How to submit music to Spotify playlists
The three routes to a Spotify playlist: the free editorial pitch, independent curators and the algorithm. Steps, costs, timing and the rules that protect you.
Guides
Playlist submission guides
Six topics. Each guide answers the question first, then gives the steps, the numbers and the sources. We review each guide and show the date.
How playlist submission works
The routes to a playlist, what each one costs, and what to expect.
Free playlist submission
Four ways to pitch Spotify playlists without paying: the editorial pitch, free credits, free curator forms and direct email. What each gives you, and its catch.
How playlist submission works
How playlist submission works in 2026: the free editorial pitch, independent curators, credits and campaigns, and what each route actually buys.
Spotify playlist types, compared
Spotify's three playlist types explained: who runs each one, how to reach them, what they cost, and which signals decide whether your song gets in.
How the Spotify algorithm picks songs
How Spotify's algorithmic playlists choose songs: the signals that matter, the Release Radar rule you control, and why the first 72 hours decide so much.
Do playlists still work?
Playlist promotion in 2026 by the numbers: campaign returns, approval rates, save-rate benchmarks and the cases where a playlist is not worth the fee.
6 of 6 guides published. More guides in this topic are in progress.
Spotify editorial pitching
The free pitch form in Spotify for Artists: timing, fields and next steps.
Spotify editorial pitch
How Spotify's free editorial pitch works in Spotify for Artists: the 7-day rule, the form fields, what editors see and what happens after you submit.
When to pitch Spotify
Spotify asks for 7 days, but pitches sent 21 to 28 days ahead get the best editorial results. The rule, a day-by-day calendar and the late-release fallback.
Why the editorial pitch was rejected
Most pitches do not land an editorial playlist. The common reasons, what editors look at, and the 28-day plan that turns one rejection into a better release.
The Spotify for Artists pitch form
Field by field: what Spotify's pitch form asks for, how the tags route your song, and how to write the 500-character note that editors actually read.
Which song to pitch
Spotify gives you one pitch per release. How to choose the song that wins the first 30 seconds, fits the most playlists, and carries the campaign.
The Release Radar pitch benefit
Release Radar is the one algorithmic playlist you can switch on: pitch 7 days early and your chosen song reaches every follower on release day.
After no editorial placement
No editorial add is the normal result. What to do in the first 72 hours, the curator push, the numbers to watch and how late adds actually happen.
7 of 7 guides published. More guides in this topic are in progress.
Independent curators
How to find real curators, write to them and follow up.
Find independent curators
Five places to find real Spotify playlist curators, where curators publish their contact details, and how to check a playlist before you pitch it.
Pitch email template
A short playlist pitch email template with subject lines, a one-follow-up rule, and the changes that lift reply rates on cold curator outreach.
SubmitHub vs Groover vs Playlist Push
SubmitHub, Groover and Playlist Push compared on what you actually buy: credits or a campaign, entry price, reply promise, acceptance evidence and genre fit.
Free curators that answer
The free routes that reach real curators in 2026: Soundplate, IndieMono, SubmitFinder, blog playlists and free platform tiers, with their reply odds.
Curator follow-ups
One follow-up, 5 to 10 days later, then stop. The timing rules, a two-line template, and when a platform chases the reply for you.
Build curator relationships
How to turn one playlist add into a repeat relationship: thank properly, use the feedback, get a direct line, and run a 90-day cadence.
Small playlists vs big playlists
Playlist size is the most misleading number on Spotify. How follower counts, conversion rates, warehouses and artist-level fit decide what an add is worth.
7 of 7 guides published. More guides in this topic are in progress.
Paid, free and fake
What to pay for, what never to pay for, and how to spot bot playlists.
How to spot fake Spotify playlists
Five checks that expose bot playlists: follower math, growth speed, plays against followers, batch adds and the description. What a fake add means for you.
Paid vs free submission
What paid playlist submission actually buys, what Spotify's terms allow, entry prices across the main services, and when free outreach is the better spend.
Five-minute bot playlist check
Five checks that expose bot playlists fast: follower math, growth speed, plays per follower, batch adds and the description. Know when to walk away.
What artificial streaming costs
Spotify charges labels and distributors per track for flagrant artificial streaming, and TuneCore passes on about 10 euros per flagged track per month.
Added to a bot playlist
A step-by-step response when a fake playlist adds your song: capture evidence, report it to Spotify, tell your distributor and protect the release.
Guaranteed streams are a scam
Why no service can promise streams or playlist adds for money, the offers to recognise, what artificial streams cost you, and what legitimate promotion sells.
What playlist promotion costs
Playlist promotion prices in 2026: $1 credits, $2.14 contacts, $80-5,000 campaign budgets and $280 minimums, plus the fees the pricing pages hide.
Playlist checker tools
Spotify playlist checkers compared: Artist.Tools, SubmitFinder, Playlist Pilot, Is It a Good Playlist and Soundcharts, and why a score is never proof.
8 of 8 guides published. More guides in this topic are in progress.
Other platforms
How pitching works on Apple Music, Deezer, YouTube Music and SoundCloud.
Where to pitch each platform
Who can pitch Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, YouTube Music and Amazon: the lead times each platform asks for, and the distributor route around the gates.
Apple Music playlist submission
Apple Music pitching lives in Apple Music Connect, not Apple Music for Artists. Who can pitch, the 10-day and 7-day deadlines, and the distributor route.
Deezer playlist pitching
Deezer's Pitching Tool is open to label and provider accounts only. The 7-day rule, the 14-day post-release window, the fields and the distributor route.
YouTube Music playlist pitching
There is no artist pitch form for YouTube Music editorial. The distributor route, the timeline, Official Artist Channel setup and the channels that reply.
SoundCloud reposts and playlists
SoundCloud has no editorial pitch form. Reposts, playlists and community do the work: packaging, finding channels, timing the first 48 hours and measuring it.
Spotify vs Apple vs Deezer pitching
Spotify pitches are open to artists, Apple's sit behind Connect and Deezer's behind label accounts. The access rules, deadlines and playlist cultures compared.
6 of 6 guides published. More guides in this topic are in progress.
Pitch writing and timing
Templates, release timelines and the numbers to watch after a placement.
Pitch writing templates
Templates for the Spotify editorial pitch and curator emails: how to describe the sound, what proof to add, and the lines that waste your 500 characters.
Release timeline checklist
A release timeline that works back from release day: distributor at day -28, Spotify pitch at day -14, day -7 last call, then 28 days of measuring.
Stats after a playlist adds you
How to read Spotify for Artists after a playlist adds your song: the Playlists tab, source of streams, saves, skip rate, and a 28-day plan for the next release.
Genre playlist submission
Playlist supply is uneven by genre. Where pop, indie, hip-hop and electronic placements come from, which genres are thin, and how to use tags.
Pre-save and pre-add campaigns
How pre-saves and Apple pre-adds work, why Library Adds and first-72-hour saves matter, and how to set up a campaign that fires on release day.
Measure playlist results
The four numbers that show whether a playlist worked: save rate, skip rate, cost per save and algorithmic share, with benchmarks and a 28-day table.
6 of 6 guides published. More guides in this topic are in progress.