What is Upcoming Artist Radio?

Upcoming Artist Radio (UAR) is a crowdsourced, live, interactive "radio" show multi-streamed to various social media platforms. Small/Independent/Underground artists submit their songs to be played and reacted to by FERM and the live chat. We try our best to create a positive and constructive environment to get feedback from, network, and perhaps even find a potential collaborator! This is not your typical "music review" show.  We believe a proper review of a song takes more than one listen and detailed analysis which is not conducive to the intention of this show. We are more focused on the radio aspect, but with reactions and some feedback/advice if applicable. There are often many artists waiting to be played for free, so we try to move relatively quickly.

What kind of music is played?

ANY type/genre of music. It can be a rough demo, experimental, or a finished product. As long as it is a musical-based creation, we'll accept it! (Keep song duration in mind. Anything over 4 minutes may not be played in its entirety)

How do I get my music played on UAR?

To get your music played for FREE, submit your track at upcomingartistradio.com when the queue is open and join the live stream. It is important that you are there and watching/listening, at least until your song is played, as it's the backbone of what makes this show work for everyone. The more people watching, the more your music and name get heard! Simply wait your turn, and enjoy and/or critique other artists' music in the meantime (Always try to be respectful).

How do I submit my track?

We have a proprietary submit and queue webpage which allows you to send in your track AND see your spot in line as we go through the submissions. Go to upcomingartistradio.com or click on the “Live Submissions” button on this site's menu above. When the queue is open (once the stream goes live) you will be able to submit your link and info. If you have to attach a file, there is an option in the submission form which lets us know you have emailed it to: submit@realfermaudio.com

How does the queue work?

As mentioned above, to ensure you get your track played for FREE, you'll need to join the queue on our site with your submission. We will be playing submissions from the queue in the order they are received. First come, first served aside from paid priority. You can check the page to see where you stand at any time while you wait. There is an "on hold" mechanism that helps to prevent submitting and ghosting. If you submit your track into the queue and don't check back for an extended period, your submission will be put on hold until you come back. The site mechanism works such that if you are on hold and you return to check the queue page, it will automatically return you to the spot you were in before (the system is still in a beta stage. It works best with google chrome and you have to check it with the same device you used to submit). Or you can simply let us know in the live chat, and we can manually release the hold. As long as you are present and watching/listening, your music will be played!

Can I send multiple tracks?

Yes, though only one submission per artist/user can be put into the queue at a time. So you must wait until your first track is played before you can queue up again for free. Just don't submit the same song twice in one show. Though we would be happy to play it again on the next show! We encourage everyone that is trying to promote a track to come back to each show to get that song played again and heard by different people! There's always going to be someone new watching that hasn't heard it yet.

Do I need to be actively watching?

If you want to ENSURE that we play your track for free, stay actively watching/listening. While artists are encouraged to stay as long as they can to contribute to the community, we ask that you at least wait until your song is played. As mentioned above, the queue page will automatically put your submission on hold if you have been waiting for an extended period of time and have not checked in on the queue webpage. This is done to cater to those who are patiently waiting and contributing to the community by chatting or simply staying tuned in. We understand people (artists in particular) are busy and not everyone has the time to stick around, but to ensure that your track is played, stay in the stream until we've played it. If you do end up missing the reaction but it was played for whatever reason, you can always rewind or watch it later. All shows are kept public afterward with chat replay.
*WE CAN ONLY GUARANTEE YOUR SONG IS PLAYED FOR FREE IF YOU ARE ACTIVELY WATCHING*

Can I pay to skip the line?

Yes. We accept any donation over $10 to prioritize your submission. This is not a price per song, this is for a one-time prioritization of the submission that you have in the queue or are sending in directly (try to avoid sending $30 for 3 songs, we will spread them out to keep it fair for everyone). Higher priority will be given to larger donations. Typically only one paid submission will be played at a time, i.e. after one priority, a free submission from the queue will be played even if another paid one is pending. There is a recommended limit of three priorities individuals can pay for in one show to keep it fair for those waiting for free and to avoid an “artist takeover.” Subscription models are also available as a cheaper and more effective way to be featured and skip the line throughout the duration of your membership, plus other benefits. This is especially valuable if you are a regular, returning contributor. You can subscribe in this way through YouTube Memberships or Patreon. Inquire for more details if interested.

You can also get a priority for FREE by using loyalty points! You accrue these points by watching, chatting, super chatting, etc. as long as you have a YouTube account. So the longer you stick around and interact with the community, the more points you get. You can redeem a one-time Fast Pass once you receive a total of 1000 points. In the live chat, use the command "!points" to check your balance, and "!redeem fastpass" to use your points and your submission will be prioritized for free.

What time is the show?

Typically, the show starts at 8 pm EST Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The show runs for about 3 hours depending on submission volume. The stream will go live 10 minutes before show time to give everyone a chance to join the queue and submit while we prepare to begin. There will always be an official time announcement on the day of each show through Instagram stories with a countdown (@realfermaudio). Keep notifications on for the YouTube channel so you'll get alerted every time the stream goes live.

Can I send in other artists' music?

This is kind of a grey area. Keep in mind the show is called "Upcoming Artist Radio" for a reason. It's a definite no if it's just someone you're a fan of and has already made a big name for themselves (e.g. Drake). If it's your friend or relative who is coming up in the music world or is trying to promote something or just wants it shared around, that is okay. If it's a completely underground artist that you're a fan of with a relatively small following that is fine as well. Ultimately it is up to our discretion, as some songs will cause the stream to get blocked due to copyright.

Is this an actual radio station?

No, we use the term "radio" in a loose sense to describe the overall intended vibe of the show. Playing different songs from different artists with some commentary/discussion. The main difference is that the songs come from YOU the viewers, and everyone can interact through a live chat. YouTube is the main home for the show, but it is also multi-streamed to Twitch. More platforms are being looked into for the future.

Do I have to submit something?

This is a joke question for rhetorical purposes. Of course not! We encourage anyone who loves music to join and watch/listen to the show while it's live or after the fact for entertainment. While the show is geared toward artists, it's also for music connoisseurs! We welcome and honor everyone that stays and watches just to enjoy the music. You may discover an upcoming artist that you absolutely love!