How to Submit Music to Spotify Playlists in 2024 (2024)

As a musician, having a large and dedicated fan base is a dream come true. Fortunately, several platforms allow independent artists to share their music with people worldwide.

Spotify is one such platform with a colossal user base of 574 million. However, getting listeners’ attention on Spotify requires submitting your music to playlists.

How can you do that exactly?

In this article, we’ll guide you through the Spotify playlist submission process and share a success story that will inspire and motivate you.

Let’s begin.

Discover Spotify Playlists

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Music experts, users and Spotify’s playlist editors can create curated collections of songs. These playlists are categorized based on genres, themes or moods, making it easier for listeners to discover new music and artists.

There are three playlist types:

1. Personalized
2. Editorial
3. User-generated

Let’s discuss each of them.

Personalized (algorithmic) playlists

Personalized or algorithmic playlists suit the unique preferences of each listener.

Algorithms create them based on factors such as:

• Songs listeners add to their playlists
• Music users like
• What people with similar tastes listen to

These playlists create a more enjoyable listening experience.

Editorial playlists

Spotify employs a team of playlist editors specializing in different music genres to ensure that the editorial playlists are always diverse.

These playlists feature both established and emerging artists, and have a much wider reach and more listeners compared to other playlists.

Therefore, if your music is featured in Spotify’s editorial playlists, it can potentially change your life overnight.

User-generated playlists

Spotify enables its users to create playlists that can be either private or public. These playlists are typically curated for personal entertainment purposes, but they also play a significant role in music discovery.

It’s not just individuals who create playlists, even businesses and celebrities have their own playlists that can give a boost to your music exposure if it gets featured on their lists.

Research Relevant Playlists

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It’s crucial to research playlists relevant to your genre before submitting music to Spotify. With over 100 million tracks, your unreleased music needs a little push to attract attention. Follow these steps to increase your chances of getting noticed.

Use Spotify’s playlist search and discovery features

Spotify offers various search and discovery tools to assist artists in finding playlists that match their music style. You can browse through the promoted playlists or use keywords to discover playlists that match your sound and mood.

You can also identify playlist curators who may showcase your music.

Analyze the playlists of similar indie artists

It’s likely that other independent artists in your genre have already made it onto some Spotify playlists. You can connect with them to discover which playlists are supportive of musicians like yourself.

By identifying where your peers are gaining exposure, you can refine your Spotify playlist submission approach to target curators who have a fondness for music similar to yours.

Target the right kind of playlists for your goals

It is important to establish your goals before submitting your music to playlists.

Each playlist can provide either short-term or long-term exposure, so deciding whether you want to be a one-hit wonder or a respected independent artist is crucial.

For example, if you want to be featured on a popular playlist, you should submit an unreleased track that fits its theme and audience.

Prepare Your Profile and Music for Submission

Before submitting your music, carefully prepare your profile and songs to attract attention. Let’s explain what you should do before the big release.

Write an engaging and informative artist bio

Writing an artist bio is similar to creating a remarkable album – every word, like a musical note, adds depth to your story and entices Spotify users and editors to explore the unique sounds that define your music.

Here are some tips:

• Tell a story: Grab attention with a story, such as your musical journey or successful projects.
• Think about your audience: Remember that not everyone who comes across your music will be familiar with your songs. Add the essentials, including your latest song and release date.
• Share updates: Using one section of your bio to share news with your Spotify users is a good idea.

When you implement all the points above, it’s time for the next step.

Ensure high-quality audio production

Think of Spotify as a stage where you can showcase every aspect of your performance. To captivate your audience, ensure that your unreleased music has high-quality audio production that’s clear and crisp.

Create eye-catching album artwork and artist profile images

Visual appeal is crucial for online success. Album artwork and profile images are the first things that catch people’s attention. They help establish a solid brand image, attract playlist curators, and encourage listeners to explore your music.

Create attractive visuals that represent your music effectively.

