How to Get Your Music on Spotify Playlists
As an up-and-coming indie artist, getting discovered and gaining new fans is your primary goal, and in 2020, the best way to achieve this is through having your music featured in playlists by streaming platforms. Each platform caters to different genres, with Spotify being the best platform for indie and hip-hop artists. With 200 million music fans streaming music daily, Spotify is undoubtedly one of the most popular streaming platforms. That said, landing a spot on a playlist isn’t easy. How do you snag a highly coveted spot on a Spotify playlist, you ask? Read on to learn how.
Grow Your Fanbase
The number one way to get your music on Spotify playlists comes from Spotify itself. Your follower count on the streaming app determines your likelihood of earning a spot on one of three types of playlists the offer: personalized, editorial, and listener. Here’s a description of each playlist:
Personalized: An algorithm for Spotify users generates these playlists. Any new music you release gets featured on your followers’ release radar. The more followers you have, the more playlists you get featured on.
Editorial: Carefully curated by music experts and genre specialists, this playlist features music by global artists. By using Spotify for Artists, you have access to pitching your unreleased music for playlist consideration.
Listener: Your followers are your most reliable promoters. These playlists are made and curated by your followers and, when made public, can be enjoyed by anyone who comes across them.
To start on the road to growing your fanbase, first, you must join Spotify for Artists. Doing so allows you to promote your music, share your story, track listener stats, customize your page to reflect your style, and even get notifications when users add your song to a playlist. From there, you have to complete your profile and work on building credibility. One trick you can use to boost your Spotify followership is to ask those enrolled in your mailing list to follow you there, especially if they want to access unreleased music.
Pitch a Song to Playlist Editors
It doesn’t matter how great your music is if you can’t get it in front of the right people. By pitching a song to Spotify’s editorial team, you’re actively showing them that being a part of their community and the playlists are essential to you. It is said that Spotify rewards those who spend time and a lot of energy on the platform.
It’s important to remember that when you pitch music to the editorial team, it has to be no less than 7 days before you publicly release the album or the single to be considered. The earlier you pitch, the better your chance of getting your music heard. This allows them the opportunity to listen to your submission, as there are hundreds of submissions sent their way.
Research Playlists
Another way to get a leg up on getting your song featured on a playlist is to research other playlists. Determine which playlists you like most or see your music being featured on and keeping track of them. See if you notice trends within the playlists. Do the songs featured have a certain vibe or similar sound? Do you have a song that fits this? All of this information gathered helps you tailor your approach when pitching your music. It can also help you decide if the playlist is a good fit for you.
Embed Your Music on Websites
Sometimes you can’t wait for a music lover to discover your music. Sometimes, you have to put your music in front of them. Embedding a Spotify player on your website, social media, or email newsletter is a method that, though, it’s outside of Spotify has in-platform results. Here, you’re able to garner plays from different kinds of listeners, entice them to lookup more of your music in-app, and it still ensures you get paid for the streams.
Make Sure Your Music is Quality
If you want your music to be featured on a Spotify playlist, it has to stand out next to tracks by chart-topping artists. Your music has to look the part with intriguing album art and a catchy title, but it also has to sound the part. That includes making sure it has proper equalization (EQ), the content quality of the song, and how well it’s produced.
If you’re unsure of your music’s production levels, you can do A/B testing (also known as split testing) to check your quality. You can test different variables, such as websites and ads, to understand what’s performing best and ultimately keep your fans engaged.
Create Your Own Playlists to Promote Your Music
Another way to get your music on a Spotify playlist is to create a playlist and add your music to it. You can curate playlists based on experiences, moods, activities, or even songs you’re enjoying. Be sure to include a few of your songs in the collection as well as artists who have a similar sound. You want the list to be genuine and have a great overall vibe. Listeners can tell when a song feels out of place or being plugged by the artist. By creating your own playlists and including yourself in them, you’re exposing listeners to other new artists while establishing yourself as someone who knows that good music sounds like. Plus, your music gets more plays!
Mirada Media: Helping You Get Your Music Discovered
Having your music featured on a playlist is a dream come true for many artists as streaming platforms like Spotify become the number one way we consume and discover music. We at Mirada Media want to help you achieve your goal. By using our one-sheet creator, you can promote your brand and track song and video engagement.
If you’re interested in learning more, contact us today!