As a new singer trying to make my mark in the music world, I quickly realized that getting my tracks onto popular playlists is crucial for gaining fans and building momentum. But with countless playlists out there, where do you even start? Trust me, I’ve been there, scrolling endlessly through Spotify, wondering how to get my music in front of the right ears. That’s why I’ve done the legwork and compiled this list of the 10 best playlist curators to submit your music to.
Whether you’re a fellow indie artist or a seasoned pro looking to expand your reach, these curators could be your ticket to playlist success.
1. Daily Playlists
Daily Playlists is a music curation software and intelligence platform that connects artists with playlist curators. The platform offers both free and premium submission options. Artists can use free weekly credits to submit their music to standard playlists, or purchase premium credits to access vetted curators who provide guaranteed feedback or placement. Daily Playlists emphasizes the importance of proper genre selection and encourages artists to listen to playlists before submitting to ensure a good fit. The platform also allows artists to promote both new releases and older tracks from their catalog, potentially expanding their reach to new audiences.
2. Playlist Curator
Playlist Curator stands out as one of the most prominent online playlist curators, offering a diverse range of carefully crafted playlists across multiple streaming platforms. Their extensive collection covers various themes, moods, and occasions, catering to a wide array of musical preferences. The platform prides itself on its meticulous curation process, which involves a team of experienced curators who blend musical expertise with technological insights to create engaging and high-quality playlists.
The curation process at Playlist Curator is comprehensive and thoughtful. It begins with a diverse music selection, exploring new releases, emerging artists, and timeless classics across multiple genres. Each playlist is crafted around a specific theme or mood, ensuring thematic coherence and a cohesive listening experience. Before a track makes it onto a playlist, it undergoes rigorous quality control, considering factors such as production quality, lyrical content, and overall artistic merit.
Playlist Curator maintains a dynamic approach to playlist management. They regularly update their playlists with new tracks while preserving the core essence of each collection. This ensures that listeners always have fresh content to discover while maintaining the playlist’s intended atmosphere. The platform also values user feedback, regularly analyzing engagement data and incorporating listener preferences to refine their offerings.
For artists looking to submit their music, Playlist Curator provides a straightforward submission process. Musicians can apply to have their songs featured on various themed playlists, such as “Songs About True Love,” “Songs About Soulmates,” and “Songs About the Sun and Sunshine”. The platform carefully considers each submission, applying strict criteria to ensure that selected tracks align with the playlist’s theme and meet their high-quality standards.
3. MySphera
MySphera positions itself as “the matchmaker between your music and tastemakers”. This freemium Spotify playlisting service has been operating since 2018, aiming to pair curators with artists. MySphera offers both free submissions through curator contact forms and paid campaigns where they pitch your song to “best-fit” curators. The platform has a wide variety of genre-specific curators, with particular strength in Hip-hop, EDM, Lofi, and Electronic music. MySphera’s paid campaigns include features like a minimum potential reach, weekly updates, and social media promotion on their accounts. While results can vary, MySphera serves as another potential tool for artists looking to generate buzz and land algorithmic support from Spotify.
4. SongRocket
SongRocket is a relatively new playlist pitching service, launched in April 2021. The platform aims to simplify the process of submitting music to carefully selected curators, boasting over 170 curators with a combined follower count exceeding 11 million listeners. SongRocket allows artists to start pitching their music with a budget as low as $6 USD, making it an accessible option for independent artists. The submission process is streamlined – artists simply need to upload their track information and choose from an extensive list of musical genres. SongRocket’s founder, Lukas, brings his experience as a DJ and music producer to the platform, having garnered over 2.5 million Spotify streams through his own promotional efforts. This background informs SongRocket’s approach to connecting artists with relevant curators efficiently.
5. iMusician
iMusician is a digital music distribution platform that also offers playlist pitching services to its artists. They have a dedicated team that submits tracks to top editorial playlists across major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Beatport. While primarily focused on distribution, iMusician’s playlist pitching service aims to increase visibility for independent artists. Their approach involves analyzing your music and targeting playlists that align with your genre and style. iMusician emphasizes transparency, providing artists with detailed insights on their music’s performance across platforms.
6. Simon Field
Simon Field is an independent playlist curator known for his carefully curated electronic music playlists. While less information is publicly available about his specific curation process, Simon Field has gained recognition in the electronic music community for his taste-making abilities. His playlists often feature a mix of established artists and up-and-coming talent in genres like house, techno, and electronica. Artists can typically submit their music to Simon Field through direct outreach or music submission platforms, though the exact submission process may vary.
7. Playlist Push
Playlist Push is a well-established playlist pitching service that connects independent artists with playlist curators. The platform boasts a network of over 4,000 playlists with a combined following of more than 100 million listeners. Playlist Push uses an AI-powered algorithm to match songs with appropriate playlists and curators, streamlining the submission process. They offer a rigorous vetting process for curators to ensure playlist quality and authenticity. Artists can create campaigns based on their budget, with Playlist Push handling the outreach and submission process. The platform provides detailed analytics and reporting, allowing artists to track their campaign’s performance and gain valuable insights.
8. Soundplate
Soundplate is a music promotion platform that offers a streamlined process for submitting music to Spotify playlists. They provide a user-friendly interface that allows artists to easily find and submit their tracks to relevant playlists. The platform emphasizes the importance of targeting the right playlists for your music genre and style. To submit music through Soundplate, artists simply need to navigate to the desired playlist page and click the ‘Submit Music’ button. This straightforward approach makes it accessible for both emerging and established artists to reach new audiences through curated playlists.
9. SpinGrey
SpinGrey is an independent playlist curator known for promoting emerging artists and helping them gain exposure. The platform offers a unique approach to music submission through their Patreon membership. By becoming a Patreon supporter, artists can submit their music with priority to SpinGrey’s playlists and social channels. This model allows SpinGrey to maintain a high-quality curation process while providing artists with increased opportunities for exposure. Their playlists cover various genres and moods, catering to different musical tastes and helping artists connect with their target audience.
10. SoundCampaign
SoundCampaign is a platform that connects artists with playlist curators, offering free submission options to help musicians get their music heard by new listeners and industry influencers. The platform stands out for its transparent and structured approach to playlist curation. SoundCampaign has a rigorous vetting process for curators, requiring them to have playlists with at least 20 tracks and 1000 genuine followers. They employ a 15-position ranking system based on scores, which determines curator rewards ranging from $1 to $14 per review. This system incentivizes curators to provide valuable feedback and placements for artists. SoundCampaign also emphasizes the importance of organic growth, regularly checking for any unusual activity on playlists to maintain authenticity.