The Australian Music Radio Airplay Project (AMRAP) launched AirIT today at Big Sound Music Summit in Brisbane. AirIT is a brand new online music catolgue for community radio stations and a spankin’ digital distribution service for record labels
You may know AMRAP from distribution services like their monthly mailout to community radio stations that would like to recieve your music, they are still doing that but AirIT is an essential step in the transition from CD to digital music distribution. It’s effective, and affordable and increases music access to passionate and influential music directors and broadcasters nationwide.
AirIT allows broadcasters to access up to three tracks from an Australian release. Broadcasters order the tracks they would like to broadcast on their radio program. CDs are created by Amrap and sent directly to the broadcaster. By ordering tracks from AirIT broadcasters declare their intent to air the tracks within 28 days of receipt.
“As a manager, I spend hours trying to find out if different radio stations have actually received my artists music and if they intend on playing it,” said Joel Connolly, manager of Urthboy, Cloud Control and Belles Will Ring. “AirIT is going to make this process a lot easier and at the same time make the music my bands create all the more accessible.”
AirIT hosts Australian music of all genres from major and independent Australian record labels. Labels such as EMI, Mushroom Music, Liberator Music, Ivy League, Speak n Spell and Illusive Music are already on board. New music from dozens of artists including The Temper Trap, Dappled Cities, Jimmy Barnes, Bliss N Eso, Diafrix and Troy Cassar-Daley is readily available on the site. In addition to burning tracks onto CD, AirIT gives broadcasters the option to receive broadcast quality tracks via digital download. Record labels nominate the maximum amount of copies and downloads available on AirIT.
AirIT enhances Amraps existing monthly music mailout service and is the platform for Amraps digital music strategy. “AirIT forms the centerpiece for a whole host of new services for the music industry, stations and radio listeners designed to increase the impact of new Australian music on community radio,” said Chris Johnson, AMRAP Manager.
Amrap is funded by the Commonwealth Governments Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy through the Community Broadcasting Foundation and is managed by the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia.
Some facts about Community Radio…
• There are more than 350 community radio stations currently operating in Australia
• There are over 19,000 volunteers working at fully licensed community radio stations in Australia (2007-08 Community
Broadcasting Database Survey).
• 57% of people aged over 15 listen to community radio every month and two of the top three reasons cited for
listening to community radio were specialist music programs and the support of Australian/local artists (2008 McNair
Community Radio Listeners Survey).
