Music Library Tips #3: The music library is a living organism
Our bodies are a wonder! Every day, as we take in food and liquid, our bodies create new cells, and discard old ones. Here’s the amazing part; in this process, we don’t lose who we are – we remain the same person. Of course, the quality of that renewal depends very much on the quality of what we eat and drink.
A music library is also a type of living organism! For the sake of our listeners, we need to keep it fresh and alive. At the front end, we need to be regularly adding new songs – perhaps weekly or monthly. These don’t necessarily have to be the latest releases, but music that is new to your library. Part of the fun of running a music library is seeking out new artists, new releases or previously unknown music within your chosen music genres. The only criteria beyond genre, is that the song is great. Does it have the “wow” factor? Please remember that if you think a song is “ho hum” then your listeners will think so too. Only add the best songs. The quality of your music library is determined by not only the songs you add, but the quality of the songs you leave out!
At the back end (you have to forgive my analogy here!) we need to be taking songs out of the library as well. These could be songs that have been played too much and are now “tired.” They could be songs that are OK, but not great. As you build your library for the first time, quite a few of these “average” songs might be included – perhaps to help make up the numbers. Over time, they can be weeded out. Let me add one suggestion here – don’t delete these song files. Put them in a folder somewhere in your system. You may need them again, perhaps for request programmes or special features.
Generally, the rule of thumb is that you take out as many songs as you put in, and keep your library at around the same size. When you get to the point of agonising over what to take out, you know you’ve got a great music library!
On Monday, we will look at core artists, and how they are important to a radio station music library.
Happy broadcasting!
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