How to get into Spotify playlists
The advent of streaming has turned the music industry upside down. In fact, users have at their fingertips an almost infinite catalog of songs accessible through a simple subscription. Put simply, we essentially said goodbye to physical purchases (with music CDs and vinyls now relegated to special editions).
At the heart of this revolution is Spotify, one of the platforms that has been able to carve out a space in the market most of all. If once upon a time an artist aimed to sell myriads of records, today the goal is to get as many streaming plays as possible, so as to climb the charts and eventually obtain certifications.
In this context, understanding how joining Spotify playlists can be a keystone to a career, as these songlists introduce new artists to users, as well as point out to fans, amidst the hubbub of releases, that a certain amount is available. song. In short, it is interesting to deepen the topic: below you will find all the details of the case. Enjoy the reading!
Index
- Preliminary information
- How to get into Spotify playlists
- Spotify for Artists (official playlists)
- Third Party Playlists
- Create a playlist
- Improve the music
Preliminary information
Before delving into the possibilities related to how to enter the Spotify playlist , I think it may interest you to know more about this possibility offered by the well-known music streaming service.
In fact, contrary to what one might think, playlists are not simply “lists of songs” , but they represent something much more interesting, that is a tool that can allow artists to emerge and remain relevant .
Let’s take a step back: today’s music market is totally different from that of the era before streaming services. Simplifying the concept to the extreme, now the musical releases, often linked to important record companies, are countless. In a nutshell, the competition is sky-high, especially for the most popular musical genres.
This is due, for example, to the fact that today making musical pieces has a negligible cost compared to in the past , given that there is certainly no shortage of programs to compose music and that the equipment used to start recording the pieces is not really like that. expensive (many have managed to set up a professional studio in their own home). Do not forget also the possibility to publish songs on Spotify essentially independently.
Looking at the current market, which often sees rap and its various forms at the top of the charts, a practice that has consolidated over time, starting from the 2015 request of the International Federation of Phonographic Industry (IFPI) , is to exit with new songs and albums on the main streaming platforms in the night between Thursday and Friday , or close to the weekend.
The trend is to make the songs available at midnight , but the rules of the market are constantly evolving and therefore for some important musical projects it was decided, for example, to go out at 01:00 , so that the initial streams are counted all in the same day and maybe you can aim for the streaming record on the first day. This is just to make you understand how central streaming platforms are nowadays for record companies, so much so as to move the timing of a song or album’s release.
The watchwords are to focus the attention of users : IFPI’s choice to release all the songs on the night between Thursday and Friday is designed precisely to ensure that the user can listen to all the releases of his interest in a relaxed way on the weekend. However, this move is only one of many that has pushed the industry towards attention seeking.
In fact, the user is easily lost in the wide catalog of streaming platforms, so much so that it is not unusual for a fan to lose even his favorite artist , since maybe a song can be swallowed up by the arrival of an important album (some record companies have available a list of releases useful not to overlap, but that’s another story).
This is where Spotify’s official playlists come into play , a sort of guiding light for users. I am thinking, for example, of Release Radar , a playlist customized for the user according to his audience . This is a very useful tool: it allows the listener not to miss essentially any output related to his favorite artists (unless the person in charge makes the mistake of not managing the output of the pieces well, but I will explain everything later. ).
Guess when this custom song list gets updated? That’s right: every Friday . In short, we understand each other: I have just quickly summarized the functioning of today’s music streaming world, in which playlists are a fundamental pivot to remain relevant and even just send a reminder to your fans.
This was the fundamental concept, often underestimated, that I wanted to express, even if clearly playlists have a better known function: that of letting the user discover new artists .
I’m referring to playlists like Hot Hits Italia , Alta Rotazione , New Music Friday (always returns on Friday) and so on and so forth. I’ll give you a spoiler: to get into these playlists you have to work on the quality of the music , but this will be discussed later in the post.
In any case, there are also playlists curated by teams outside Spotify : for example, some well-known magazines are used to constantly arrange their list of songs, so as to keep users updated on the most relevant releases , perhaps related to a certain genre.
