When radio became popular, Artists would sit every day waiting for their songs to feature on radio broadcasts. This is how bands like The Beatles and Elvis became international sensations. 

Today, artists don’t have to rely on radio shows for their Music to be heard. In fact, there are plenty of artists who’ve made it big without the support from radio stations. If you’re a new artist, here are five musicians who made it big simply by using the right methods to promote their music. 

1. Glass Animals 

Glass Animals is a well-known English indie rock band that was formed in 2010. The band’s frontman, David Bayley, is the one who founded the group and wrote most of the songs. In 2012, the group released their debut EP, Leaflings. When on tour, the band caught the attention of Paul Epworth, who signed them to Wolf Tone.  

Although the band is 13 years old, they recently had a song called ‘Heat Wave’ that went viral on Spotify with over 1 billion streams. On TikTok, the song has been used to make over 600,000 videos.  

2. Grimes 

Grimes is a female Canadian artist who makes futuristic dance-pop songs. She incorporates elements of rock and hip-hop into her tracks and sometimes adds some electronic sounds to them. 

The Canadian star started releasing music independently in 2006. She then released two albums in 2010 but rose to fame for her 2012 album ‘Vision.’ Grimes combines visual art with her music, making her an iconic force to be reckoned with. 

Although she has millions of fans, her music hardly gets air time on radio stations. But that doesn’t mean much because she has over 6 million active listeners on her Spotify and has over 50 million streams on her song titled ‘Violence.’ 

Artists like Grimes show upcoming musicians that it’s possible to build your music career without radio time. If you want to get as many streams on your songs as Grimes does, learn about the Spotify playlist submission with SoundCampaign. 

3. Aurora

Aurora is an eccentric artist from Norway who creates music with a combination of electronic pop, Norwegian folk, and dark pop styles. She began writing songs when she was only six years old. In 2014, she released some songs online, but only really became popular in Norway. 

The Norwegian artists then signed a record deal with Petroleum Records, Decca, and Glassnote Records. She gained popularity after releasing her EP Running with the Wolves in 2015. 

This album also featured a more well-known song of hers titled ‘Runaway.’ The song has gained over 116 million views on YouTube and has over 100 million streams on Spotify. 

4. Kali Uchis 

Kali Uchis is a Columbian-American singer and songwriter who went on to make music with none other than Snoop Dogg and even directed her own videos. She released a mixtape titled Drunken Babble in 2012, and within three years, she released several singles. 

The young artist then featured on Kaytranada’s 2019 single ‘10%’ and won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording. She’s been nominated twice for a Grammy and for a Latin Grammy. Her unique music style has gained her over 35 million Spotify listeners. 

Kali has the ability to blend various genres, which is why her tracks are so catchy. Her song ‘Telepatía’ has over 900 million streams on Spotify. Even songs she’s featured in with other artists have over a billion streams.

5. Sam Dew 

Sam Dew is an American singer and songwriter from Chicago. He spent most of his career creating songs for other artists to perform, such as Rhianna and even Taylor Swift. The first song that he wrote, titled ‘Lotus Flower Bomb’ for a rapper named Wale, reached number 1 on the Billboard charts. 

But in 2015, Sam decided to release his first EP Titled ‘Damn Sue.’ He then rose to fame after releasing an R&B album called ‘Moonlit Fools’ in 2021. Sam has over 800,000 listeners on Spotify and has gained over 2 million streams on songs like ‘NTWFL.’   

Dew also features on a Kendrick Lamar track called ‘Savior,’ which has over 90 million streams on Spotify. 

Final Thoughts 

As you can see, it’s absolutely possible to become famous without radio play if you’re a new artist. Although these artists didn’t become famous overnight, they used other methods to get their music out there. Using platforms like Spotify, YouTube, and even TikTok is the best way to promote your music without the help of radio broadcasters.