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How do you do... submitting music?

We get shitloads of songs submitted to us every week. To help us deal with this significant task please follow a few simple guidelines.

Email with a streaming link AND a download link to a lossless file. Please don't use a service that makes us create an account to stream or download (so, no Spotify), or sync to a Dropbox that needs a bloody password. Make it as simple as possible. Include artist and song names, if there is an album coming and what the release date is, where you're from, but that’s about it.

You don’t need to describe the music, or list what genres you straddle, it's all in the audio, man.

Bios are the devil’s toilet paper. You hate writing them and we hate reading them. Save your time. A couple of sentences for some context is all that’s required. 


Why do you need a streaming and download link? Can’t you just download the file and listen to that?

We get way too much music to spend time downloading. We listen to a stream and if we’ll play it we can then download it. It’s the most efficient way.

What is a lossless file? Is MP3 ok?

Lossless audio files are designed to be a like-for-like replication. MP3s are great for fitting lots of songs on your phone but for broadcast they’re not up to it. We want the master recording, not a compressed version of it.

What about FLAC?

Yes, we support FLAC. And we love WAV.

My track actually came out two months ago, is that cool?

That's fine with us, but it's worth noting that any track older than a month is no longer eligible for A/B (high rotate) playlisting. If you want maximum impact, radio should have your track the same day, if not before, it goes live anywhere else.

What kinds of music do you play?

Tune in, have a listen. 

How will I know if I’ve been playlisted?

You can subscribe to an email list at the bottom of this page. 

Can’t you email me to let me know?

Sorry, no.

Can you let me know why you didn’t playlist my song?

Sorry, no. We just don’t have the time to provide feedback on your songs.

I know someone who works at bFM so I’ll just email them.

Was that a question?

No I guess not. What I mean is won’t it stand out more coming from someone else?

Yes it will, in a bad way. We don’t judge music on anything other than the song. It’s a simple honest process. Songs from paid PR services, music from our own volunteers, songs from complete unknowns - it all gets treated the same.

But I know Matthew Crawley, should I mention that?

Everyone knows Matthew Crawley.

Other radio stations are playing it / I’ve had millions of streams on SoundCloud / I got a great review in NZ Musician. You should be playing it!

We’re going to have to agree to disagree.

Can I add some info about our upcoming gig?

No, please send that to
That said, if you're interested in playing a 95bFM live-to-air (Fancy New Band; Live on Drive; Live & Direct; NZ Music Month LiveDrive Island; etc.) there's no harm in letting us know. And if you're usually based outside of Auckland - let us know if/when you'll be nearby.

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