Music contact enrichment adds relevant context to a basic contact record. For a release, that means finding out what someone covers, whether their role is current and how their team asks to receive music.
The useful result is a list you can review against the record you are promoting. It is not a promised reply-rate increase, a fixed time saving or an automatic guarantee that every address is ready to pitch.
The anatomy of an enriched contact
A basic record might contain an outlet name and an email. That leaves important questions unanswered: what is the address for, which show is relevant, and where did the information come from?
The blank example below shows the difference. It is a research template, rather than a real person’s record or a promise that an automated tool will return every field.
| Basic record | Research to add |
|---|---|
| Outlet name | Specific programme, section or playlist |
| Email address | Published submission route and its purpose |
| Contact name | Current role, backed by a source |
| Notes | Genre fit, format preferences and actual interactions |
| No provenance | Source URL and date checked |
A shared submissions address can be right for the release. A personal address can be wrong. Follow the outlet’s current instructions rather than using an inbox type as a proxy for whether someone will reply.
Fourteen useful fields to research
These are fields you can keep in a spreadsheet or contact system. Collect only what is relevant to the professional submission and leave unknown information unconfirmed.
1. Email or submission route
Record the address, portal or form published for the kind of music you are sending. Email validation is a separate check: a deliverable address does not establish that submissions are welcome there.
2. Full name
Use the person’s correct professional name when it is publicly listed and relevant. Do not create a named contact by guessing an email pattern.
3. Role and title
Check the current role. Someone who moved from one programme to another may cover different music or use a different submission route.
4. Outlet
Record the station, publication, blog or platform they are currently associated with. Keep the supporting source, particularly where a person works with several outlets.
5. Outlet type
Distinguish radio, press, podcasts and playlists so that you can prepare a suitable request and set of assets for each.
6. Genre or editorial focus
Use recent output to establish the fit. A station-wide description is less specific than the programme or section you want to approach.
7. Submission preferences
Record what the recipient requests: listening links, downloadable audio, press photos or other assets. Follow those instructions rather than assuming one format suits every contact.
8. Preferred contact method
Use the published route. Do not move to a private social account or a different address simply because an earlier pitch received no response.
9. Professional profiles
A relevant public professional profile can help confirm a role. Keep personal details out of the list when they are unrelated to the submission.
10. Website or programme page
Save the page that supports the contact’s role, recent output or submission guidance. This makes the next verification check possible.
11. Date checked
Record when you reviewed the source. That date is a reminder to recheck the information, rather than proof that it will remain current.
12. Verification status or confidence score
Separate confirmed, conflicting and unknown details. If a tool supplies a score, read what it measures. A high score is not a probability of airplay, a guarantee of accuracy or permission to send.
13. Notes
Keep relevant preferences and interactions: an audio format the team requested, a correction to a role or a response about the fit. Do not turn private correspondence into public proof without permission.
14. Tags
Use simple tags for genre, territory or outlet type to organise the next release’s research. Tags should help you review the list, rather than automatically enrolling every matching contact in a mailout.
Where a general CRM fits
A general CRM or spreadsheet can hold these fields if you configure it for your workflow. The important question is whether it preserves sources, preferences and the history you need when preparing a release.
Avoid maintaining separate copies without a clear owner. If a collaborator corrects a contact’s submission route, decide which record is the authoritative one so that the old address does not return in the next campaign.
For a practical comparison, see TAP versus spreadsheets.
A review process for each release
Start with the music
Choose the outlets whose recent work fits this release. Do not assume that every contact from the previous record belongs on the new list.
Check the source
Review official submission instructions where available. If a tool or old spreadsheet conflicts with the outlet’s current guidance, resolve the difference before pitching.
Keep unknowns visible
Leave a field blank or mark it unconfirmed when you cannot establish it. A complete-looking row with guessed details creates more confidence than its evidence deserves.
Review the pitch
Use the research to explain why this particular release fits the contact. Check that the listening link works and that supporting claims about streams, airplay or press have evidence.
Capture the actual outcome
Record a reply, bounce, opt-out and confirmed coverage separately. Keep a dated source for a broadcast or published feature. A positive email is not a confirmed play, and a change in streams is not proof that a particular pitch caused it.
What enrichment does not replace
You still choose the right outlets, write in your own voice and decide whether a follow-up is appropriate. A tool cannot supply permission to use someone else’s audio, photographs or private replies.
Respect a pass or request to stop. Do not assume that an unanswered email means you should search for another way to reach the same person.
Keep the research and release together
TAP brings your release details, contacts, pitches and replies into one place. Your first release is free. Later packs cost £59 for a single, £99 for an EP or £149 for an album, one-off. Nothing sends without you.
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