Before you start uploading, please read this guide carefully.
1. How It Works
Syndicast’s platform operates as a radio show “marketplace,” enabling stations to easily find and import radio shows into their programme schedule. Our distribution system delivers and monitors everything effectively. Over 2,300 radio stations use the platform to access music, imaging assets, and shows.
All radio stations can view and listen to all the radio shows via their dashboard. When a radio station is interested in a radio show, it must subscribe to it to gain access to the episodes. During the subscription process, they are required to provide details of when they will broadcast the show (date, time, timezone), and they must also display it on their website or social media channels (whichever they use for this purpose).
They must also confirm that they have provided all the necessary information and that the show is visible. Once they press the save button, you, as well as our team, will be notified, as we check every single subscription.
If everything is in order, they will be granted access to the show. We deliver the episodes in various formats, and automated FTP delivery is available to help them easily receive new episodes. Every time you upload a new episode, and it becomes available on the publishing day, we email the subscribed radio stations, ensuring they do not miss the new episodes.
Online-only radios typically subscribe to shows first, as they generally have more openings in their schedules. In contrast, FM/DAB radios usually take longer to start broadcasting a show since their schedules are often full and are only updated a few times a year.
Magic does not happen overnight. The key is consistency. We continually promote the shows to stations through in-system promotional tools and weekly round-up emails. However, the decision of what to broadcast ultimately lies with them.
2. Requirements
It is important that we review your radio show before you proceed with the uploading. We have certain requirements that are essential to succeed on the radios. Some of them include:
- The programme for syndication must be produced without station IDs and mentioning any particular station names.
- The show should contain jingles and/or voice-overs. The ideal is one-liner or sweeper in every 5-8 minutes.
- The length of the show must be either 60 or 120 minutes. Preferably 59 or 119 minutes. If you leave it longer your show will not be played full or will cause a delay in schedules.
For the complete guide, click here. If you have not done so yet, send us your show for review:
3. Required assets
The following assets are necessary for setting up syndication for a radio show:
- General artwork / episode artwork – size ranging from 2000x2000px to 3000x3000px; maximum of 5MB.
- One episode – professionally mastered in mp3, 320kbps with no metadata added to it. More details are here.
- Description of the radio show. To understand why this is important, read here.
- Press pack in a .zip file, which should include the artwork for your radio show in an editable format, thereby allowing radio stations to customise it to meet their requirements. Also, information about the presenter, etc. For the guide, click here.
You can find all the necessary requirements here.
4. Minimum term
The minimum term is six months because syndication is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. You/we need to build up your show in the world of radio. On the other hand, If you decide to end your show after just a month, it won’t sit well with the radios that have subscribed to it. This could also harm your reputation in the music industry. So, it’s not just about the time it takes to grow; it’s about maintaining good relationships and credibility too.
5. Exclusivity
When you are setting up your show, we recommend that you give a few days of exclusivity to the radio stations. Usually, they would not like to broadcast shows that are already available on streaming platforms such as Soundcloud, Mixcloud, or in podcast directories like Apple Podcasts, Deezer, to name a few, upon delivery to them.
6. Syndication type
You also need to decide upon starting the upload of your show whether you would like your radio show to be picked up and aired worldwide by radio stations or, besides that, whether you would like it to be listed on all the major streaming platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Deezer, and many more.
7. Transfer your radio stations
If you already have radio stations broadcasting your show, they can be transferred over so that we will take over the delivery, and they can be included in the statistics we provide.
If you’ve understood everything, let’s begin your show’s journey to the airwaves.
We’ve prepared comprehensive step-by-step guides to assist you in setting everything up. Should you require assistance, please select the appropriate option:
