“CLASSICAL MUSIC RISING” DEBUTS EXCELLENT WEBSITE ABOUT CLASSICAL MUSIC MEDIA

One of the reasons for Classical music's enduring popularity on the radio is the curation provided by programmers and on-air hosts. They make certain the right recordings, performances and artists are heard in context and flow.  It is both an art and a science.

Wende Persons

The same loving curation is on display on Classical Music Rising’s (CMR) nifty new website: click to see it here. 

Wende Persons and her team have made available the “go to” site about the business of Classical music on the broadcast radio platform and companion digital platforms.

I am featuring CMR’s site today because such a resource would be very helpful for marketing noncommercial Triple A and Jazz on radio and companion digital platforms.

Lets go under the hood of the CMR site:

• LANDING PAGE [link]

From the moment you reach the home page, you know you know you are a place with “all things Classical.” The vibe is calm and confident.  There is plenty of activity but it is never congested.  The look makes navigation easy. I particularly appreciate the detailed menu at the bottom of the page.

• AUDIENCE PAGE [link]

Only the most recent information is presented, including the January 2017 Public Radio Classical Audience from NPR Audience Insights and State of Play, an undated by obviously recent compilation of data by Tom Thomas and Terry Clifford from SRG and Walrus Research.

State of Play (sample chart on the right) brings together information from Nielsen, AudiGraphics, Edison Research, Triton Digitals and custom analysis from Walrus Research. The information is relevant and there never is an overload of data.  As Joe Friday said: Just the facts, mam.

• TALENT PAGE [link]

Want to find stats about the Classical music workforce? This page has the most recent data from the Classical Radio Workforce survey. (A sample chart is on the left.)

For the first time I can recall, separate breakouts are presented for workers at All Classical station, Mixed Format stations and folks working for content providers such as NPR, APM, PRI, PRX and WFMT.

• MARKETING PAGE [link]

Want to see examples of marketing campaigns that have successfully generated listener tune-in for public radio stations? This page has it.

I am very impressed with the report from the 2016 PRPD Content Conference Branding and Marketing for Classical Radio. (Sample image on the left.) This was an all-star panel of Classical radio programmers show how their station uses outside media to build awareness and encourage listening.

• MUSIC RIGHTS PAGE [link]

CMR provides links to two recent and comprehensive guides about the legal aspects of Classical music use on radio stations and digital platforms.

The first is A Guide to Copyright Law for Noncommercial Radio Stations by John Crigler and Melodie Virtue from the law firm Garvey, Schubert & Barer. It provides the basics of musical content in various media.

The second is Digital Music Licensing Guide by Spencer Weisbroth from Weisbroth Law. It provides a detailed overview of the evolving world of music on digital platforms.

But wait, there is more. CMR offers a comprehensive list of all of the noncommercial Classical music stations in the US. That list can be downloaded here.