How to Get on a Playlist: The 9 Step Guide to Doing It Yourself (2/3)

Last Updated on September 5th, 2019 at 11:07 am

Get on a Playlist

4. Submit Your Unreleased Music to Spotify Playlists Straight

Spotify’s new beta function offers you access to direct playlist submission to curators and Spotify’s editorial team.

When you have an unreleased track you would like the Spotify team to think about for playlists, head over to your Spotify for Artists account to get began.

From there, you could choose one unreleased track to submit. You will have the chance to include information about your track, so be sure to be as detailed as you could.

Stuff like the genre, subgenre, and mood of the track is great to note. Spotify also suggests to include “the instruments on it, whether it is a cover, and the cultures you or the song belong to.”

The playlist curation is a mix of data-driven algorithms and careful human selection, so the information you provide is essential for playlist consideration (take the time to make it count!).

Also, Spotify states that nobody could pay to get their track on a playlist—which is quite a relief!

5. Make Your Own Playlists

Get your feet wet with playlisting by making your own! Chances are, streaming platforms, playlisters and followers will appreciate it and they help to build your story as an artist.

Make it thematic (e.g. your influences) or genre-specific (something you understand well). Think about how you could naturally fit in 1-2 of your own songs. However, do not make it only about you!

Show your taste and how your track matches with other awesome music. Add 30-100 songs by other artists that work well with yours.

When you do not know how to do it, take a look at these useful guides:

And of course, remember to share your playlist on social media and get your followers to follow it! Reach out to the artists you have included and mention that you like their stuff. It will encourage some good cross-promo and the chance to reach new audiences with your music.

6. Know the Right Playlists

Understanding the playlist landscape is important for promoting your music in the right places. Spotify recently reported that there are over 2 Billion (!) playlists on Spotify.

That’s lots of lists… So to widdle it down a bit here’s what you should know about where to look for listing chances.

The Big Ones

Of course, you would like your new single to end up on Spotify’s Rap Caviar (7 million followers), Fresh Electronic (1.5 million followers) or The Apple Music List.

And I am sure we’d all get a boost from being on major label playlists such as Sony’s Filtr, Warner’s Digster and Universal’s Topsify.

However, let’s be real: official Playlists aren’t simple to get on. The Playlist Editors who make them have their own method of choosing songs—digging on blogs, having industry relationships, keeping an eye on new releases and looking at the data for what gets traction on their platform.

You could always do some research online to find who the Playlist Editors are (LinkedIn or a quick Google search). However, remember that they receive lots of requests daily.

So what’s the solution? Begin small by reaching out and submitting your tracks to independent blogs and playlist curators you follow and trust. Their playlists are sometimes the launchpad to bigger playlists.

It will take some analysis and digging, so take the time to do it right. You will probably find some amazing music along the way anyways, so it is worth the time no matter what.

Independent Curators

Music fans such as you and me make playlists. Some of them have quite a little bit of following. Brand and blogs also make playlists which have thousands of followers.

Do your research and find playlists that fit the genre of your track. Search the major streaming platforms directly or use websites like Playlists.net.

Actually listen to their playlists and suggest where your music would fit greatest before you reach out. Keep it personal. Do not shoot out the same email to a hundred playlists.

Right here’s a list of independent playlisters to contact:

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