconventional, organic and warm music, from rai and cumbia to dub and psychedelic rock.

For electronic music, Intergalactic FM in The Hague runs three 24/7 channels spanning electro, italo disco, techno and soundtracks, and publishes a page explaining how to send it music. Open Source Radio in Nijmegen broadcasts electronic music, hip-hop and urban arts and culture from the creative venue De Achtertuin, with a submission form for prospective show makers.

These stations are run by residents and hosts, so the right move is usually to find the show whose taste matches yours and pitch the host, not the station as a whole.

Specialist and local stations

Concertzender is a non-commercial thematic station for classical, jazz, world, early and new music, curated by volunteer program-makers. Each genre has its own coordinator and its own address, so a jazz record and a contemporary composition go to different people. Sublime is a national commercial station built around soul, funk, jazz and smooth grooves, and the radio partner of the North Sea Jazz festival; contact goes through a web form that accepts an attachment.

At the local level, JammFM broadcasts to Ouder-Amstel and Amstelveen around Amsterdam with a smooth and funky format, and asks people to email the studio with records they think belong in its music database. One of its specialist shows, The Soul of Amsterdam, plays new and upfront R&B, soul and funk every Wednesday night and invites submissions by email.

The national stations: KINK and the NPO

The biggest audiences are on the national stations, and they are reachable if your music fits. KINK is an alternative-rock station broadcasting around the clock on DAB+ and online, with a dedicated plugging address for music intended for airplay. The public broadcaster's stations each have a music desk: NPO 3FM for pop and alternative aimed at a young audience, with live sessions and talent programs for new artists; NPO FunX for hip-hop, R&B, Latin, Afrobeats, dance and Arab music; NPO Radio 2 for current pop with an explicit focus on Dutch music; and NPO Sterren NL for Dutch-language music. New music for the NPO stations goes through the NPO Radio Plug upload portal, with a password issued by each station's music desk.

Treat the NPO as a second step. A record that has already been played on IndieXL, Pinguin or a specialist show, and that has a story behind it, gets a better hearing at a national music desk than a cold pitch.

How to pitch Dutch stations

You can pitch in English; if your lyrics are in Dutch, say so in the first line, because several stations give Dutch music extra room. Follow each station's stated route exactly: an upload page, a platform such as Musisum, a contact form or a program address. Send a private streaming link and a properly tagged download, never a large attachment, and name the show you are pitching.

Register so the airplay pays

Airplay in the Netherlands pays through two organizations: Buma/Stemra for songwriters and publishers, and Sena for performers and record producers. Register your works and recordings before the plays start, or through your home society if you are based outside the Netherlands.

A short list beats a long one

Start with the independent stations that match your sound, add one or two specialist shows, and keep the national stations for when you have early plays to point to. Build that list from the 17 Dutch stations in the directory and let the first plays open the next doors.