A few years ago, we were staying with my in-laws in Hawaii.
Their house is right on the beach—no protection from the wind when the storms roll in.
And one night, they did.
It was late.
The surf was crashing. The wind was howling like a wounded animal.
Then, through it all, we heard something stranger than the storm:
"Martin? Martin!"
We looked out the window and there, in the back garden, was Richard Chamberlain.
Yes. That Richard Chamberlain.
Dr. Kildare. The Thorn Birds. Shōgun.
The heart-throb of a thousand housewives in the 1980s.
He was barefoot, visibly distressed.
A house guest of his had suddenly fallen seriously ill.
He was trying to wake Martin—his former partner—who lived next door.
In the confusion and urgency, he’d come out into the storm, calling for help.
We went round, asked if he needed help.
He did.
We found the guest. We called the ambulance.
When the paramedics arrived and took the guest to hospital, Richard didn’t want to stay behind.
So we followed the ambulance through the wind and rain—with Richard Chamberlain in the back of our car.
Now, listen.
When Dr. Kildare gets into your car, you don’t not say it.
So I turned round and said:
"Dr. Kildare… what’s the verdict?"
And he replied, completely in character, with that calm, reassuring bedside tone:
"I think she’ll pull through. It looks good."
Accent and all.
That would’ve been enough of a surreal moment for most people.
But we ended up having dinner with him a few times after that.
And he was… well, lovely.
Gentle. Humble.
Not a hint of celebrity ego. Just a man with stories. And great ones, at that.
Yes, he’d had dinner with Barbra Streisand.
Yes, he’d played the first Jason Bourne (look it up—the 1988 TV movie version). Yes, he’d once been the face on every woman’s living room wall.
But he never led with that.
He shared it because we asked.
He had a quiet charm about him. The kind of presence you can’t fake.
And he was gracious, too.
When I told him my mum was a huge fan—like many women of her generation, hopelessly smitten with Father Ralph in The Thorn Birds—he smiled. Said he still found it sweet, the affection women had for him.
Even in his late 80s, when we met him, he still enjoyed being remembered. Still enjoyed being seen. And he didn’t seem to take it for granted.
Then he did something beautiful.
He recorded a little video message for my mum.
Just a short, warm greeting:
“Hello, Wendy. I hear you were a fan back in the day. I’m sending you love from Hawaii.”
And you know what? My mum melted.
She was seventeen again.
He knew exactly what that meant to her.
And he gave it freely.
He died this week.
Aged 90.
And I just wanted to write something.
Not to name-drop. Not to show off. But to honour a man who—despite the fame, the legend, the leading man looks—remained gentle, gracious, and real.
He wasn’t just a handsome face.
He had soul. He had craft.
And he knew how to make people feel seen.
That’s a kind of stardom they don’t teach you at acting school.
Rest well, Richard.
And thanks again—for the lift, the dinner, and the video for my mum.
Hit me with your best shot!
I am looking for the best new music from new and emerging artists to put on my Essential Listening Spotify play list
Why?
Well, firstly I want to listen to new music.
Secondly I want to help, even in a very small way, artists to reach a wider audience, and maybe even a few more dollars.
Thirdly, if your music is really good and you are interested in reaching a very different audience then I can introduce you to my Radio promotion offer below.
So feel free to send me your music…but please make sure it’s your very best song!
This Week’s No-Brainer: Radio Airplay That Pays You
A lot of musicians waste money on marketing that doesn’t pay back.
Radio does.
It’s real people hearing your music. It’s real royalties hitting your account. And it’s far cheaper than you think.
Let’s crunch some numbers so you can see how this actually works.
How Much Can You Make?
Let’s say your song gets played on 2,000 of the 5,000 stations in this package.
Each station plays it twice a week.
That’s 4,000 spins per week.
The average royalty payout varies, but let’s go super low at $0.10 per spin (it’s often higher).
💰 $0.10 x 4,000 spins = $400 per week.
If your song stays in rotation for just 4 weeks, that’s $1,600.
And that’s assuming only 2,000 stations pick it up. If more stations spin your track? The numbers go up.
If they keep playing it for months? Even better.
How Many People Will Hear Your Music?
Let’s be ridiculously conservative here.
Say the average station has 50,000 listeners (many have way more).
If 2,000 stations play your song, that’s 100 million potential listeners.
Let’s assume only 1% actually notice your song—that’s still 1 million listeners.
Now, if 1% of those 1 million become actual fans? That’s 10,000 new fans.
And that’s just one campaign. You can run multiple campaigns for different songs.
Why This is a No-Brainer
✔️Affordable: A couple of gigs will cover the cost of this package.
✔️Industry Clout: Imagine listing “Played on XYZ Radio” in your bio. It makes you stand out for festivals, gigs, and PR.
✔️Personal Connections: You’ll get direct contacts with DJs who might champion your music.
✔️Completely Passive: You don’t need to lift a finger—we handle everything.
✔️Works Alongside Everything Else: You can still push Spotify, TikTok, YouTube—this just adds fuel to the fire.
Here’s What You Get
Your song pitched to 5,000 radio stations worldwide.
Guaranteed airplay—not fake streams, not bots, just real radio.
You get paid royalties (instead of shelling out for useless ads).
Potential for bigger features—Record of the Week, interviews, or DJ endorsements.
Massive credibility boost—because “We’ve been played on 200+ stations” sounds a lot better than “Check out our Spotify.”
This is the smartest money you can spend on your music.
It’s not some pay-to-play scam.
It’s a real, scalable way to grow your career while getting paid.
Now here’s the part you really want to know…
How much is it?
Well if I told you it was less than decent acoustic guitar would you be suprised?
Yes this deal is super affordable for you the working musician
$600 is the one-time, upfront price and includes everything above.
If you have a radio-ready song that you want to promote the heck out of then this is definitley for you.
Genres: Rock, Pop, Country, Folk, EDM, R&B (sorry no Rap or Hip Hop)
It’s time to get some serious airplay!
Start your own online Vinyl distribution ElasticStage is the worlds first online vinyl store. As a partnership with them I can highly recommend their services. This can actually be a game changer for independent artists and can add a lot to your income.
(I also receive a very small commission if you sign up)
Final thoughts
What’s your challenge as a musician trying to grow your audience?
Hit reply and let me know—I’d love to help you tackle it!
Remember:
Rejection is correction. Ridicule is fuel. Keep thriving.
Until next time,
Spence C