Apple Music playlist submission: how to pitch, and who can

Apple Music's editorial pitch does not live where most artists expect. Apple Music for Artists is the analytics and profile product. The pitch tool is Apple Music Pitch, and it sits inside Apple Music Connect, the label and distributor platform. Apple describes it as the way to share upcoming release details with editorial teams for the chance to be featured on playlists, radio, genre pages and category pages across the globe (Apple Music Pitch).

That one detail explains most of the confusion around pitching Apple. Independent artists can claim their profile and read their data in Apple Music for Artists, but they cannot open the pitch form there. The pitch arrives through the distributor or label account.

Where the pitch tool lives

Log in to Apple Music Connect and open the Marketing tab. The dashboard shows active pitches and a plus sign next to Pitches. From there you can create a new pitch or see active and expired pitches across all countries and regions.

If your release was delivered and you have catalog access, the form can search for it by Apple ID or UPC and pre-fill the release details. If you pitch without that access, you create a manual entry and type the release details yourself. The same dashboard handles individual pitches and the Bulk Upload spreadsheet.

Who can pitch

Apple's access rule is specific: any Apple Music Connect user with an Admin or Marketing Manager role can use the Pitch tool. If you need access, the Admin who manages your company's account grants it. Independent artists who do not run a Connect account pitch through their distributor, which already holds the right role and the catalog connection.

A practical consequence: if you are planning an Apple push, tell your distributor early. The pitch is not something you can complete the night before release from your artist profile.

The deadlines

Apple publishes two key dates and applies them on a rolling basis to the content release date.

Ten days is shorter than Spotify's three-week target and longer than Deezer's 7-day rule. If you are pitching several platforms, one calendar works: pitch Spotify at 14 to 21 days, Apple at 10, Deezer at 7 through the distributor, and leave YouTube Music's distributor brief until 4 to 6 weeks out.

The pitch, step by step

1. Open the Marketing dashboard in Apple Music Connect and press the plus sign next to Pitches.
2. Choose the pitch type: New Release, Pre-add / Pre-order or Re-promotion. Bulk Upload handles several pitches at once from Apple's template.
3. Enter the release. Connect users with catalog access search by Apple ID or UPC; pitch-only users create a manual entry.
4. Complete the content and release details: format, content name, artist, mood, genre, language and release date.
5. Add the promotion start date. If the release goes live across all territories at the same moment, tick Timed Release and give the timing.
6. Choose territories. Do not pitch the same territory twice. Use the Select menu for global or multi-region pitches.
7. Say where you are pitching from. Apple calls this critical for global teams to identify pitches from local partners.
8. Write the promotion details: campaign moments, the upcoming release schedule, focus tracks, dedicated Apple Music marketing plans and key media moments. Then submit and review the summary.

What to put in each field

Apple's own best-practice notes are unusually direct. Information such as campaign details and rollout plans is critical; an artist biography is not. A focus or feeler track should be named. And on genres: "Less is more. Just because you can pitch for multiple genres, doesn't mean you should. Submitting too many genres can dilute your pitch."

The independent artist route

Apple's distribution page is blunt: partner with a distributor so the music is formatted correctly and ready for Apple Music. That partner is also the practical door to the pitch. Ask your distributor four questions:

• Do you submit Apple Music pitches, and by what date do you need the brief?
• What do you need from me: focus track, genre, mood, language, territories, campaign notes?
• Which territories will you pitch, and will you pitch any territory twice?
• How will you report back if the release is featured?

Some distributors fold editorial pitching into the delivery process; others charge extra or offer it only on selected releases. The iMusician row in our directory is one example of a distributor that markets editorial pitching as part of its service. The directory lists the wider field if you are choosing a distributor now.

After release: New Release Insights

Apple Music for Artists answers the "did anything happen" question with New Release Insights, which gives same-day data for the release week: total plays, the top-played song and the top-played city, plus comparisons against earlier catalog. New data can take up to eight hours to populate, and Apple asks for the release to be mapped to the correct artist page at least 10 days before it goes live. Data does not exist for releases before June 2015 (Apple Music for Artists).

For the deeper view, Trends breaks performance down by listener location and demographic, and the analytics guide explains how to read the trends rather than the spikes. Pre-adds are the other number to watch: they convert into library adds on release day, which is a strong early signal on Apple. Our guide to playlist stats after placement shows how to log both platforms in one table.

Five mistakes

1. Waiting for Apple Music for Artists. The pitch is not there. If you only look at the artist product, you will miss the deadline entirely.
2. Pitching inside 7 days. After the final deadline, Apple cannot consider the release for that cycle. Ten days is the target.
3. Pitching every genre. Apple says multi-genre pitching dilutes the pitch. One clear lane is stronger.
4. Sending a biography instead of campaign context. Apple wants rollout plans, focus tracks and marketing moments, not the artist story.
5. Pitching the same territory twice. Apple's instructions say content should not be pitched to the same territory twice. Coordinate with your distributor before anyone submits.

Apple is one of four platforms with different gates. Read the comparison in where to pitch each platform, and the Deezer specifics in Deezer playlist pitching.