Whenever you need to make a radio ad the first feature anyone looks at is the budget. firstly the first thing you will want to know is whether or not you can afford your radio advert. there are two costs you will come across when you advertise on a radio. the first is airtime which is the time your commercial will be on air, the other cost is the production cost, or the price for producing the commercial. a factor that makes up the budget is creative costs, a simple advertisement for a small station will usually cost£200-£300. .another key factor that makes the budget for a radio advert is airtime costs.Each station has a limited number of minutes a day to sell for advertising. unlike print advertising where you can add extra advertising pages, on radio when the available minutes are sold there are no more. If you book late, you might get a good price on leftover airtime as the station will want to sell it. A £2,500 campaign on a small station over four weeks will most likely run with one piece of creative which might cost you £250. A £25,000 campaign over a year will likely need a few different advertisement. A £250,000 campaign over a year might be worth licensing a famous song for £25,000 so your brand really stands out. There are 4 categories for copyright licences and related royalties: Mechanical this is permission to reproduce, royalties paid to artist, writer and publisher based on numbers sold.Fees for voice over artists vary depending on whether the voice is of a celebrity, the amount of skill and experience and the type of voice over session. voice over artists in the UK are usually paid by the hour. when the commercial is to be broadcast this affects how much it would cost. for example- if you were to broadcast an advert during drive time (effectively the prime time of radio) where the audiences figure are higher.Normally your radio station will be able to help, and for two or three hundred pounds produce a quality radio commercial. The commercial production rate should include the scripting by a trained copywriter, licensing of music and Equity Voice Overs for broadcast on one radio station.Another alternative is an "Out of House" Production facility With so many small radio stations opening the future of "Out of Station" or "Out of House" Production Companies seems bright.
What is a music bed , and what are the three types ? Explain in your own words.
Music bed is the sound that is used in the background of the advert to appeal and intrigue the listeners and to make the advert more appealing. if the client want music to be playing in the background /underneath the dialogue there are three types :
Live music recorded with the speech , using a live band or single musician.Library music -often copyright freeProduction music, - via CD or created 'in house' by a recorded band/artist recorded or on software such as Garage band.
Performance is blanket license giving permission to broadcast/perform live,royalties paid to artist, writer and publisher when song is played or performed. Lastly Print this is when royalties are paid to writer and publisher based on sales of sheet music.
Why does it cost money to use a pop song in a radio advert ? What type of license would you need to apply for ?
A £250,000 campaign over a year might be worth licensing a famous song for £25,000 so your brand really stands out.In Radio commercial production you need a Synchronisation licence which allows songs/music to be reproduced in a television program, film, video, radio and commercials as background music. it costs money to use a pop song as the artist of the song will have to get paid and will have to be given legal permission to use the song for the advert. a popular song would be worth more than an unpopular song.
What are the main differences between producing your radio advert using
a) production facilities available at the radio station itself ?
Normally a radio station will be able to help,and for two or three hundred pounds they will produce a quality radio commercial. the commercial production rate would and should include the scripting by a trained copywriter, licensing of music if the commercial includes a song and equity voice overs for broadcast on one radio station. however if you feel that you may want other services such as music production, celebrity voices or make the advert shown on multiple stations, this again the local station will be able to assist an help you with. the scripting that is offered by the station is free however they have to produce the commercial. The copyright of the script remains the property of the radio station, however if you choose to run it elsewhere there is a chance of being sued. Many radio stations have a dedicated studio just for commercial production, if not they sometimes are part of a group with centralised facilities.these kind of studies allow and welcome guests to come and see commercials being made.
b) an external production house ?
Another alternative is an Out of House production facility with a variety of small radio stations that are opening in the near future of Out of Station or Out of House production companies seems bright. Some radio stations may only have three or four full time staff and cannot afford or to employ writers and producers for their smaller local client, however production houses can offer a help. Although production houses offer a service the quality can vary from the good to bad. Although the Production houses are a help it does include some disadvantage, one disadvantage is that they do not use experienced radio writers, the writers are often isolated from the client with no contact. A production house can also be isolated from the radio station.
