A downloadable and evolving list of Radio Stations and Shows Supporting Independent Music and Emerging Artists
Note: never pay to have your music played on a radio show, if you are asked for money this is a red flag! As with playlists, ensure you are applying to the appropriate station/show for your genre of music.
(Station names are clickable links – please let us know if any of the links don’t work, if there is something to add or if anyone asks for money for plays)
Amazing Radio – UK/USA and Worldwide. Set up specifically for new music and designed to help emerging artists.
Artists can submit tracks, check out the FAQs first.
Amazing Radio US
Actual Radio Actual Radio is the commercial radio station for North East Essex, broadcasting across Essex on DAB with a potential reach of 1.5 million listeners. You can submit your music for the chance to be selected as their song of the week. https://actualradio.com/songof
Artefaktor Radio: Electronic internet radio stations: Live from Mexico City 24/7. Synthwave, Electronica, Retrowave, New wave, Darkwave, Technopop, Synthpop. Submissions Link
Awayday Radio – Independent radio station giving platform to new and emerging artists. All genres and also interviews. contact@awaydayradio.co.uk Twitter
BBC Introducing Radio Shows – (UK only) National and regional BBC radio shows supporting new and emerging artists. Music tracks can be uploaded to BBC Introducing if you are a UK artist with a UK postcode. (Note: you need to be signed into a personal BBC account to access this upload page).
Big Satsuma Radio A new UK based internet radio station that aims to be heard internationally. Hosted radio shows and podcasts covering a variety of music styles, but focusing on new talent. Submissions
Big Satsuma Radio is run by volunteers for the sole purpose of providing a platform for helping artists to have their music heard. They also have a YouTube channel where new artists’ videos are uploaded as well as interviews.
Bluetorch Radio is a UK based internet radio station. Blue Torch Radio was established in 2020 during the Covid-19 lockdown as a hobby, and has now grown to be a fully fledged internet radio station supporting independent musicians.
Catorweb Radio (Call Sign CSNX-9616) is an amateur radio station broadcasting everything from Americana, Tex-mex Los lobos, Joe Ely, The Blasters, Dave Alvin, Flaco Jimenez, Ry Cooder, Texas Tornados, Frank Black to Chuck Prophet. We also play Rock, Cajun, unsigned and Indie artists’ music. Catorweb radio broadcasts live through Sonixcast.com. Submit Music
Conquest Hospital Radio (worldwide) Run as a self-funding registered charity for over 40 years.Paradise by the Sea (2 – 5PM, Tuesdays, Conquest Hospital Radio), is a show presented by Graham Belchamber – a show that includes new music and broadcasts to a sizeable worldwide audience.
Data Transmission Radio is a UK based internet radio station specifically for dance music. Links to the DJs hosting their shows can be found on their twitter and instagram feeds.
ERB Radio A 24/7 UK based radio station, magazine and blog supporting emerging rock bands. Twitter link
Exile FM– UK/Worldwide – online radio collective wish shows supporting independent and emerging artists as follows:
Neil March presents the Trust the Doc Radio Show for new music and emerging artists, broadcasts live on Exile FM Radio every Saturday from 5–7 PM UK time. Each edition is available for 7 days via podcast. Trust the doc Extra is a midweek monthly show that mixes highlights from the previous Saturday’s live Trust The Doc Radio Show plus tracks by new and emerging artists not played on that show. It is a two-hour pre-recorded show and broadcasts monthly on Wednesdays.
The Sunday Brunch (Sundays 9am-12 noon)– Martin Haskell presents an eclectic mix that always includes some music by new and emerging artists.
Monday Night Ride Out (9 – 11PM, Mondays, Exile FM) presented by Ming Nagel and Jon Read – a show that actively supports new and independent music and, like my show, is available for a week on podcast.
Fantasy Radio UK based radio station with every decade’s music and they have ‘The Unsigned Show’ for new artists. Contact DJ Dazza via Twitter
Fylde Coast Radio Broadcasts 24/7 Steve Kelly supports up and coming bands- Wednesday evenings from 9pm, UK time.
Forest FM is a not-for-profit community radio station based in Dorset (UK). Thursday Rock Show & Breaking RockShow play & new and upcoming releases.
Great Music Stories A website and radio show supporting rising artists. The rock radio show airs at 5pm Fridays (UK) with a focus on the stories behind the music. Available through their website or Alexa. Twitter
Hard Rock Hell Radio– Hard Rock & Metal Radio Station with independent and unsigned music from around the world.
Hive Radio is a radio station based in Manchester that has a show dedicated to independent and unsigned artists.
Indie Music Women is a weekly radio show by Linda Garnett supporting new independent female artists.
In the Moog: online on North Cotswold Community Radio (NCCR). UK based presenter Chris Watts plays electronic/synth-based tracks. Twitter: @chriswatts1965
KracRadio is a free, 24/7 internet radio station covering different genres. It is run by enthusiasts and is based in Montreal. It promotes and supports independent artists and also has live video streaming, artist profiles, a blog, podcasts and Spotify playlists.
NCCR (North Cotswold Community Radio, UK). Rob Eden has a show on this community station in Chipping Camden, North Cotswolds. Rob is a long-time champion of new music.
New Music Saturday is a music show broadcast live every Saturday from Canada and the UK from 5pm EST / 10pm UK (ish!) and then available on all the usual podcast apps afterwards. The show promotes bands worldwide and features brand new tracks by independent bands, interviews, reviews, and chat.
