Although I learned about The Sounds of Brazil – the Chicago-based internet radio station – this past summer, I am glad I waited until now to write about them. While I applied my marketing and publicity efforts to help promote Avi Wisnia’s “Sky Blue Sky,” Scott Adams, the Creative Director of this music outlet, dedicated his time to helping disperse Avi’s single to Bossanova fans all over the United States. For two weeks after “Sky Blue Sky’s” official digital release, The Sounds of Brazil broadcast the single multiple times. As a symbol of thanks and reciprocity, which seems perfectly fitting with the holiday theme of November, I want to introduce my readers to The Sounds of Brazil.

“We’ve helped indie musicians, labels, club and concert venues and tour promoters involved with Brazilian music reach their goals,” writes Scott in his media guide. To also provide readers with some additional background information of The Sounds of Brazil, this radio station, and the web-based social directory at Brazil Club work together. They have partnered with TuneGenie for real-time music information and with iTunes and Amazon for digital point of sales.

While I think that The Sounds of Brazil’s B2B partnerships look impressive, what I feel contributes more to the success of any business, is their customer relationship and the knowledge they have about their end-user. Those who have worked closely with me in the past would know that I could have gathered any information the Bossanova listener who chooses internet radio as their preferred medium of consuming entertainment from investigating marketing datasets via my alma mater, Baruch College. However; Scott showed me that the best data about any music lover who consumes a specific genre via internet radio is best provided by the web-based radio stations themselves, as they know their product and their customer best.

Listeners who tune into The Sounds of Brazil, stream the station five times weekly, and they listen for 91 minutes daily. The end-user listens to this station on multiple devices: FM radio; desktop; smartphone; tablet; and Bluetooth car audio. In regards to demographic information about listeners, more men listen to The Sounds of Brazil than women, and more than half of these listeners make an income of $50K annually. They are most likely to be between the ages 45 and 54, will have a college degree, and will have a passport, speak a second language, and travel internationally.

Aside from playing Bossanova music, The Sounds of Brazil has helped music-centric clients like Sony Latin, Ravinia Festival and Les Sabler with effective marketing programs. Sony wanted to roll-out its “Sounds from Brazil,” CD series, when they partnered with United Airlines for the launch of its Chicago/Sao Paulo gateway. Together with The Sounds of Brazil, Sony Latin recruited a major retailer for in-store signage at multiple locations to promote a VIP contest for the inaugural flight. The program’s success initiated a year-long support campaign that included in-flight airplay of selected Sony titles from the CD series. Meanwhile, Ravinia Festival has been frequent partners with The Sounds of Brazil for Brazil’s A-List musicians when they tour through the nation’s 2nd largest media market. The radio station helped deliver full house audiences for Grammy-winning performers including Milton Mascimento, Bebel Gilberto, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and many more. For Les Sabler, The Sounds of Brazil created an eight-week targeted marketing program for the indie guitarist to accommodate his budget considerations and performance schedule for the release of “Jobim Tribute.” This plan included pairing airplay with Brazil Club directory integration, radio spots, and a series of YouTube clips with email support. The results of this project: Amazon sales that charted #5 in Brazilian Jazz, #9 in Latin Jazz, and #85 in Latin music downloads.

Are you an artist who writes Bossanova music or Brazilian-styled music? The Sounds of Brazil might be worth looking into for support. Even if you do not have the budget to provide this station with for an elaborate marketing plan; you might benefit from their audience. Scott Adams also writes:

“Now, more than ever, streaming radio plays an active role in the daily lives of millions. The Sounds of Brazil’s unique programming invites listeners to make personal connections with the emotional power of Brazilian song anytime, anywhere. And Brazil Club’s directory services are ready to deliver listeners want when they need it. Our music sets the table for listener interaction.”