How to Submit Your Music to SABC Radio Stations

While streaming platforms give your music global reach, radio airplay in South Africa remains the single most powerful tool for breaking an artist and building a sustainable career. Despite digital trends, over 80% of South Africans tune into the radio weekly. Getting played on SABC radio stations offers unparalleled advantages:

• Massive National & Regional Reach: SABC reaches tens of millions of daily listeners across urban centers, townships, and rural areas that streaming algorithm playlists simply cannot reach alone.
• Significant Royalty Revenue: Airplay on SABC stations triggers substantial royalty payouts through royalty collection bodies like SAMRO (Performance Rights for composers/writers) and SAMPRA (Needletime Rights for performers and master owners). Regular airplay is the direct path to earning consistent passive income as a musician.
• Cultural Influence & Credibility: Radio co-signs act as an endorsement. Being playlisted builds instant industry authority, making it easier to book live gigs, secure brand sponsorships, and grow your fanbase.

SABC Radio Network Overview

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) operates 19 radio stations, split across national public services, commercial-public hybrids, and regional language/cultural stations:

National & Commercial Stations

• Metro FM: Urban contemporary music and lifestyle
• 5FM: Youth-oriented contemporary music
• Good Hope FM: Regional/national contemporary music (Western Cape focused)
• RSG (Radio Sonder Grense): Afrikaans talk, news, and entertainment
• SAfm: National current affairs and talk radio
• Radio 2000: Adult contemporary music and sports
• Lotus FM: Music and cultural programming for the Indian community
• Channel Africa: International service broadcasting to the rest of the continent

African Language & Regional Public Broadcast Stations

• Ukhozi FM: IsiZulu (largest station in South Africa)
• Umhlobo Wenene FM: IsiXhosa (second largest station)
• Lesedi FM: Sesotho
• Motsweding FM: Setswana
• Thobela FM: Sepedi
• Munghana Lonene FM: Xitsonga
• Phalaphala FM: Tshivenda
• Ligwalagwala FM: SiSwati
• Ikwekwezi FM: Ndebele
• trufm: Youth and regional talk/music (Eastern Cape)
• X-K FM: Community-focused frequency (107.9 FM)

Submitting your music across these stations is now streamlined through the centralized SABC Music Submission Portal. Follow this step-by-step guide to prepare your metadata, acquire an ISRC code, and submit your tracks for airplay consideration.

Step 1: Obtain an ISRC Code & Distribute Your Music

Before submitting to radio, your track requires an ISRC (International Standard Recording Code). An ISRC code acts as a unique digital fingerprint for your song, ensuring that organizations like SAMPRA and SAMRO can track radio plays and payout performance royalties.

🎵 Need an ISRC Code?

If you don’t have an ISRC code yet, you can get one automatically assigned when uploading your song through a digital music distributor like DistroKid. DistroKid distributes your music to all major streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, TikTok) while generating official ISRC codes for every track.

📌 Sign up here with a discount for your ISRC code and distribution to streaming platforms

Step 2: Access the SABC Portal

1. Go to the official link: https://musicsubmission.sabc.co.za/.
2. Register an account or log in if you already have an existing account.
3. Choose between SINGLE UPLOAD or BULK UPLOAD at the top left of the upload dashboard depending on how many songs you are submitting.

Step 3: Fill Out the Track Metadata Fields

Below is a breakdown of the required and optional metadata fields shown on the submission form:

Field Name	Status	Description / What to Enter
Song Title*	Mandatory	The official title of the track.
Artist*	Mandatory	The main performing artist or group name.
Featured Artist	Optional	Any guest or featured artists on the track.
Producer	Optional	Name of the music producer(s).
Label*	Mandatory	Record label name (enter “Independent” or your stage/brand name if self-released).
ISRC*	Mandatory	Unique 12-character alphanumeric code generated by your distributor (e.g., DistroKid).
Composer	Optional	Full legal name(s) of the person(s) who composed the melody/music.
Publisher	Optional	Publishing company managing the copyright (or your name/independent publishing details).
Author/Text Writer	Optional	Full legal name(s) of the lyricist(s) who wrote the song text.
Arranger	Optional	Person responsible for musical arrangement, if applicable.
Album	Optional	The title of the album or EP (leave blank if it’s a standalone single).
Release Year*	Mandatory	Year the song was officially released.
Country of Release*	Mandatory	Primary country of release (e.g., South Africa).
Language*	Mandatory	Main language used in the track (e.g., English, IsiZulu, Sesotho).
Genre*	Mandatory	Main musical genre (e.g., Amapiano, Hip-Hop, House, Afrobeat).
Select station(s)*	Mandatory	Select one or more specific SABC radio stations targeted for playlisting.

Step 4: Upload Audio & Cover Art

• Audio File Upload (.mp3, .wav files only):
  • Click to select your audio file.
  • Ensure the song is fully mixed and mastered at high quality (320kbps MP3 or 16-bit/24-bit WAV recommended).
  • Submit a Radio Edit / Clean Version if your track contains explicit language.
• Cover Image Upload (Image files only):
  • Click to select your high-resolution artwork (JPG or PNG).

Step 5: Complete the Submission

1. Double-check all entered metadata to ensure accuracy (especially ISRC, composer, and artist names).
2. Click the blue Upload Track button at the bottom of the screen to submit.

💡 Tips for SABC Radio Playlisting

• Music Rights Registration: Register your track with SAMRO (composition rights) and SAMPRA / RISA(master performance rights) so you are eligible to receive royalties when your track gets airplay.
• Review Process: SABC Music Committees review tracks on a scheduled basis. Processing times typically take several weeks depending on the target station’s submission volume.