How to get on Spotify playlists: Guides & Tips
These days, promoting your music and getting heard is not as challenging as it used to be. You do not need to get noticed by scouts while playing at a pub or bar to make it big in the industry.
Thanks to platforms like Spotify, you can easily make a name for yourself in the digital world. We have all heard the Cinderella story of how a musician got one hit song on a Spotify playlist and never had to worry about bills after that.
But landing a spot in a top playlist is not exactly easy. Even if your music is good, you will have a hard time earning a spot in a Spotify playlist unless you know how the platform works.
How to Get on Spotify Playlists with your new release
Before we get started, you should know that there are no shortcuts involved here. This is not a hack. You need to work hard at building up your Spotify profile. Production quality is also important. You can’t really expect a top spot if your music is not up to the mark.
That being said, here are two simple ways you can get your music on a ranking Spotify playlist:
1. Pitch for playlist directly via Spotify for artist
Spotify for Artist is sort of like an add-on service for musicians on this platform. It also gives you access to heaps of information such as analytics or notifications when your music is added to a playlist. This data can help you notice the trends like which song is getting more streams or what brings in more followers.
However, the main reason you want to sign up for this service is that it allows you to pitch directly to Spotify playlist curators for consideration. If you get picked, your song will get a spot in one of the official playlists on the platform.
There are a couple of key points to know about this process:
- You cannot pitch a released track for consideration. After submitting your track to Spotify, you will have a short window between delivery and release date. That is when you can pitch your song for playlist consideration.
- You cannot submit another song for consideration before releasing the previous one. Spotify for Artist does not allow you to submit more than one song at any one point.
- If you are releasing your music as an album or an EP, you can only submit one track from it. So choose the one with the best chance of being considered for the playlist.
2. Pitch music to Independent artist
Spotify has many other independent playlists, some of which are quite popular. This is another viable way to get your music out there. However, to get featured in these lists, you have to hunt down the curators by yourself.
If there is a specific playlist that you like or suits your type of music, you need to find the information of the curator who owns it. Just a bit of searching around google should get you at least an email address.
When reaching out to the curator, keep your email short and polite. Make sure you attach all the links to your Spotify profile and be precise in the song you want him to consider. That way, they can easily find your song and listen to it to see if they want it on their playlist.
Tips to improve your chance during Pitching
There is no surefire way to know if the song you pitch will automatically get featured on a Spotify playlist. However, there are ways you can improve your odds.
Here are two handy tips that can improve your chance, whether you are pitching via Spotify for Artist or to independent curators.
1. Complete Your Profile
By having a complete artist profile (Bio, tour dates, social media links etc.) on Spotify, you will enhance your credibility. It will make you look professional and the curators will take you seriously during pitch.
2. Make Your Own Playlist
If you use Spotify, you already know that you can make a playlist of your own. But you can use this feature to your advantage when you want your music to be heard. Instead of going to curators, you can make good public playlists that include your own songs too.
Even if it is a small playlist with a few followers, the Discover Weekly feature of Spotify will take it into consideration. This can give your playlist a big boost and even land your songs on other bigger lists.
Final Thoughts
Landing your song on a major playlist might not happen right away, but that doesn’t mean you should give up. As long as you don’t give up and follow the guidelines in this article, there is a good chance that you get featured sometime in the future.
