KCRW is accepting submissions from independent artists right now. It's a community station in Santa Monica, California, and it plays indie, electronic, world, r&b, jazz, punk. This page is what we've verified about how KCRW takes music from independent artists; the actual submission contact is on your Rotation sheet.
StationKCRW
Frequency89.9 FM
TypeCommunity
CitySanta Monica, California
PlaysIndie, Electronic, World, R&B, Jazz, Punk
Status (September 2026)Accepting
How they take musicEmail
Posted rules / notesFCC-clean WAV/AIFF; major tastemaker
Interviews and guestsTakes interview requests
Shows on KCRW
KCRW programmes by show, so the programme your record suits matters more than the station as a whole. These are taken from the station's own published schedule. Name the show in your subject line rather than the station. Where a show takes music at its own address, it is marked below and the exact address is on your sheet.
Olive KimotoMon 8pmElectronic
Henry RollinsMon 10pmPunk
Francesca HardingTue 8pmWorld, Electronic
John TejadaTue 10pmElectronic
WyldeflowerWed 8pmR&B, Hip-Hop, Jazz
Tyler "Boogie" BoudreauxThu 8pmR&B
Anne LittSat 12pmIndie
SiLVASat 6pmElectronic
Jason Bentley's MetropolisSat 8pmElectronic
J.RoccSun 6pmHip-Hop, Electronic, R&B
LeRoy DownsSun 10pmJazz
Morning Becomes EclecticMon-Fri 9amIndie
Raul CamposSat-Sun 3pmIndie, Electronic, Latin
What to send KCRW
KCRW takes music by email, which means your subject line is doing real work. Make it obvious what the message is before it's opened: genre, artist, track, and the word clean if it applies.
A clean edit is not optional here. KCRW states it plainly, and without one your record can't air in daytime hours no matter how good it is.
They ask for lossless audio. Export a WAV or FLAC from the master rather than bouncing an MP3, and keep about a decibel of headroom so broadcast processing has room to work.
KCRW is volunteer-run. The person reading your email is doing it for love of the music, so be brief, be human, and follow up once at most.
Then wait. Give it about two weeks, send one polite follow-up, and let it go after that. Music directors remember the artists who were easy to deal with.
KCRW submission questions
Does KCRW accept music from independent artists?
Yes. KCRW is currently accepting submissions from independent artists, verified against the station's own published information in September 2026.
How do you submit music to KCRW?
Email. The station's own posted guidance is: FCC-clean WAV/AIFF; major tastemaker. The exact contact or form address is on your Rotation sheet, and you should confirm it on the station's page before sending.
What kind of music does KCRW play?
KCRW programmes indie, electronic, world, r&b, jazz, punk. Sending an off-format record is the most common wasted submission, so check the fit before you send.
Does KCRW require a clean version?
Yes. KCRW specifies clean or FCC-compliant audio, so an explicit-only record will not get daytime airplay here.
Where is KCRW located?
KCRW broadcasts on 89.9 FM from Santa Monica, California. It is a community station.
Every door is on your sheet.
Pick your sound and region on Rotation and each of these stations shows its real submission contact and the exact rules it posts: clean edit, WAV, form or mail. Checked by hand and kept current. No station here paid to be listed.
Radio is the free half, and it stays that way. Every station here is free to reach and no station ever pays to be listed. The Doors is the other half: 100 verified places that are not radio, sync libraries, music supervisors, festivals, contests, live sessions and the music press, 43 of which can actually pay an artist. It also lists the 162 we opened and refused, with the reason each one failed, because most lists of this kind are stale and the rejections are the part nobody else will show you. $9.99, the 2026 Q3 edition →