There are three kinds of playlists on Spotify:
User-generated playlists,
Algorithmic playlists,
And editorial playlists,
Algorithmic and editorial playlists, which belong to Spotify, are the most streamed playlists and are the most desirable playlists for artists to place their songs in.
To get to the editorial playlists, you’ll need to climb your way from the user-generated playlists to the algorithmic playlists, and from there to the editorial playlists, which are currently every artist's dream.
Spotify's algorithms power playlists that can expose artists' work to fresh ears. Landing a spot can enable music discovery by new fans based on their preferences.
Thus, scoring a seat on a popular algorithmic playlist may grow an artist's profile and increase their chances of being found by more listeners.
If a song takes off on a trendy playlist, it may go viral and get heard by far bigger crowds. This traction can drive streams, attention, and potentially mainstream notoriety.
These playlists are powered by Spotify algorithm and are personalized to each user's tastes, crafting a personal "radio station." Here are some examples:
Discover Weekly Playlist: Updated Mondays blends newer songs with familiar artists based on the listener history and playlists.
Daily Mix: Updated daily and combines the listener's favourite songs alongside recommendations for newer songs.
Release Radar Playlist: Updated Friday - Surfaces new releases from preferred artists and comparable ones the system expects you'll enjoy.
Your Library: Highlights both past-liked and saved songs while mixing in new cuts from top artists.
On Repeat Playlist: Focuses on tracks listened to on loop, along with comparable songs overlapping with preferred styles.
Repeat Rewind Playlist: Reintroduces older favorites crossed with thematically linked picks.
Time Capsule: Draws music from a listener's youth to spark nostalgia, derived from age and past habits.
Spotify Radio: Allows DIY playlists generated from a chosen song, performer, or genre as the foundation. Then similar options flow endlessly based on feedback. Fantastic for finding related emerging talent!
Spotify is continuously creating other algorithmic playlists. But how does the algorithm system work?
Spotify constructed its algorithms to suggest music that aligns with each user's distinct tastes, favorites, and listening patterns.
Algorithms parse data from vast swaths of listeners to identify meaningful patterns and formulate tailored recommendations.
For example, if a significant portion of Artist A fans also tends to enjoy Genre Z, the system leverages this correlation to put forward comparable music suggestions to Spotify users, showcasing parallel behaviours.
Furthermore, algorithms implement natural language processing to evaluate song metadata, including titles, performer names, genre tags, and more. This empowers the technology to comprehend context and semantic significance, critical for robust recommendations.
As people engage with Spotify, algorithms ingest swelling data volumes to iteratively refine suggestions over time. So the more one utilizes the platform, the more attuned and relevant playlists become on an individual basis.
Additionally, algorithms track listener interactions, including skip rate, playlist additions, etc. This reveals how well recommendations resonate to shape future picks accordingly.
Spotify fuses data science with an ever-expanding musical lexicon to craft an adaptable, personalized journey. The further algorithms probe both macro and micro listening patterns, the better they curate playlists that cater to unique tastes.
Placement hinges on a track’s momentum, genre, and listener engagement. So the specific streams needed before algorithms detect a song can fluctuate substantially.
Industry chatter suggests new songs typically require at least a few thousand listens quickly to get on Spotify’s radar, with 5,000–10,000 streams in the first week or two after release boosting visibility.
Importantly, though, algorithms evaluate user interaction, likes, artist follow, playlist fit, target demographics, etc. So concentrate on engrossing fans and engaging listeners to better your odds.
Here are some tips to increase your algorithmic playlist eligibility once your song is ready on Spotify:
1. The first thing you need to do: Submit through Spotify for artists: Leverage your artist profile to directly pitch tracks to Spotify’s editorial squad. Furnish ample context, like genre, vibe, and inspirations, within your submission.
2. Get on as many playlists as possible. There are two ways to get your new music on Spotify playlists.
You can do your data search, find playlists that are suitable for your music genre,
For example, if you’re into hip-hop music, browse Spotify for hip-hop playlists and find playlists that are user-generated playlists, meaning they are managed by curators that are not working on Spotify. The best way to recognize them is by looking at the playlist image and seeing if there’s a Spotify icon on the upper left corner of the image. If you can spot the Spotify icon, this means it’s an editorial or algorithmic playlist curator by Spotify, and you cannot submit your music to the playlist curator. The ones you need to find are the playlists without the icon.
Next, figure out who manages and curates the playlist, and try to find his contact information online. Use Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube information to figure out how you can reach the curator. Once you’ve set up your personal list with the playlist curators that fit your music genre, reach out to them. Don’t be too pushy, and try to be polite. Try to listen to their playlists before you contact them, and if you find their playlists to be enjoyable, share them on your intro mail. This vote of support sometimes does magic and shows your appreciation for the curator’s work.
Bear in mind that these curators receive a lot of music requests every day, and it’s hard for them to respond to every request.
This method requires time and working with an organized Excel sheet, and the bigger the list you have, the greater the chances you’ll land some playlist placements. It’s a method that fits artists with some spare time on their hands.
Some of the playlist owners might request payment for adding your song to their playlist.
You should avoid them at all costs. Not only are they violating Spotify’s terms, but most likely they are bot playlists that will not generate your song any streams at all.
You should also do some research on how to identify a fake playlist; there's a lot to learn there.
You can use a music submission service like One Submit to speed things up. One Submit can submit music to Spotify playlists and generate many organic streams in a short time.
One Submit allows you to submit music to Spotify playlists, music blogs, TikTok creators (with up to 4.8 million followers), online radio stations, music blogs, and labels. All submissions are within your chosen music genre.
Unlike the previous option, every submission receives a written review from the curator, and if they like your music, they will add it to their playlist. If you don’t receive any response, you will receive your money back for the specific submission.
It’s a method that saves valuable time for the artist and smoothly sends your music to the right curators, but time is money, and you’ll have to pay for using their service or any other legit service. Check out the best Spotify promotion services out there.
Bear in mind, there’s no magic here; your music needs to be top-notch in terms of production, songwriting, mixing, and mastering. That applies to both of the music submission methods mentioned here.
Simultaneously, create a social paid campaign on Instagram and Facebook to attract new listeners, potential fans, and new followers. There are a lot of videos on YouTube explaining how to create a campaign for your song.
Build the Spotify community: Create your own playlists featuring your song alongside complementary artists. Promote these to swell followers and establish your niche. Cross-collaborate with genre peers too.
Now setting sights on Spotify's editorial playlists becomes the next milestone; these can truly ignite mainstream success for independent artists and expose you to a massive crowd. Editorial playlists are the holy grail of every artist, and they could really change your career for the better. Here's an example of an editorial playlist:
You can read more about Spotify playlist submission here.
For any musician, scoring spots on either algorithmic or editorial Spotify playlists should be their main target. The path to trigger this treasured placement requires swiftly amassing genuine streams—ideally 5,000+ in the first couple weeks post-release—fueled by user-generated playlists.
Additionally, maintaining a consistent output of releases improves your odds of getting on these playlists with each new track. So the more frequently you drop songs, the more rolls of the dice you get.
In closing, leverage algorithmic playlists as stepping stones to ascend into the world of editorial playlists and accelerate your music career into the stratosphere. committed persistence and delivering irresistible songs paves this path to streaming glory. Now get out there and start engaging new fans!
I am Marcus, a music enthusiast who runs a mixing and mastering business. Additionally, I compose insightful articles for my blog and produce music as a member of the techno duo Agravik.
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