How to Pitch Your Music to Playlists the Right Way

Two routes: editors and curators

Broadly, there are two kinds of playlists. Some are run by the streaming services' own editorial teams, on Spotify for example New Music Friday or the many genre playlists. Others belong to independent curators: blogs, labels, radio people or simply music fans with a big following.

Each needs a different approach. For Spotify's editors, you submit yourself through Spotify for Artists, and it is free. Independent curators you reach by message or through a pitching service. One does not rule out the other. Anyone serious about pitching does both.

Pitching through Spotify for Artists, step by step

To pitch, your release has to have reached Spotify and show up in Spotify for Artists as an upcoming release. That is why uploading early matters so much. Spotify only accepts pitches if there are at least seven days left until release. More lead time is better, because editors do not plan their playlists the day before. You can only pitch one unreleased song at a time, so on an EP pick the strongest one.

In the form you fill in details such as genre, mood and instruments and write a description of up to 500 characters. Take the selection fields seriously, because editors sort by them. Choose the genres that really fit rather than spreading as wide as possible. A song that fits a little bit everywhere ends up fitting nowhere.

Do not expect a reply after you submit. You usually will not get a rejection. Whether the song was picked up shows later, when it appears under playlists in Spotify for Artists. Do not let silence discourage you, and pitch again with your next release, because every submission gets a fresh listen.

What to write in the pitch

500 characters is not much, so only write what the editors cannot already tell from the selection fields. Concrete details work well: what the song is about, how it came together, what it suits (a workout, a night drive, a Sunday morning) and which well-known artists it compares to. Add what you are doing for the release yourself, such as planned clips, a video or shows.

Leave out superlatives like best song of the year, lines about passion and heart, and your full biography. Editors receive a large number of submissions every week. A factual text that says in two sentences where the song belongs helps them more than three paragraphs of excitement. Read your text out loud once before sending it, and the empty sentences will stand out.

Offers to avoid

Stay away from anything that promises a set number of streams or a guaranteed playlist spot in exchange for money. Spotify explicitly prohibits artificial streams, and the consequences hit your song, not the provider. They can go as far as the song being removed. Legitimate pitching sells a review by real people, not a placement.

A good warning sign is a promise that sounds too specific: this many streams in this many days, spot guaranteed. Nobody can decide on behalf of an editorial team or an independent curator. If someone promises it anyway, either the promise is false or the streams are.

Playlist pitching at OGRECORDS^™

If you would rather not contact curators yourself, you can book our playlist pitching at OGRECORDS^™. It costs €50 per track, the deadline is 21 days before release, and for the reasons above there is no guarantee of success. You get the report on the Monday after release. Plan your release day so the 21 days fit. Our release plan shows how the timing works out.

Playlists are not the only way to new listeners. With Spotify Discovery Mode you open songs up for more recommendations in radio and autoplay. You receive 30% less on the streams that come through it, and all other streams stay untouched. For film, advertising or games there is our sync service with a 15% commission.