D.M.V. (DC, Maryland, Virginia) United calls out WKYS, WERQ, and WPGC, large FM Rhythmic/Hip Hop/R&B formated radio stations in the Washington DC Metro market

Story by Examiner.com

Three local media organizations (Moviehood TV, Organically Grown Radio and The Eddie Kayne Show) have come together to create DMV United, a movement to promote independent musicians. The ultimate goal of DMV United is to force the major urban contemporary radio stations (WKYS, WPGC and WERQ) to show more support for DC, Maryland and Virginia artists.

A common and long-standing complaint from local rappers and R&B artists is that the mainstream DJs will not play their music.

Eddie Kayne, who hosts a weekly radio program on WLVS and a television show on The CW50, says the DMV United strategy is to hurt WKYS and WPGC financially.

"We will use various methods of non-violent protest," says Kayne. "We are collecting signatures for petitions, and we have boycotts planned. We are going to make their clients and advertising partners aware that WKYS and WPGC are not supporting the talented musicians in the DC metropolitan area. We hope that will make them think twice about spending marketing dollars with these stations."

EZ Street, a respected and influential radio personality at WKYS, takes exception to the allegations made by DMV United. He says his station does support local artists, and they are always looking to discover new talent.

"We have Fat Trel, Wale and Fatz Da Big Fella currently in rotation, and we play go-go (music) every night. DJ Gemini meets with different DMV artists every week. And personally, I have probably featured and interviewed over 100 artists from the city. Have you heard of the "Trending with EZ" listening party on YouTube?"

EZ Street went on to say that many musicians don't understand how radio works.

"I've said this a million times - this is a business. We play the songs that people want to hear. Does DTLR sell every shoe available? No, they put merchandise on the shelves that's going to sell. A lot of (DC) artists are just remaking songs that already exist. They need to create music that can compete with Drake and Rick Ross. Make music so good that we have to play it. That's what Fatz did with "Shake It Out"."

EZ Street also explained how certain songs are selected for rotation.

"You can't just give a song to a DJ and expect it to get played. All songs must first be submitted to the program director (PD) and the music director (MD). The PDs and MDs pick every song, including the songs in the mix shows. Our PDs are local, and it's their job to select music that works and gets ratings. Every market is different - there's not just one playlist, but this is the basic process that every station in America uses."

I asked EZ what an independent artist could do to get airplay at WKYS, and he said it's very important to deliver a quality recording.

"High quality is a must, and you have to create radio (friendly) music. People will send us songs with curse words and wonder why it doesn't get played - it has no radio appeal. It's also good to have a video with the songs before you come in. Did you see what Beyoncé just did? She produced a video for each song. When you do have a finished product, meet with DJ Gemini and he'll listen and advise you. Then be prepared to wait, there are a million other artists trying to get on too."

DMV United and Eddie Kayne remain dedicated to their agenda, "We have artists with (video) placements on BET and MTV and they still can't get local radio airplay," he said. "And what about the artists on the WKYS Best of the DMV list, like Reesa Renee, Logic, Slutty Boyz, etc.? How many of them are getting airplay? Support and allegiance for our cause is growing every day - this is just the beginning."

For more information about DMV United, contact MoviehoodTV: moviehoodmd@gmail.com, Eddie Kayne: eddiekayneshow@gmail.com, or Organically Grown Radio: OGRadioMusic@gmail.com.