Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Now that I've made a CD, what do I do next?
A: The next step is to get airplay. That's where Jerome Promotions comes in. We help you get your CD played on the radio by promoting it to the music directors and program directors.

Q: Who has Jerome Promotions worked with?
A: Jerome Promotions has been helping launch hits for

twenty years for major labels such as Warner Brothers, Universal, Island, Columbia, Curb, Epic, Reprise, Capitol and Arista as well as a number of small, independent labels who we helped make deals with major labels. LINK HERE

Q: I have a great CD! If I send it out, won't the radio stations just listen to it and play it?
A: No. First, you have to know which stations across the country have a format that would consider the type of music your CD is. Next, you have to get the music directors and program directors to listen to your CD before they will even think about playing it on the air. Since they receive over a hundred CD's each month, they don't just sit down and listen to every CD that crosses their desk. They literally don't have the time.

Q: If they receive that many CD's every month, how will I ever get them to listen to mine?
A: That's where Jerome Promotions steps in. We call over 250 stations across the U.S. several times each week to talk to music directors and program directors about new releases of both upcoming and established artists. We let them know when a CD will be sent to them and which cuts have been selected for airplay. When new artists are releasing a single, we give them some background on the artist and their music in order to get them interested in listening to the CD and testing it on the air. Our goal is to get them to listen to the cut, test the audience response to it, and get it added to the weekly playlist.

Q: Can't I do that myself?
A: No. Again, time is a factor. The music directors and program directors literally don't have time to take phone calls from everyone who wants to get their CD played. But Jerome Promotions has built up a relationship with the radio stations and music directors and program directors through the years.

Q: Will you promote a CD for anyone willing to hire you?
A: No, absolutely not! First, I listen to it and determine if it will fit into the Top 40 format. Then I evaluate whether it has the quality of production and lyrics that the music directors and program directors are looking for. Only then will we take on a project. If we began taking on projects that are of a poor quality just to collect a fee, we would soon lose our credibility with the radio stations and they would no longer talk with us. Plus, we choose not to take on too many projects at once or we can't do justice to any of them.

Q: Can you guarantee that I will get my CD played on the radio stations?
A: No one can guarantee you that. If they do, you know they are not reputable. But, again, if we don't think we can get airplay, we don't take on the project.

Q: If there are no guarantees, how will I know once I hire you that you will really call the stations?
A: Every week, we keep you updated with a report that outlines in detail how the stations are responding to your CD, which stations are testing it, which ones have added it to their playlist, how many times it is being played each week, what type of phone calls the station is receiving on your CD and what type of comments listeners are making.

Q: Who actually make the phone calls to the stations? Do you have a team of interns who make the calls?
A: Interns are called interns for a reason! They're in training and are generally paid low or no salary. Plus interns tend to come and go quickly. They often don't work long enough to build a good relationship with the stations. Do you want a professional promoting your CD or amateurs? For this reason, Jerome Promotions has not and NEVER WILL use interns to handle their promotions.

Q: If I do hire someone else and I'm not happy with their results after a few weeks, can I still hire you to work that same single?
A: No. Unfortunately, at that point, the music directors and program directors may have developed a negative view of the single because the job wasn't done properly from the beginning.

Q: I guess everyone dreams of having a hit CD. What can I realistically expect?
A: To have a major hit, you need a deal with a major label. To do that, you've got to show the major companies that you have the makings of a hit artist. One of the ways you can do that is by showing them real results through radio response. When they see your single being added to radio playlists and moving up the national charts, they want to know who you are. That's when they get very interested.

Q: What do you mean by getting my CD on the charts?
A: Each radio station compiles a weekly playlist that shows what songs they are playing and includes information about new songs and artists they have added and what response they are getting to those new artists. They then send that playlist to major reporting magazines who compile weekly charts rating each single based on responses from the radio stations. Those charts are what the major labels track.

Q: How do I get a major label to notice me?
A: Believe me, they are working just as hard at discovering new artists as you are working at being discovered. In fact, they have an entire promotion department devoted to looking for new talent. That promotion department talks to the same music directors and program directors at the radio stations that Jerome Promotions talks to every week. When they see a new artist added to a number of radio playlists across the U.S., they begin asking how to find out more about the artist. That's when the music director or program director of the radio station gets the major label in touch with Jerome Promotions.

Q: Do you actually make the deal with a major label for me?
A: Some promoters will take a percentage of your record deal but we don't. Helping a new artist get established with a major label is what Jerome Promotions is all about.