You finally took the big step and you're launching your first single on Spotify in a few weeks. By the time it's live, your guaranteed listeners would be your family, close friends, and a few friends of those close friends. While we love the support we get from our peers, there is a more large-scale and sustainable way to get your music to reach even more listeners and grow your fanbase.
The Convenience of Spotify Playlists
Spotify for artists is a great opportunity for young talented musicians. But you need to optimize your artist's profile in order for it to work for you. Optimizing your profile promises more streamers and more exposure, all achieved organically. When your profile is complete, you can consider submitting your music to playlists, and very soon the unreleased music you worked really hard to produce will get that well-deserved exposure.
But before anything else, what exactly is it about Spotify playlists that makes it the breeding ground for more music exposure?
It's simple – the convenience.
Listeners rely on curated playlists to accompany them for an event, work day, drive, you name it! As long as they find a track or two in the playlist enjoyable, the listener is then drawn to the rest of the playlist and trusts it enough to contain their preferred genre and get along with their mood for the day or particular event they need the music for. When your music happens to be a part of their chosen playlist, they will give your track a listen without having to type it on their search bar. From there, they can even visit your artist profile, and listen to your other songs. Did we mention the convenience of Spotify playlists goes two ways? Both for the listener and the artist!
How Spotify Playlists Grows Both Your Fanbase and Network
More than just growing your fanbase through being part of a Spotify playlist, placement on these also allows record labels to discover your music. Spotify playlists are somehow an organic way to promote your music as it gets to reach both listeners and professionals in the industry. This means potential record labels, music publishers, and booking agents, as they are always on the lookout for new music as well. Since they keep these playlists monitored, your next playlist placement could be the first step to your next big break.
What to Expect When Submitting Your Music to Spotify Curators
While this possibility is exciting, note that submitting your songs to playlist curators won't immediately get you the exposure you want. Playlist curators have to review numerous music submissions of different types before they can even get around to listening to yours. Once they are able to listen to all submissions, they shortlist tracks that can vibe in the same playlist. This is why it's important to submit your best singles. Your best track forward gives you a much better shot in getting noticed and eventually, getting a placement.
Submitting your album or track for release on Spotify happens two weeks before your target launch date. Once you have chosen a track (take note, just a track not an entire album or EP) you would like to send in for a Spotify playlist consideration, make sure to submit your unreleased music at least seven days before the intended launch date of the single or album where the single is a part of.
Make sure to do enough research when it comes to the target market of your tracks so you do not blindly submit your songs to Spotify playlists that may not go well with the tracks included with it. When you choose to do it yourself, we want to make sure your single lands in the hands of the right Spotify curators. It would be best to strategize properly by understanding the similar music of your target listeners. This way, the submission does not go to waste and gets you that optimal and well-deserved exposure. Even better, once you land a place in a carefully curated Spotify playlist, you grow your audience, gain loyal listeners, and begin to understand the type of music that this loyal fanbase takes the time to listen to. You can use this as a reference when it comes to producing your next track.
Did we already mention how convenient this tactic is for both listeners and artists? It can even help you in planning out your succeeding singles.
Do take note that you must manage your expectations. Just because you submitted a song for a playlist consideration, does not mean you're well on your way to that big break. It may take a while before it lands a placement. But don't make the mistake, amongst many others, to quit submitting just because it didn't work out the first time.
Check our submission guide for editorial, algorithmic and user-created playlists and nail your Spotify promotion in 2023.
Final Thoughts
Placement on playlists is an organic tactic that can be mirrored in other streaming platforms as well, this is not exclusive to Spotify. Wherever you choose to try out your playlist consideration, with just enough tries, the right amount of research, and of course the best single, it's sure to grow your fanbase beyond your circle.
