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Night Out Radio – Part 2 (Interview)

22 Dec Posted by in Blog, Links, Music Biz | Comments Off on Night Out Radio – Part 2 (Interview)
Night Out Radio – Part 2 (Interview)
 

Interview with Mark & Linda Gordon of My Seattle Night Out and Seattle Wave Radio

With a website containing an online radio station focusing on local, Greater Seattle (and really the State of Washington) bands and singer/songwriters, Linda and Mark Gordon have jumped on a current trend that seems to be replacing the way we listen to music. These Internet radio stations not only reach our area through Seattle Night Out but throughout the US in most major cities (and many minor ones) through the “Night Out” organizations, with a total reach upwards of 40,000 people a day. In the previous article I listed why and how to sign up with MySeattleNightOut – for this week I was able to ask Mark and Linda a few questions about their organization and online radio:

 

Jeff: So all this is free? I can just sign up and get my songs played? There’s gotta be a catch!
Mark: Yes, it’s free – but since it is FREE, we ask all the artists and bands to promote and talk about our website and radio to all their fans, friends and family with routine endorsements publicly, and through their social media network.

 

Jeff: What’s the best way to do that?
Linda: To follow us on Twitter and fan us on Facebook, to engage us in conversation on those accounts, to make sure they post their gigs on our calendar of events on our website, and post on our newly launched Seattle Music Facebook fan page at https://www.facebook.com/SeattleWaveRadio. We will share with our “personal” page which has 4,380 friends. When gigs are posted on our calendar, we tweet about them @SeattleNightOut and @4SeattleMusic, plus they will auto-post to our “personal” Facebook page.

 

Jeff: It’s free cost-wise but you’re hoping we invest a little time?
Linda: I realize that takes a small amount of daily effort, but if they want more fans and to sell more CD’s, they have to “work it.” Our social media reach is very deep and we are highly rated and respected in the Seattle social media circles. Our total reach can be upwards of 40,000 people a day. This is worth more than any premium someone could pay for.

 

Jeff: So how does one get airplay on your stations?
Mark: To have your tracks spinning on our radio is not a pay to play, nor are there politics involved. We make judgments on how often a track gets air time based on quality of music and demand. Everyone, though, that submits quality recordings has their tracks played. We want everyone to be heard.

 

Jeff: Is there anything I can do to say…get MORE noticed by you guys?
Mark: When a band or artist promotes us, we will promote them heavily. As well, keep sending us new music, which keeps our programming fresh for the listeners.

 

Jeff: So not only are you heard in Seattle but you’re nationwide, too?
Mark: On our MySeattleNightOut.com website player there is a selection for “National.” What this is is a play-list of songs from all the 400 plus NightOut sites across the country. When an artist puts a link to a single mp3 track in their profile, that track will play on all the other NightOut Radio players.

 

Jeff: I understand your national presence. Do you have any plans for a worldwide audience?
Mark: With Seattle WAVE Radio, our goal is to have a global presence. We will do that through our mobile apps deployment, marketing and station programming, and of course, it won’t happen without Seattle’s great music.

 

Jeff: Yesterday Seattle, today the nation and tomorrow the world…is there anything else you would like to say?
Linda: We did not start up Seattle WAVE Radio for any more important reason other than we saw a space which needed to be filled; we did it to support the local music community, and the local businesses. We are not just another advertisement post on Facebook or Twitter; nor simply just a community billboard. We socially engage people in conversation, and are personally active in promoting businesses, bands and artists with value added features.

 

If you haven’t yet signed up with MySeattleNightOut, access the first article in this series “Why and How To” and sign up. If you have quality recordings, and would like to have the prospect to reach a global audience of listeners every day, there’s no reason not to.
About the Author
Jeff Hatch

In the early years, as a novice songwriter, Hatch strived to create songs that would change the world. George Bernard Shaw once wrote, “The man who writes about himself and his own time is the man who writes about all people and all time.” This is directly relevant for Hatch, as he became a more seasoned songwriter he turned inward and wrote of what he knew: his love for his wife and eight children, experiences of the past, and his faith. Throughout his CD “Rosa Mystica” listeners will find enchanting melodies drifting below lyrics that possess a refreshing sincerity. As a self-taught guitarist, and with influences stretching multiple genres, his sound lands somewhere in the realm of acoustic folk with a bit of country twang.