Free playlist submission: every route that costs $0

Free routes exist at every step of a release. None of them promise a reply, and each has a catch. This guide lists the four routes, what each one gives you, and how to run them in four weeks.

Route 1: Spotify's editorial pitch

Start here. The pitch form in Spotify for Artists is free, and it is the only way to reach Spotify's own editors. Spotify's pitching guide gives the rules:

• Pitch one unreleased song at a time.
• Deliver the music at least 7 days before release.
• A song pitched 7 or more days early goes into your followers' Release Radar.
• You cannot pitch compilations, or songs where you are only a featured artist.
• Pitching does not guarantee a playlist.

The catch: you cannot pitch a song after it goes live. Plan the release date first, then work back. Our step-by-step editorial guide walks through the form.

Route 2: Free tiers on submission platforms

Several paid platforms also have a free door. The free door is narrower than the paid one. Know its limits before you rely on it.

• SubmitHub. You get 2 free standard credits every 4 hours, and you can hold only 2 at a time (SubmitHub help). SubmitHub says only about 20% of its curators accept standard credits, and they do not have to reply (SubmitHub). You can also earn 1 premium credit for every 20 ratings you leave in its Hot or Not feature.
• Daily Playlists. Standard submissions are free. The site lists 18,000+ playlists and 500,000+ submitting artists (homepage). Premium credits and a Pro plan cost extra.
• Soundplate. Free submission to Soundplate's own playlists (submission page). The page does not say how long a reply takes.

One service looks free but is not. Musosoup says every paid offer "comes with a free option", but a campaign needs a £42 activation fee first (pricing page). It refunds that fee if you get no coverage.

Route 3: Free forms from blogs and curators

Many blogs and playlist brands take music through a free form on their own site. They read what they can and answer few. The odds per pitch are low, but the cost is only the time to fill in the form.

• IndieMono has curated Spotify playlists since 2011 and has a free submission form. It covers indie, pop, electronic and hip-hop lists.
• Music blogs with playlists, such as BIRP!, EARMILK, The Wild Honey Pie and Two Story Melody. Each runs a playlist next to its articles. Read each site's rules before you send, because they change.

Our directory of services with a free path lists every free form we track, with the date we checked it.

Route 4: Email curators directly

Direct email is the most personal free route. It is also the slowest, because you do the research yourself. It works best for small and medium playlists, where one person reads every message.

1. Search Spotify for playlists in your genre. Open 50, and keep the ones whose artists sound like you.
2. Check each one for bots with the five signs in our fake playlist guide. Drop any that fail.
3. Find a contact. Look in the playlist description, the curator's Spotify profile, and their website or social pages.
4. Use a free directory if the trail goes cold. SubmitFinder lists 20,000+ Spotify curator contacts and has a free bot checker (homepage).
5. Write a short, personal email. Use the curator's name and the playlist's name. Say in one line why the song fits. Add one link.
6. Wait a week. Send one follow-up. Then stop.

The four free routes compared

No free route promises a reply. If you need a guaranteed answer, a paid service with a reply rule is the only option. SubmitHub's premium credits, for example, require a reply in 72 hours or the credit comes back.

When free is not really free

Some offers say "free" but take something else. Watch for these four.

• Follow-to-submit gates. The curator asks you to follow the playlist or their profile before they listen. It costs no money, but it rewards follower counts, not fit.
• Free review, paid add. The review is free, but the add costs money. Spotify says services that offer guaranteed placement for money break its terms (Spotify for Artists).
• Free trial with a stored card. Note the date the trial ends, and cancel before it if the service did not help.
• "Free streams" offers. Any offer of free plays in return for a link to your song may use bots. Bot streams earn no royalties.

A four-week free plan

This plan fits one single. It assumes the song is with your distributor at least 4 weeks before release.

1. Week −4: Pitch the song in Spotify for Artists. Build a list of 30 to 50 playlists and blogs that fit.
2. Week −3: Check every playlist on the list for bots. Find a contact for each one that passes.
3. Week −2: Send the free forms and use your SubmitHub standard credits each day.
4. Release week: Email curators directly with the live link. Ask fans to save the song.
5. Week +1: Send one follow-up to each curator who has not answered. Log every reply.
6. Week +4: Read your source of streams in Spotify for Artists. Keep the curators who sent real listeners for the next release.

If free routes do not reach enough curators, compare the paid options in our comparison table before you spend.