Pitching to Spotify Playlist Editors

[HoboSage]

I apologize if I posted this question of the wrong forum board.  Please feel free to move it elsewhere.

 

So, for a nobody like me, is it really worth it to pitch releases to Spotify's playlist editors?  I have so many songs to release, and you can only pitch one at a time to Spotify editors.  And yes, I realize this question likely begs the more fundamental question, "For a nobody like me, are releases to Spotify even worth it?"   

 

Thanks,

Dave

Edited November 20, 2022 by HoboSage

[Peggy]

Do you have a Spotify for Artists account? 

 

These articles, from Spotify are a good start, in case you haven't seen them. 

 

https://artists.spotify.com/en/help/article/pitching-music-to-playlist-editors

 

https://artists.spotify.com/en/playlisting

https://artists.spotify.com/blog/behind-the-playlists-your-questions-answered-by-our-playlist-editors

 

I have a meeting in a bit but will get back about my thoughts on your questions. 

[john]

Hi David

 

It can be worth it, but if your social following is low, it is unlikely. The lower your numbers, the less likely. I am sure you’ve noticed, the music industry (entertainments overall) runs on a currency of list numbers. Far from a complete list, but… How many fans. How many listeners. How many streams. How many downloads. How many likes. How many shares. How many comments, and the big daddy, how many units sold.

 

To get numbers, you need numbers. It also gets easier where you have significant positive trend numbers. That means measures and tracking.

 

Like everything else, if you treat Spotify as something in isolation, you really hobble yourself. Individual assets and platforms work best when working within an overall strategy with integrated tactics designed to work together in coordination.

 

So, it’s a good idea to have a release process and a release strategy, with a promotion tactic that, if Spotify is your focus, promotes your Spotify tracks and playlist placements. It’s also a good idea that your other assets and tactics work with this approach by coordinating efforts and timing.

 

If your primary purpose at this stage is to build a listener base then a release strategy is a good idea, backed up with a release process and marketing plan (even a very simple one). At it’s simplest you try to create a “staircase” of fans (listeners tend to be more a pattern of mounds), where each release causes the rise. The reality is not exactly a staircase, but it is close enough. It only functions like a staircase if you have a way of retaining fans. With no method of retention the fan graph more resembles half a single heartbeat scan with no climb in numbers over time, just blips at the time of release, just like the listener “mounds”.

 

You might wonder, “why bother, I just want Spotify listeners”… assuming you want your listener base to grow over time, without a significantly increasing budget, then ideally you want each release to be heard by (at a minimum):

 

those who liked previous releases + new audience

 

There’s a lot more to it, but you get the idea.

 

If you want a growing listener base, then you need to be engaging those who already like your music and new audiences. Sadly, ceding control of that to Spotify is a bad idea. You want as much control of it as you possibly can… so that means engaging with listeners and fans outside of Spotify, using social media, blogs, forums… and top of the pile, email.

 

It’s quite a bit to set up and coordinate for just Spotify.

 

I am sure you have a bunch of songs… but I would advise against large dumps of songs at one time. Get the benefit out of each song before releasing the next. There are arguments about EP and album formats… but for me they still make sense. They still make sense for the music industry as a whole. Even when they release track after track, they still pull together longer play formats.

 

Getting this stuff put in place is worth the delay… though that only works if you put time into it! Not a simple answer, I know.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Cheers

 

John

[HoboSage]

Thanks, John.  That all makes sense.