|
 |
The Audio CD Demo
We've already
covered all the printed items in the marketing kit...now
let's cover the audio production that will be heard on the demo CD.
This is the toughest and most-expensive item in the marketing kit to
produce.
The audio of a simple demo consists of at least three parts and two
voices. The basic idea is to have a narrator (not the host)
start the demo by giving a few minutes of hot topics about the show,
interspersed with sound bites of the show itself. The narrator
should be someone clearly different than the host, and
the length of this first segment (which will be your track #1)
should be 5:00 max, with 3:00 or 4:00 being preferable.
Critical contact info will also be a part of this first track, at
the end.
The second part (track #2) of a simple demo would be an actual
full-length show (up to 60:00), so that the station can get a feel
for it without having to request more info, or listen via satellite,
or listen via the web. A lot of listening will be done in the
programmer's car, or at an advertiser's office.
The third part (track #3) is a re-cap of marketing bullet points and
(most importantly) the contact info again. Keep this track
short (1:00) so the listener can repeat it as often as necessary in
order to be able to write down the contact info. Remember, the
programmer may be listening to a burned-CD copy of the original
demo, and thus it may have no printed info with it at all.
Below I'll list a more-complete track listing of an elaborate
demo... you can pick and choose items as you like, as long as you
keep the three important tracks I listed above. Keep in mind
that your demo is only going to be heard by the programmers (and not
by listeners), so you have to present things the way programmers
want them to be presented...
Track 1
(:20) High-energy intro with stingers and other
topic-appropriate sound bites. A few intro words from the
narrator, and maybe a caller or two. No real info here, just
high energy to perk the ears up. Narrator acts as if he/she is
talking to the PD. Even if your show has a soft topic (i.e.,
love songs), you still have to appeal to the programmer who is
hearing your demo in an office with phones ringing, people talking,
emails arriving, and other things going on. So make this first
:20 of your demo full of energy, no matter what the rest of your
demo/show sounds like.
Track 2
(1:00) Narrator describes the show, with some snippets of the
actual show included.
Track 3
(1:00) Basic sales points by narrator, as if he/she were
talking to the sales department.
Track 4
(:30) Comments from other stations/advertisers who have had
the show. Narration or splash is not critical here... straight
(dry) recordings of other folks who agreed to be recorded (live or
by phone) can work just fine.
Track 5
(:30) Syndication terms; this info can be either the narrator
or a third voice that sounds more "geeky". Dry works
well here too.
Track 6
(60:00 max) The actual show, with fillers in place of
commercials. The fillers can be a fourth voice, saying
something like "commercials here". It then leads
right back into the actual show. If your show is longer than
60:00, then limit it to 60:00. If your show is shorter, use it
in its entirety. There is no narration in the actual show...
it should sound exactly the way it would be
broadcast to listeners (except for commercials, of course.)
Track 7 (1:00) Narrator bullet-point recap, along with main
contact phones, emails, and websites.
------------------------------------------------------------
Bryan Farrish is an independent radio syndication promoter. He
can be reached at 818-905-8038 x11 or www.radio-media.com
|
|