Write captivating song descriptions

Each track should have a compelling and concise description. Here’s what you should focus on:

• Make song descriptions stand out: When submitting your music, it’s important to provide context, anecdotes, or a theme that can spark the interest of playlist curators and motivate them to include your music in an editorial playlist.
• Leverage Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Spotify has a search bar. You should structure the song description to appear in specific user searches, focusing on keywords for genre, mood, and song names.

Provide links to social media and website

To give your fans and followers a complete picture of who you are and what your music is all about, make sure your artist page has all the necessary information. You can use the artist dashboard to add links to your website and social media accounts.

It will help playlist curators and listeners easily find you outside of Spotify and engage with you across multiple platforms.

Create the Perfect Playlist Submission Pitch

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Composing a compelling playlist submission pitch is crucial to catch the attention of Spotify curators and get your music on their playlists. It’s the first step towards standing out on the platform and reaching a wider audience.

Let’s look at the essential elements of an effective pitch.

Understand the submission process on Spotify for Artists

Spotify for Artists provides a platform to submit your unreleased song to playlist curators. It’s crucial to follow the process for playlist submissions carefully:

1. Access Spotify for Artists from your desktop computer.
2. Navigate to ‘Home’ and click on ‘Pitch from next release’. Alternatively, you can do it from the ‘Upcoming’ tab in the ‘Music’ section of the menu.
3. Choose a song and submit information. Remember that you can pitch only unreleased tracks.

Before you submit music directly, make sure it meets the criteria:

• You should pitch the song at least seven days before the release date.
• You can’t pitch music you’re featured artist on.
• You can submit one song at a time. After it goes live, you can submit another.
• Spotify allows you to edit the pitch until the release date.

Add relevant song details

Spotify requires additional information for playlist consideration beyond just disclosing the release date. You should include details such as:

• The track’s primary genre
• Music culture
• Moods
• Song styles
• Instruments featured in the track
• The song’s language

Spotify lets you select options that match your music for each category.

You should indicate whether the song is a cover or a remix since Spotify has playlists for these cases. Additionally, some playlists are location-based, so including your hometown will help the editors find you easily.

Add an engaging description

Provide playlist editors with a detailed and captivating description of your music. When adding a new song to Spotify, take the time to describe your creative process and share as much information as possible about the writing and production of the track.

It will help others understand the story behind your music and appreciate it even more.

Mention any notable achievements or press coverage

You should mention notable achievements such as awards or chart positions and include press coverage if applicable, as playlist editors are more likely to listen to artists who have already gained recognition.

Express gratitude and enthusiasm

Express gratitude to playlist editors for considering your inclusion in their playlist. Thank them for taking the time to listen to your music.

Additionally, share your excitement about submitting your music to Spotify playlists and emphasize the potential impact this opportunity could have on your music career.

What Happens When You Submit Songs to Spotify Playlists?

Whenever you pitch a song to a playlist curator, remember there’s no guarantee they will select your song. Playlist curators, especially those from popular platforms like Spotify, receive tons of songs every day.

It may take some time for playlist curators to review your song, even if you pitch it early or in advance. However, you may still not get a slot because playlist curators will add your song only if they like it.

You need to ensure that each song you pitch is your best one.

How SoundCampaign Helps You Achieve Your Streaming Goals

SoundCampaign is our music promotion service that aims to assist independent artists in increasing their streams and expanding their fan base.

We provide access to a vast network of over 1000 Spotify playlist curators who will listen to your songs and provide honest feedback to help you improve your music.

But that’s not all – we go the extra mile to secure placements for your songs on more than 11,000 authentic playlists, ensuring your music reaches a broader audience.

Our automated matching system considers genre, budget, and language settings to pitch your tracks to playlist curators carefully moderated by our team.

This approach brings in the actual results in terms of optimal playlist placements and increased streams. Check out our reviews on Trustpilot to learn how we helped emerging artists.

Our platform offers affordable Spotify promotion starting at $80 per campaign, making it accessible for artists seeking effective marketing solutions.

Our Artist Protection Program guarantees financial compensation for missed reviews, giving you peace of mind if your tracks don’t receive the expected attention.