The relevance of the playlist is obviously based on the popularity of those who create it , but you understand that in this case the choice can also go beyond the notoriety of a particular song or the selections of Spotify. To be clear, a magazine can choose to give space to an emerging artist that it considers particularly valid, positioning his song alongside those of the big names in the music scene.
In short, there are many variables and potential opportunities : I thought it important to first explain the main reasons why playlists are essential for the record industry in the streaming era, but now it’s time to delve into the methods generally used by artists. or by whomever is responsible to enter Spotify playlists.
How to get into Spotify playlists
Make yourself comfortable: there are various possibilities to enter Spotify playlists . Just a small note: you should take the information contained in this post as purely indicative, as the market is constantly evolving and there are no real rules to be able to achieve your goal with certainty.
However, as you have also seen from the preliminary chapter, there are some tricks used sometimes even by some majors, which could be intriguing even for an independent artist or simply for a person curious to understand in general how everything works. Below you will find all the relevant information.
Spotify for Artists (official playlists)
The main tool to be able to enter the official Spotify playlists is offered by the streaming platform itself: it is the Spotify for Artists service , clearly reserved for those who have an artist profile (I’m assuming that you have it, but in case alternative you might want to check out my tutorial on how to create a Spotify artist account).
In any case, the service is of fundamental importance to send the so-called pitches related to the official Spotify playlists . What am I referring to? Simple: the ability to propose your own song to the streaming platform team for inclusion in playlists.
Yes, you got it right: there is a team of playlist editors set up by Spotify itself, which takes care of listening to all the songs received and then choosing the most suitable and relevant ones to the theme of the playlists.
A myth must be dispelled: you cannot pay to enter a playlist (this is also explained on the official Spotify website , where it is said to stay away from those who promise magical methods to enter the playlists by paying, ergo scams), but you just have to have the right music according to the experts. Put simply, to be able to enter playlists like those indicated on the official Spotify page, which are constantly changing, you need to focus on what matters most to an artist: the quality of the music .
However, there are some tricks of fundamental importance to get your songs to the aforementioned team of Spotify editors, which then takes care of setting up the playlists. I’m referring to the fact that you need to submit unreleased songs via Spotify Artists at least 7 days before release (actually it’s good to get the music to Spotify as soon as possible , as playlist editors receive over 20,000 songs to analyze per day) , in order to allow those in charge to listen to everything properly.
These timings also apply to Release Radar , which is the official Spotify playlist that varies according to user ratings , a useful tool to provide a sort of reminder to fans who already listen to an artist.
Clearly, as far as Release Radar is concerned , your songs will only appear in the playlists of those who already listen to you (therefore not in all Release Radars, as the playlist is customized according to the user’s preferences), but trust me: this reminder it can be particularly useful in an era in which there is a chaos of releases . In short, don’t make the mistake of not submitting your songs for Release Radar: it costs you nothing to do so and you would lose a good number of potential listeners unnecessarily.
How do you send a pitch for a song for inclusion in the various playlists? Just connect to the official Spotify for Artists portal , log in with your account and navigate to the Music> Inbox section . In fact, all the songs you are about to publish appear here : clearly, if you rely on a distributor or a label , it could take several days before the song appears in this section.
In any case, you can start from here to propose songs to Spotify editors : you will simply be asked to complete a form with the right information. Generally what is required are details related to the song , for example genre , mood , description and cultural tags : this part is of fundamental importance to make Spotify understand how to contextualize your music and the reason why it could be relevant in some playlists.
Unfortunately, I cannot be more precise with my indications, as you understand well that the variables involved are many and that you must be good at getting yourself noticed, but I want to clarify that there is no guarantee of being included. in the various playlists . Simply, by following the aforementioned precautions, you will have a better chance of entering the official Spotify playlists.
In addition, this way you will also have the opportunity to make the most of the aforementioned Release Radar playlist. You will see in any case that by following the official instructions of the platform you will not have too many problems understanding the mechanism: if you are looking for more information, I suggest you consult the official FAQ relating to the insertion of a song in Release Radar, as well as the official indications of Spotify on pitch .
Obviously, if you have a manager or a record label , you might think about asking them, as they will probably be able to provide you with more details on all the steps indicated, as well as follow your specific case (as I have already said, there can be a lot of variables).
