Today, everyone streams music. Spotify in particular has made it easier for emerging artists to get their music heard by a vast audience, as the platform represents an enormous part of all streamed music. That means for artists like you, one of the most effective ways to reach new listeners is by getting your music featured on Spotify playlists.
Playlists are becoming the new radio, and curators are becoming the new DJs. This includes algorithmic playlists like ‘Release Radar’ and ‘Discover Weekly’, editorial playlists curated by Spotify’s editorial team, and independent playlists curated by Spotify users. However, like any part of the music business, the process of sending new releases to a Spotify playlist curator can be rather tricky, especially if you don’t know where to start.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to get in touch with independent Spotify curators and increase your chances of getting your music featured on their playlists.
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Want to get in touch with Spotify playlist curators? 👇
1. Social Media
Take the time to find a public playlist that includes music similar to yours or that you believe you could be grouped in with. Are any social media profiles linked if you click on the playlist or its creator’s account? Many playlist curators and music enthusiasts are active on social media platforms to share playlist updates with their followers and discover new music. You can therefore reach out to them through their socials, introduce yourself, and provide a streaming link to your music. Keep in mind that playlist curation may be a part-time endeavor for some, and many curators may receive countless requests, so standing out in your messaging is critical. Be friendly, descriptive of your song, and respectful!
2. Curator Websites
Whether you’ve found a playlist to target through Spotify or social media, check if the curator has a website. If they do, they may have a section for musicians to submit their latest releases. Many platforms also offer a free submission tool for indie artists to submit their music to playlist curators without any cost. The submission process is simple and requires you to fill out details about the release, including the genre, mood, and theme (don’t forget to make sure your audio quality is on point before submitting). Before paying a submission fee, you can check whether a playlist is legit with Groover’s free Spotify playlist checker.
Advantage: all submissions will go straight to the curator, guaranteed
Disadvantage: there is sometimes a fee, with no promise of results
3. Digging
Doing some internet sleuthing on your own is a great idea. Type the name of the playlist on Google, LinkedIn, etc., and see what comes up. Ideally, you may find the email of the playlist curator.
You can also check out playlists’ followers – some users will have their own public playlists with a decent following! The less people there are reaching out to curators the way you are, the more likely your message is to be seen, read, and engaged with. It’s possible that your message will never be opened, but it’s a risk you have to take. Plus, it’s not a big deal when you know that online music services like Groover exist now to help independent artists avoid being skipped.
4. Groover
There are no skips on Groover, a music promotion platform that allows independent artists to get in touch with playlists directly. Groover also features daily playlists curated by music enthusiasts and influencers. You get listened to within 7 days and receive feedback from those you reach out to, whether they’re record companies, publishers, music managers and more. There are playlists for all styles of music, and you have access to all the information you need if you want to contact a particular playlist: number of followers, favorite artists, accepted language, type of music, etc. If you make rock, follow our step-by-step guide to reaching Spotify rock playlist curators on Groover.
On Groover you can send your music directly to playlist curators around the world! And Spotify founder Daniel Ek shared a LinkedIn post emphasizing the significance of independent and third-party playlists ⬇️
5. Sign with a Record Label
Music labels have privileged access to playlist curators, especially the editorial teams of streaming platforms. This is so music services can pick and choose music directly from artists already vetted by industry pros. Signing with a smaller independent label with good digital distribution can make a big difference in promoting your music catalog to playlist curators. If that route appeals to you, you can send your track to 350+ labels on Groover.
6. Before You Reach Out
In order to increase your chances of getting your music featured, remember these crucial tips:
- Make sure your music is of the highest possible audio quality
- Regardless of how good your pitch is, only the best sounding music will be taken seriously. You absolutely must mix and master your track before submission!
- Know how to describe your song
- Curators don’t have time to listen to everything. In your pitch, very briefly describe what the song sounds like to pique their interest and get them to listen.
- Only submit where it makes sense
- We totally understand that any placement will feel good, but don’t waste your energy messaging playlists that simply do not host your genre. If a playlist is indie folk, don’t send drum and bass.
- Don’t be afraid to go global
- Independent Spotify playlist curators can provide valuable exposure for musicians and help music lovers discover new songs… everywhere. So pitch your music to international playlists as well!
Examples of Spotify Playlist Curators
You don’t need to be on the Billboard charts or trending to find a playlist that is right for your music. As mentioned above, Groover is a great place to get in touch with independent playlist curators and get a response. To get you started, here are 3 of the many influential curators on the platform and what kind of tracks they’re looking for.
Gobi Desert Collective
Gobi Desert Collective is a curator with over 600k followers on Spotify whose playlists cover melodic and progressive house, deep house, organic house and downtempo, with room for indie pop, indie rock and singer songwriters. Think Ben Böhmer, Lane 8, ODESZA or Khruangbin. Get in touch here.
NeverGrownUp-Playlists
NeverGrownUp-Playlists is a curator with almost 150K followers on Spotify who looks for newcomers in punk, pop punk, alternative rock, indie rock and emo, and also likes garage rock, surf rock and hip-hop. Their tip: check the playlists before you submit. Get in touch here.
BOX Trap
BOX Trap is a curator with over 200K followers on Spotify who adds hip-hop, trap, drill and cloud rap to boxing and workout playlists, and is open to grime and international rap. Energetic tracks in the vein of Drake, 21 Savage, Gunna or Lil Baby fit best. Get in touch here.
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