What Is Music Contact Enrichment?

Music contact enrichment is the process of adding useful context to a basic list of names and email addresses. That context might include a current role, the programme someone works on, the music they cover and their published submission preferences.

The purpose is to help you decide whether and how to approach someone about a release. It is not a guarantee of replies, airplay or coverage.

Why a name and email are not enough

A contact can be current but wrong for this record. An email can accept messages without being a music submission inbox. A person can have moved to a different programme since your last campaign.

Before pitching, ask:

• Does this outlet currently cover music like yours?
• Is this person still in the role listed?
• Is there a published route for this kind of submission?
• What format and timing does the recipient ask for?
• Where did the information come from, and when was it checked?

A named contact and a shared inbox should both be judged against those questions. Follow the published route rather than assuming that one address type gets more replies.

What an enriched record can hold

The following is a blank research template, not a real contact or a promised set of automated results.

Leave unknown fields blank or mark them as unconfirmed. Filling every cell is less useful than knowing which details have evidence behind them.

What automated research can and cannot establish

A research tool can help collect and organise information. You still need to check the sources, resolve conflicts and decide whether the contact fits the release.

Email validation concerns whether an address appears deliverable. It does not establish that its owner wants your pitch. A confidence score is a tool’s assessment, not independent permission or a promise that someone will reply.

If a tool supplies a score, check what it measures. Do not interpret it as a percentage chance of airplay or skip a recipient’s published submission instructions because the score looks high.

A practical workflow

1. Choose the release. Write down the music, territory and type of coverage you are seeking.
2. Research the fit. Listen to recent shows or read recent features before adding a target.
3. Check the route. Use official submission information where available. Do not guess a personal address.
4. Keep the evidence. Save the source and date alongside the record.
5. Review before sending. Confirm the current role, format and listening link.
6. Capture what happened. Update the record with actual replies, bounces and coverage.

For BBC-specific research, use the BBC radio contact guide. For a deeper discussion of the fields and review process, see music contact enrichment: why it matters.

When to check an existing list again

Review the relevant records when you start a release, return after a gap or approach a new territory. Recheck a record when an email bounces, a show changes or the person tells you their preferences have changed.

An old list may contain useful relationships, but do not treat its addresses and roles as current simply because you used them before.

What enrichment does not replace

• Your judgement about the fit between the music and the outlet
• A clear pitch in your own voice
• Permission to use the release audio, quotes and assets
• Respect for a pass or an opt-out
• An honest record of the outcomes

Keep private replies private unless you have permission to publish them. Your contact history is working context, rather than a collection of testimonials to put on a public page.