Our support team is ready to provide a fast resolution if you experience low-quality playlist matches, unfair rejections, or unfulfilled playlist inclusions.

What’s best is that with SoundCampaign, you don’t have to stop at Spotify. We also provide TikTok music promotion and help you integrate your tracks into engaging video content on this platform.

How to Engage with Spotify Playlist Curators

Do you want to be the next Spotify success story? Mingling with playlist curators is a must!

Build relationships with playlist curators on social media

If you want to get your music featured on playlists on Spotify, it’s not enough to submit it. You must also contact playlist curators on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Building a good relationship with these editors is essential if you want them to consider your music seriously.

Participate in the Spotify community

The Spotify Community is a platform where you can seek help, exchange thoughts, and talk about music and podcasts. Establishing yourself in this community before releasing your music track is wise.

The community comprises active members who could become your fans once your music is out there. They are likelier to listen to your songs if they know who you are.

Attend local and online music events for networking opportunities

One way to improve your chances of getting your music added to influential Spotify playlists is by attending local and online music events. It will allow you to have a face-to-face conversation with playlist curators to discuss your new sounds over a drink.

By doing so, you may become more than just a name on a submission list and increase your chances of being noticed.

Monitor and Analyze Performance

Image source: Spotify for Artists

Detailed insights help you plan your strategy and understand your performance on the Spotify editorial playlist. Let’s see how you can monitor your results.

Use Spotify for Artists analytics tools

Spotify for Artists offers analytics tools. It collects data such as:

• Streams
• Listeners
• Playlist adds
• Audience segments

These insights show how your submitted music resonates with Spotify users. You can use this information to adjust your promotional strategies and increase your exposure.

Track the impact of playlist placements on streams and followers

Monitor data if you are featured on multiple playlists. Make it a habit to analyze engagement, keep track of the increase in streams, and monitor changes in audience size. Understanding the impact of playlist placements on these metrics is paramount. You’ll know which playlist is more suitable for your music.

Adjust your strategy based on data and feedback

Constantly adjust your strategy based on data and feedback from your fans. Be proactive and find an approach that suits your music to improve your presence on the platform.

Spotify Success Story: Meet Paul Johnson

We want to share a true story about an artist named Paul Johnson. In 2016, he was a low-key musician with little money.

Paul pursued his passion for music and worked part-time in various roles, including retail worker and Uber driver. One of his songs, a folk-pop track called Firework, received a Spotify playlist submission in the same year, which was a fortunate turn of events for him.

Paul Johnson no longer needs his part-time job since his music is now streamed enough times to allow him to work full-time on his passion. According to the latest information, he is earning as much as $200,000 a year under the nickname of Canyon City.

When people ask him how he has become famous or gained music momentum, he always attributes his success to the day his song, Firework, landed a playlist placement on Spotify.

Image source: ANCHR Magazine

Besides Paul’s success story, many others are similar – their fame began because of a Spotify playlist placement. As an aspiring or amateur artist, you may find yourself in a similar situation where you work a part-time job to support your passion for music.

Just like Paul, submitting your songs to playlist curators on Spotify and other playlist curators on other music streaming platforms can open the doors of opportunities for you. So, by taking advantage of playlist pitching, you can enjoy your passion and create music for your fans full-time.

If you are looking for ideas on how you can submit your songs on Spotify playlists, then you can check out our article on 5 Useful Ways To Increase Your Chance For A Spotify Playlist Placement in 2024.

Final Words About Spotify Playlist Submission

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Spotify has emerged as the leading audio streaming service globally. As a result, artists are actively creating their profiles on the platform to promote their music. However, submitting your music for Spotify playlists requires hard work, patience, and time. But all the effort pays off when you finally hear your music playing on the radio.

We understand that submitting your playlist to Spotify can be a challenging task. If you would rather focus on creating your music, you can consider using Spotify promotion services such as SoundCampaign to handle the submission process, connect you with relevant Spotify playlists, and expand your fanbase rapidly!

FAQs About Spotify Playlist Submission