How do you get your music on Spotify playlists? On April 27th, Groover cofounder Dorian Perron went live on Instagram for our first Groover Tips Workshop with Manu Freson, founder of the label G-Major Records and cofounder of Stream!t, the playlist to (re)discover Belgian artists. We shared our methods and our best tips- so much so that the live lasted 2 hours! It was a great moment and we felt the public engaging thoroughly, so we can’t resist the urge to share even more tips 🙂
Here is a summary of what we shared during the live show:
Before we explain how to get your music on Spotify playlists, we present the three types of playlists that exist:
- Editorial playlists: An artist can submit their new track to the Spotify editorial team directly by using Spotify for Artists.
- Algorithmic playlists: Playlists generated by Spotify’s algorithms.
- User-generated playlists: Playlists made by people outside Spotify- like you or me- who have a solid following of listeners.
1. Overall strategy for streaming platforms and release strategy
- Overall strategy
First of all, you need to engage your listeners and gather fans around your project by building a real team of ambassadors. This obviously happens through social networks (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) but also through newsletters, merchandising, concerts, and more.
| Read also: INSTAGRAM FOR MUSICIANS: HOW TO GAIN NEW FOLLOWERS IN 2020
The ultimate fan base goal 💪
Are you planning to unveil a new single? Work on your release. Start work at least 4 weeks in advance, planning your strategy, identifying playlists in advance, pitching your track to the Spotify editorial team via Spotify For Artists, and gathering a team of ambassadors around your project so they all relay your track on release day! Also think about timing; maybe a specific season or a day of the week is particularly relevant to your song.
On Spotify, it all starts with your Spotify For Artists profile. Take the time to fill in your profile and make it look good- photo, biography, etc. You’ll also be able to check your stats to understand your audience. Get your listeners to subscribe to you on Spotify so that your music appears in their Release Radar playlist when you release a new song. You can also provide your fans with a pre-save link before your track is released.
💡 Quick tip : Make sure that the distribution of your song on streaming platforms is ready at least 7 days (ideally 3-4 weeks) before the release. By pitching your release to Spotify publishers via Spotify For Artists more than 7 days before the release date, your track will automatically land on your subscribers’ Release Radar playlist. If you do this less than 7 days before, Spotify does not guarantee it.
On Spotify, the regularity of new track releases is rewarded; if you release a track every 2 months, Spotify’s algorithm will give you a little boost.
Also, don’t hesitate to create your own playlists, which will strengthen your identity on Spotify.
You can also create a radio from a song that sounds like your own. Anyone can create this kind of radio. It’s like a playlist based on the style of a song. You can then drag and drop your song into the playlist and attract fans of artists that sound like you. Base the radio off of an emerging artist who doesn’t have too many radios already in order to attract more listeners.
Spotify Playlists: Radios created from a song
| Read also: SPOTIFY FOR ARTISTS: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BOOST YOUR STREAMS IN 2020
2. The key: user-generated playlists!
The gateway to Spotify algorithmic and editorial playlists
- How do you find an interesting user-generated playlist?
- Check out profiles of artists who have between 1,000 and 50,000 listeners per month – including your “Similar Artists”.
- Go to “Overview” ⇒ “Fans also like”
- In “About” → “Discovered On”…
- Once you see the playlists that bring them the most streams, aim for the ones that are not created by Spotify and you might have a chance to get in too!
Examples of Spotify playlists in which New Bleach has appeared
- How do you get into user-generated playlists?
We propose three options which can be used all together to better your chances:
👉 Contact the playlists directly, if you find them on Facebook, Instagram, or by using the search method above.
👉 Use Groover; there are more and more active playlists on the platform and you are sure to get an answer in less than 7 days.
👉 If you’ve created a playlist yourself, you can offer a playlist swap with another Spotify playlist curator. If they are an artist too, then everyone wins- solidarity!
So that’s the recap of our live workshop on Instagram, hopefully nothing will stop you from getting into Spotify playlists! We’ll see you soon for a new Instagram live and a new topic, don’t hesitate to subscribe to our Instagram account to not miss it 🙂
For more concrete advice on playlists, we recommend the guide for artists and playlist curators 👉 Work Hard Playlist Hard
To get into Spotify playlists, check out Groover ⭐️
