As I move into 2025, I want to take a few lines to thank some of the people who really helped me advance my music in 2024. As you may know, I moved from my home in Washington State to my new home in Abilene, Texas at the end of 2023. One of the first people I met in Abilene was Terri “The Queen” Knight; a brilliant singer/songwriter, who welcomed me to a “song swap” at a local coffee house and then went on to introduce me to Doc at Play Faire Park. That introduction led to a recurring spot on the 2nd Friday of the month for the rest of the year and, hopefully into 2025. Perhaps the most significant helping hand was Terri's assistance in introducing me to the world of radio submission. I have been streaming my music for a few years now but have always wanted to hear my music "on-air." Not only is Terri's music being played regularly on the radio, she is charting near or at the top of many radio charts both in the US and in Europe. Which leads us to DJ Nik Pizzigoni and his Whiskey and Cigarettes Radio Show out of Milan, Italy. Dj Nik's show is syndicated to stations around the world, including Armed Forces Radio. In association with his show, Nik offers a “Featured Artist” promotion where your music and yourself as an artist are featured via his weekly show and his social media posts throughout the year. It has been exciting to tune in to the program on various outlets to hear my songs mixed in with the likes of Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Buck Owens, and so many more.
Around the same time I was introduced to DJ Nik, I stumbled upon Groover. Groover is basically a “pay for play” site that allows you to upload music and then, for a minimal fee, pitch those songs to an extensive list of media outlets for their consideration. The outlets consist of playlist managers, on air radio stations, bloggers, and influencers from around the world. I have been very pleased to have some of my songs accepted for airplay on stations from Canada to France, to Spain, to Portugal and more and have been added to about a half dozen playlists on the various streaming outlets. While I am not a big fan of “pay for play,” one of the benefits of Groover is that the folks you pitch your songs to may choose to send you their direct email contact and then you are able to deal with them directly. It was via this side benefit that I became acquainted with Gary (Gaz) Richards from the UK. Gaz has a program, "Into the Groover" which broadcasts from Deal, England every Monday with replays on Tuesdays. Gaz has probably played more of my songs on air in 2024 than any other on-air outlet. We have developed a friendly relationship, and I am starting to develop a small but growing fan base from his show.
It is my strong hope to continue on the path that I started down in 2024 and present my music to an even greater audience. I look forward to performing in new venues but still returning to the ones who have already welcomed me to their stages. Please be listening for my music and come catch a show or two in the coming year. If you feel like it, drop me a line to let me know when and where you may have heard my music so that I may drop a thank you note to that outlet. All the best to all who read this post.