Radio Airplay Tracking: The Key to Music Industry Success

Travis Mckenzie

Mar 25, 2025

Tracking radio airplay has come a long way, evolving from manual reporting and limited station data to sophisticated analytics platforms that offer deep insights. Today, artists, labels, and managers rely on data-driven tools to monitor their radio presence in real time, measure performance across different markets, and strategize promotional efforts. This article explores the transformation of airplay monitoring and compares three leading platforms: Viberate, Songstats, and Chartmetric.

Comparing the Pricing of Airplay Monitoring Tools

Before diving into the capabilities of these platforms, it is essential to compare their pricing structures:

• Viberate: From €19.90/month (billed annually at €239)
• Chartmetric: $1400/year or $160/month
• Songstats: €999.99/year after the trial

Each platform comes with unique features and analytical depth, making pricing a key consideration when choosing the right solution.

The Shift from Traditional to Modern Airplay Monitoring

In the past, tracking radio plays depended on manual station reporting, which was often slow, inconsistent, and lacked detailed insights. As digital tools emerged, radio monitoring became more advanced, enabling automated tracking and real-time analytics. Modern platforms like Viberate, Chartmetric, and Songstats provide artists with precise data on where and when their tracks are played, helping them optimize their promotional efforts and maximize airplay impact.

Viberate: In-Depth Airplay Insights with a Comprehensive Dashboard

Viberate’s Airplay Analytics Dashboard offers a complete overview of an artist's radio presence, structured across multiple modules that provide insights into rankings, airplay trends, geographical distribution, and station influence.

The Career Health on Radio Airplay module assesses an artist’s overall performance and ranking, using a gauge meter to classify airplay strength and comparing rankings across genres. The 12-Month Radio Airplay Overview provides a broad summary of spins, stations, and key markets, identifying top-performing tracks and cities driving airplay.

The Spins Through Time feature visualizes trends through an interactive line graph, helping users identify peak periods and decline phases. Meanwhile, the Most Spinned Tracks module highlights which songs receive the most airplay, offering filtering options to analyze both short-term and long-term performance.

Viberate also provides detailed Spins by Country & Spins by City, with an interactive world map showcasing airplay density. The Top Radio Stations & Radio Station Overview modules help users identify key stations that are most supportive of an artist's music. Additionally, the Airtime Distribution module displays peak airplay times, while the Latest Radio Spins offers a real-time feed of recent plays.

Chartmetric: Data-Driven Airplay Monitoring at a High Price Point

Chartmetric’s Radio Analytics Dashboard presents a structured breakdown of an artist's radio presence. The Summary Stats Module delivers key metrics such as total plays, station count, and airplay reach. A world map highlights the top 50 cities where an artist's tracks have been played.

The Total Plays Breakdown Module visualizes airplay data through stacked bar charts, categorizing plays by tracks, stations, countries, and cities. This segmentation enables users to pinpoint specific performance trends. The Top Tracks by Plays Module ranks an artist’s songs based on radio play volume, providing insights into historical performance trends, first and last play dates, and ranking fluctuations.

Each module includes filtering and export features, allowing users to conduct further analysis and compare data against competitors. Chartmetric’s extensive dataset is valuable for industry professionals, though its higher price may be a limiting factor for independent artists.

Songstats: Simplified Airplay Monitoring with a Focus on Royalties

Songstats provides a streamlined Radio Analytics Dashboard, offering insights into station performance, geographic reach, and airplay trends. The Performance Overview Module presents key statistics such as total plays, station count, and estimated royalties, with an option to track and claim earnings.

The Airplay Trend Chart visualizes performance over time, allowing users to adjust the timeframe for analysis. The Stations & Locations Module helps identify which stations and regions contribute to airplay growth.

Songstats also features a Most Played Tracks Module, ranking top-performing songs alongside album artwork. The Recently Played Module displays a real-time feed of tracks receiving airplay, while the Individual Track Airplay Analytics section provides deeper insights into trends and station-specific performance.

One unique feature of Songstats is its royalties tracking, which integrates with monetization tools, helping artists identify and claim potential earnings from radio plays.

Choosing the Right Airplay Monitoring Tool

Each platform offers unique strengths based on the level of detail and pricing considerations:

• Viberate is ideal for artists and managers who want a well-rounded, cost-effective analytics tool with deep insights into station influence, geographical trends, and performance rankings.
• Chartmetric provides the most detailed and data-driven radio monitoring but comes at a premium cost, making it more suitable for labels and high-level industry professionals.
• Songstats offers a simpler approach, with a strong focus on tracking plays and potential royalties, appealing to independent artists and labels looking to monetize their radio presence.

As airplay monitoring continues to evolve, these platforms ensure that artists and industry professionals can make data-driven decisions, optimize radio promotion strategies, and maximize the impact of their music in the ever-changing broadcast landscape.