Night Train with Martha Richler (aka Marf) by Radio Winchcombe – 107.1 FM and online. A local radio station for the Gloucestershire area (UK). Martha is an artist and features writer as well as a DJ at Radio Winchcombe and a supporter of women in music.
Phoenix Radio is an internet radio station. Trek West Show in Queensland, Australia presented by Chris West supports and looks for new and emerging artists.
Phoenix98FM is a UK community radio station based in Essex with a large number of shows some of which support new music.
Eat My Brunch (with Michelle Ward), is a daily morning show (10AM – 1PM) on which Michelle mixes more familiar material with quite a lot of tracks by new and emerging artists. Michelle is also an independent music artist. She publishes what she’s playing on Facebook and Instagram too.
PhonicFM: (UK) Exeter based community radio station.
Postcards from the Underground is a show on Cumbernauld FM, a licensed community radio station based Lanarkshire (UK) serving a population or 400,000 + . Mark & Gary play tracks by new and emerging artists and have a submissions page. Twitter
Q-Burn Radio.com is a weekly syndicated radio show by Peter Anthony, rather than a radio station. It is a show that can be heard each week, all over the world from approximately 50 radio stations. (many in FM)
Radio Free Matlock is an on-line radio station, based in Derbyshire in the UK, that began as an off shoot of Matlock Record Club in 2014. It has since gained a much wider following. Broadcasting live shows and available on their Mixcloud page.
Radio Kaos Caribou (RadioKC.fm ) is an eclectic internet radio station based in France broadcasting in 223 countries. It is a not-for-profit organisation. Submissions on their Facebook page.
RadioReverb is a not-for-profit local UK (Brighton & Hove) radio station (that also welcomes new show makers). Although mainly a local station it also has a national and international following. It broadcasts on 97.2FM, on DAB+ and online. You need to contact appropriate producers directly as they have no playlists and all producers have free choice about what they play. You can contact producers direct via their show pages which are listed in the show directory here.
Radio Wigwam – on-line radio station playing play a mix of contemporary and classic tunes – Rock, Indie, Funk, Electro, Heavy Metal etc. Submissions
RAK Rock Radio. Based in the U.A.E A 24/7 online radio streaming service dedicated to playing Rock, Blues and country music. They play new artists provided they are [fairly broadly] Rock-based in essence. Twitter
Ridge Radio: online radio station based in Surrey, UK. Electro with Russ Evans, every Saturday 10:00pm to Midnight featuring high tempo upbeat chilled out sounds from the world of electro, dance, synthpop and indie. MP3 music submissions to russevansmusicshow@aol.com
Rock on the Rise Radio: an internet radio station based in Denver for signed and unsigned hard rock and metal. Submit MP3’s only to ROTRsubmissions@gmail.com also interviews and a blog. https://twitter.com/RockOnTheRise
Rodeo FM is a Country and Americana Radio Station. Based in Berlin Germany.
Twitter
Resonance FM: 24/7 radio station which broadcasts on 104.4 FM to central London, DAB to Greater London, nationally on Radioplayer and live streamed to the rest of the world.
Scotland Rocks Radio is an independent internet radio station supporting Rock and Metal. It is based in Scotland but covers the whole of the UK. Submissions via their contact page. Hot from the Forge Radio Show is a show aimed at supporting grassroots artists.
Slack City Radio is a Brighton (UK) based internet station with live shows that are also available for playback on Totally Radio. Submissions can be made to the individual show hosts at Slack City Radio.
Selector Radio: The British Council radio station that showcases UK talent. Isolation Creation Submissions
Soho Radio is a well respected on-line community radio station based in Soho, central London. It broadcasts locally and worldwide with 250 shows per month broadcasting live across 2 channels – music and culture. Shows cover a very wide range of genres and DJ’s have the freedom to broadcast what they want.
The After Eight Show. Slogan is ‘music you don’t hear anywhere else’. Broadcasts on 15 radio stations – 9 in UK, 3 in Canada & 1 each in USA, South Africa & Ireland. Twitter
The Heavy Rock Show is a UK radio show broadcasting on East London Radio and ERB Radio Twitter link
The Big Sound Machine (with Martin Lumsden), 365 Radio – online station Wednesdays 7PM – 9PM. A podcast with studio engineer and experienced DJ Martin playing a diverse spectrum of new music with lots of support for new and emerging artists. https://365radio.co or later on https://www.mixcloud.com/…/martin-the-producer…/
The Punk and The Princess Radio Show. Independent music-based show that broadcasts every Sunday and and plays Punk and Post-Punk influenced music. Also linked to Slider PR. Run by two musicians. Their website encourages artists to send CLEAN edits of their tracks. and has a instructions on their submissions page. Twitter
Windrush Radio is a radio station based in Oxfordshire. Ady Hanson (A to D of Indie) plays old and new tunes. E-mail: AtoDofIndie@outlook.com for music submissions.
XRP Radio. Internet station in UK focused on new and unsigned artists. Live show daily between 17:00 -03:00 GMT [7pm-2am] Twitter
See also: It’s just the same old show by Nick Clift. (August 2021) A Louder than War article on independent radio stations that lists a number of independent radio stations catering to post punk, alternative music and unsigned artists.