Pittsburgh Area Music Submissions

What opportunities does WYEP provide for Pittsburgh musicians?

WYEP is strongly dedicated to supporting our local music community on the air. Pittsburgh artists are regularly included in WYEP’s playlists.

• The Pittsburgh Artist of the Week on-air feature gives listeners an opportunity to hear a brief interview and a new song from a Pittsburgh artist.
• The Pittsburgh Music Hour, dedicated specifically to Pittsburgh-area musicians, airs Monday nights from 9 to 10p.
• Local musicians perform at our monthly Local 913 Live happy hour, a free show (often occurring on the third Thursday of the month) at WYEP’s Community Broadcast Center. Performers are generally booked once they have been included on the Pittsburgh Artist of the Week.
• Local musicians play at WYEP-sponsored events, such as the Summer Music Festival. Most of these events are booked among artists that have been included in the Pittsburgh Artist of the Week.
• Local teen musicians are given the opportunity to record an original song with mentors in the Pittsburgh music scene for the WYEP Reimagination Project. The Reimagination Project has an application period which is usually during the fall.

How do I submit my music to be considered for airplay?

• Email a link to your music (SoundCloud, Spotify, YouTube, Dropbox, etc.) to localmusic@wyep.org or mail a hard copy to:

WYEP

ATTN: Joey Spehar/Liz Felix
67 Bedford Square
Pittsburgh, PA 15203

• Physical submissions cannot be returned.
• Include contact information, let us know where you’re from, and tell us a bit about yourself or your band.
• If you are submitting an entire album, please suggest 2 to 3 tracks that you think would be best suited to radio airplay.
• You can also check our specialty shows to see if your style of music would be a good fit for any of our weekend programs. Contact the hosts directly to let them know you would like to submit a song and see what format they prefer
• Due to the volume of submissions, we cannot provide updates as to where your music is in the submission process nor give you feedback about what we thought of your music. Keep in mind that due to having limited slots available for on-air airplay, this is a competitive process. We choose music to play not only on its own merit but by evaluating it in relation to other music we have available for consideration, as we strive to play for our listeners the best new music available to us at any given time.

Renee Rosensteel

How do songs get on the air at WYEP?

Music submitted to WYEP is chosen for our Pittsburgh Artists of the Week feature (or slotted into WYEP’s new music rotation) by WYEP’s music staff. Everyone on the programming staff votes on song choices; no single person makes the final decision about the music that gets recurring airplay on WYEP. Some individual DJs that spin Pittsburgh music (like the hosts of WYEP’s Pittsburgh Music Hour or weekend specialty shows) will choose their own selection of songs to play. We generally consider songs for the Pittsburgh Artist of the Week once per month.

Here are a few of the things the WYEP staff looks for when considering local music:

• Music that is of comparable quality (both technically and aesthetically) to professionally-produced recordings played on WYEP. This does not mean we only accept professionally-produced material, but that it must meet the high standards held for music played on WYEP.
• FCC-clean edits (no profanity). In addition to being compliant with FCC broadcast standards (broadly speaking, the “seven dirty words”), WYEP may not air content that deals with sensitive subjects using offensive or inflammatory language. While WYEP respects artist freedom, we are also stewards of the airwaves and must make the decisions we feel are correct based on the needs of our entire audience and the community at large. These content issues beyond FCC-language concerns are dealt with on a case-by-case basis, and you must use your best judgment when choosing which songs you wish to submit for airplay consideration.
• Artists that are currently based in and playing shows in Western Pennsylvania.
• Music that is easily available to our listeners, either as a physical/digital record for sale or streaming audio on Bandcamp, Spotify, etc.

What else should I know before I submit my songs to WYEP?

• Sending music to WYEP does not guarantee that it will be aired. WYEP’s format is diverse, but Pittsburgh music must meet the bar for quality and creativity set by our music staff. It is highly recommended to spend time listening to WYEP prior to submitting music. Would your songs make sense in WYEP’s music mix?
• WYEP is a public radio station, but we are not an open platform. WYEP’s listeners expect station staff to provide them with a curated experience of the best music we can find.
• Due to the large volume of music to consider for airplay, WYEP staff cannot provide feedback on every submission. Additionally, please do not expect updates as to where your submitted music is in the process.
• Music submissions will not be returned.
• If you have a question about the submission process, please email us at localmusic@wyep.org.