6 Ways Independent Artists Can Get on Spotify Playlists

How do you listen to music? Most likely, your response will be indicative of the majority of music consumers – streaming on Spotify or Apple Music rather than digital downloads. With that being said, if you are an artist, you are now searching for different ways to get your music on Spotify playlists.

No matter the music technology, gaining a platform and positioning has always been a priority for both record labels and independent artists. In the vinyl only days, the platform to get heard was terrestrial radio, and that extended through the 8 track and cassette tape eras. When the CD was king and it met the internet, new platforms to get heard and seen began to emerge. Platforms such as internet message boards, internet radio, blogs, PureVolume, MySpace, and YouTube. Fast forward to today where streaming is king and the goal is still the same – you need to find ways to be seen and heard on the streaming platforms that are now utilized by most of the music consumers.

6 Ways Artists Can Land on Spotify Playlists:

Make Your Own

This one is low hanging fruit. Create your own playlists with your best songs so your fans can easily stream your music without searching. You can also create playlists around interests or moods and grow your own platform and raise the value of your brand.

Other People’s

Anyone can create a playlist on Spotify. Some of the best, largest, and more engaged playlists are by non-music industry people that are genuine fans. Sometimes you can find out who the user is that owns the playlist and then build a relationship with them that will hopefully lead to them liking your music enough to put it on their playlist. If you look in your Spotify Artist app, you may see that some of these people are already playlisting your music.

Branded Playlist’s

These are playlists by brands and record labels such as Rapzilla, Majestic Casual, Promoting Sounds, Topsify, etc. These people are influencers in the culture so Spotify’s curators check their playlists to see what they are missing out on. If you submit your music to us and we like it enough to post it on our website – chances are you will show up on one of our playlists. You should be proactively doing what you need to do in order to get your music in the hands of these curators so you can land on their playlists as they are usually highly engaged and heavily followed.

Algorithmic Playlist’s

Release Radar and Discover Weekly among others are tailored for every Spotify listener, usually on a weekly basis. The track list is usually determined from listener activity, as well as which artists the user follows. Often times, these lists drive more streaming engagement than Spotify’s curated playlists. In order for your music to appear in algorithmic playlists, you need to get your fans to not only stream your music but more importantly, you need them to follow your profile.

Curators & Editors

These are considered the most sought-after and highest regarded as they are done by playlist curators and genre editors on Spotify and Apple Music. These playlists are the most powerful editorial tool these streaming services have and as a result, they are heavily promoted on their platforms. To land on these playlists, sometimes you don’t have to do anything. The playlists relevant to CHH aren’t difficult to land on so long as your music is decent. There are larger playlists that are harder to land on as your music needs to be streaming well (long play rate, low skip rate, etc.) but if you get on the smaller playlist and your songs perform well, then you will likely get bumped up onto the larger playlists.

Paid Playlist Promotions

Be very careful about who you pay to get your placements. If someone promises to get you on playlists in exchange for a fee, be very skeptical and ask for details. Which playlist? How many followers do they have? What position will you be on the playlist? How long will you be on the playlist? Take all of the information given and weigh the value and the cost and determine if you think it is worth it. There are several websites where you can pay to have your music pitched to playlist owners that will review your music and consider adding to their lists. These are unofficial and ran by fans and brands, but are relevant to your target genre audience. One website that we utilize to consider music that we found to be transparent and has the best track record is PlaylistPush.com.

Soon I will be launching a Patreon to provide music business consulting and will go more in-depth on these sort of tips. If you want to be notified by email when we launch then sign up here.

Chad Horton
Chad Hortonhttps://rapzilla.com
Chad Horton has been in the music business since 2000 with a focus on digital distribution, streaming, playlisting, and social media marketing. Chad is currently a Partnership Producer at hi5.agency working with clients such as Blizzard Entertainment, Google Pixel, and more. Chad also owns and operates Rapzilla.com. Originally from Northern California, Chad became a San Diego resident in 2004 where he currently resides with his wife and children.
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