Stations often play regular adverts or jingles at set intervals. The jingles playlist option does exactly that.
Before you start. Your jingles and ads must already be uploaded to the control panel as MP3 files. If they are not, go to Media, then Add Media, then Select Media, and upload your files first.
Steps
- Click Jingles.
- Click + Create Playlist.
- Enter a name for the playlist.
- Set how often the jingles or ads should queue. You can choose a set number of songs or a set number of minutes.
- Click Save.
- Click Tracks next to the new playlist.
- Click the + icon next to each jingle or ad file you want to add.
- Click Save.
Choosing how often jingles play
On the General tab, Play style sets the trigger. There are three ways to space them:
- After a number of tracks. A good fit for a station ID every few songs.
- After a number of minutes. Steady spacing that does not depend on track length.
- Hourly at a chosen minute. For something that must land at a set time, such as a news headline at five to the hour or a top-of-the-hour station ID.
The General tab options
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Title | A name so you can find the playlist later, such as “Station IDs” or “Sponsor: Bakery”. |
| Play style | Tracks, minutes or hourly, as above. |
| Shuffle | Plays the jingles in random order. If looping is off, each jingle plays once and the playlist ends. |
| Interrupt | Stops the current content and starts the jingle at the exact time. The track that was playing pauses and carries on after the jingle playlist ends. This only works when the content that is playing has its own interrupt setting off. |
The Schedule tab
Choose the days of the week the jingles run, optional start and end dates, and the hours when they are active. This is ideal for adverts: set a sponsor’s campaign dates once and the playlist switches itself on and off. You can also set up the next few months in advance.
The Repeat Protection tab
Jingle playlists have their own repeat protection, with a default of 10 minutes for the same track, album or artist. If you run only one or two jingles at a short interval, shorten the protection or add more jingles, otherwise the system may skip them.
Ideas for using jingles
- Station IDs. Several short IDs in rotation sound better than one on a loop.
- Show promos. Announce what is on next.
- Sponsor messages. Use a separate playlist for each sponsor, with their own dates and hours.
- News and announcements. Use the hourly option so they land on time.
Troubleshooting
- Jingles never play. Check the playlist has tracks, the AutoDJ is running, and the current time falls inside the playlist’s days, dates and hours.
- Some jingles are skipped. Repeat protection is blocking them. Shorten it, or add more jingles.
- An interrupt does not cut in. The track playing has interrupt switched on, which stops yours from taking over.
- Jingles cut off music mid-song. That is what interrupt does. Switch it off to play between tracks.
- Use interrupt sparingly, because it cuts off whatever is playing.
- Keep jingles short, and check their volume matches your music.
Your jingles and ads will now be queued as you set them up.
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