How to submit your music to internet radio

Internet radio is one of the easiest doors in radio to knock on, because there is no format-locked playlist and no promotions department deciding what airs. Online stations are programmed by hosts who choose their own music, they are reachable directly by email or form, and many are globally accessible, so a well-matched track sent to the right show usually earns a fair listen. The catch is that audiences vary enormously from station to station, so the skill is targeting the right ones and building relationships rather than blasting everyone. Here is how.

What internet radio is, and why it is reachable

Internet radio covers any station that broadcasts primarily online rather than over a traditional transmitter: independent tastemaker stations, genre-specialist streams, online arms of community and college stations, and shows hosted on streaming platforms. What most of them share is host autonomy. A person programs the show and picks the music, which means the path to airplay is simply convincing that person your track fits. There is no editorial-playlist gatekeeping system standing in the way, and no geographic limit on who can tune in.

That openness cuts both ways. Because it is easy to submit, hosts get a lot of mismatched, copy-pasted pitches. Standing out is about fit and respect, not volume.

Target genre-fit stations, not every stream

The whole game is matching. Find online stations and, crucially, the specific shows within them that already play music like yours. A station might run a dozen shows across wildly different genres, and the one that matters is the one whose sound is yours. Listen first, confirm the fit is real, and build a short target list of stations and shows worth a genuine pitch.

Heard keeps a directory of verified stations, including online and community ones that take submissions, with the genres they cover and how to contact them, so you can build that list without guesswork.

Reach the host directly

Contact the show host or station by name, using the email or submission form they provide. Skip the generic inbox when a real contact exists. Your pitch should be short and human: one or two sentences on who you are and exactly why you fit their show or station, a private stream or a downloadable file, and the track essentials (title, artist, genre, release date, and location if it is relevant).

Offer a downloadable, properly tagged file, because many hosts prefer to load a broadcast-quality file into their playout rather than stream from a link on air, and prepare a clean edit if your track has explicit content. Small, host-run stations especially appreciate an artist who makes airing the track effortless.

Judge stations by fit and audience, not just reach

Internet radio ranges from stations with sizeable, engaged global audiences to tiny passion projects with a handful of listeners. Both can be worth it, but be clear-eyed about which is which. A small station that perfectly fits your genre and whose host becomes a genuine champion can be more valuable than a bigger, mismatched one where you get a single throwaway spin. Prioritize genuine fit and the potential for a relationship, and treat a station's audience size as one factor among several rather than the only one.

Timing, follow-up, and logging

Reach out around your release so the track is current, and give a host a little lead time to plan you in. If you hear nothing after a couple of weeks, one friendly follow-up is fair, then move on. Keep a simple record of every station and host you contacted, what you sent, and the response, so you never double-pitch and can see which stations actually respond to your sound.

Turn spins into relationships

The compounding value of internet radio is the same as the rest of radio: relationships. A host who plays your track, likes working with you, and has you on for a chat or a session becomes a supporter who plays your next release too. Thank hosts who spin you, stay in light touch, and treat the good ones as long-term allies. Over several releases, a set of friendly online shows becomes a reliable, low-friction base of airplay you can count on.

Register to collect

Airplay on internet radio can generate performance royalties, though collection from smaller online stations varies. Register with the performing rights organization for your country before you chase spins, so any plays that do get logged can pay; the main radio guide covers which organization that is and how registration works.

A worldwide door you can knock on today

An online host who loves your sound costs nothing to reach and can play you to listeners on another continent tonight. Build a five-show shortlist from the verified directory and make each pitch obviously, specifically theirs.