I just have to wish you a big good luck: if the song is selected for an official playlist, you will receive an indication by e-mail. Later you can also possibly take a look at the statistics relating to the playlists in which your songs have been inserted: simply go to the Music> Playlists section of the Spotify for Artists portal .
Here you will also find explained the various types of existing playlists : algorithmic (for example, Release Radar, based on the listener’s tastes), editorials (the official ones edited by Spotify editors) and listeners (i.e. created by users, I will deepen the question).
Third Party Playlists
Clearly on Spotify there are not only official playlists , since users can also create playlists. One could mistakenly think that the latter are not so relevant, but in reality, with the passage of time, several important realities of the world of the Web have set up playlists that represent a real virtual meeting point for fans .
In other words: the inclusion in third-party playlists can be very important for listening and among other things in this case often only the tastes of the playlist curators are involved , so there is not even the need to get noticed by Spotify experts.
Essentially, as it should be, the curator of the playlist has struggled to carve out a certain space , gaining some credibility among users, and decides to use it as he sees fit, simply pushing the music he deems most valid or noteworthy. .
In this case, as you may have already guessed, there is actually very little you can do but get noticed for the quality of the music . In fact, you will necessarily have to get into the good graces of the playlist editor for your songs to appear in it.
The advice is therefore always the basic one: improve your songs. The inclusion in playlists of this type will then take place accordingly. For the rest, of course, using a browser and taking advantage of the official Spotify portal it is possible to trace the creator of a particular playlist , then contacting him possibly through some social network .
In some cases this may at least allow you to point out the existence of your music to the playlist editor , but I honestly think you should avoid such requests , as some might actually be rude and presumptuous.
However, if you already have some relevance within the music scene and you feel that your songs are perfectly in line with a particular playlist , talking calmly with the curator could generate an interesting debate (but keep in mind that no one will. owes nothing : you have to earn inclusion in playlists, like everyone else).
Create a playlist
How do you say? Would you like to try to push some artist yourself that you think does not have the right recognition ? You don’t have to worry: if you think you can create an interesting and always updated selection of songs, you could try to create your own playlist , perhaps making it an important meeting point for fans.
This path can also make you understand how much effort is behind the creation of a relevant community , as well as how difficult it is to carve out a place with a playlist in the chaos of proposals offered by Spotify.
Surely, if you are an artist, it can be an experience that can make you open your eyes to the important work done by figures that revolve around the music scene . Sometimes artists tend to look with distrust at these personalities, when in reality it is good to understand that they too have earned that space tooth and nail and therefore it is right that they use it as they see fit .
In any case, if you intend to go down this path, which however you should not use to push yourself but only to integrate music that you believe valid and intriguing for users (this is clear), you can refer to my guide on how to create a playlist on Spotify.
Improve the music
I can only conclude this post, which I remember is simply an indicative guide to the complex functioning of music playlists related to Spotify, reminding you that the real difference always makes the quality of the music .
I know: the logic of the market and the precautions to be taken to follow what is proposed by the streaming services exist, but without songs that are able to please people, you won’t go anywhere .
A song listened to and listened to by users has a much better chance of entering the rankings and obtaining certifications . The ratings after the first are probably the hardest to get and you can’t blame others: the audience chooses the hits , even in the streaming era .
Of course, perhaps nowadays it is not enough to have a quality piece to break through, since you also need to know how to “embroider” on it (after all, when has this never been the case?), But it is undeniable that to “break through ”Really a song must be of quality . Once a song has become relevant, inclusion in playlists will essentially come by itself (obviously always taking the right precautions or relying on someone who can take them properly).
Clearly I can’t be the one to tell you how to improve your music and I don’t even have the presumption to explain to you in detail how the entire music market works, but it was interesting to deepen how Spotify playlists work at the root. For the rest, if you are a beginner, you might also be interested in my tutorials on how to use FL Studio , how to record on FL Studio , how to install VST on FL Studio and how to autotune on FL Studio , which refer to one of the most used software to make music and include basic information about the equipment that is usually used by artists to record.
In short, as you can see, the period is not bad at all to compose music and publish your songs, even independently, then trying to send them to Spotify itself for possible inclusion in the playlists. I just have to make you one last time a big good luck for your musical career!
