In the ever-evolving landscape of the music industry, getting your music heard by the right audience can be a daunting task. With the rise of streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube, playlist placements have become a crucial avenue for artists to gain exposure and grow their fanbase. However, navigating the world of playlist curators and submission processes can be overwhelming, especially for independent artists.
To help you cut through the noise and find the best opportunities for your music, we’ve compiled a list of the top 11 playlist curators to submit your tracks to. These curators are known for their influence, reach, and dedication to promoting new music across various genres. Whether you’re an emerging artist looking to make your mark or an established musician seeking to expand your audience, these playlist curators offer valuable platforms to showcase your talent.
1. Playlist Curator
Playlist Curator is a prominent online platform dedicated to curating and distributing music playlists across major streaming services such as Spotify, YouTube Music, and SoundCloud.
Known for its diverse and meticulously crafted playlists, Playlist Curator caters to a wide range of themes and moods, making it a go-to destination for music enthusiasts looking to discover new tunes. The platform features curated playlists that span various genres and topics, from love and life to resilience and adventure, ensuring there is something for everyone.
Additionally, Playlist Curator offers artists the opportunity to submit their music for consideration, providing a valuable avenue for exposure.
How It Works
Playlist Curator operates by carefully selecting and organizing music into themed playlists that are then made available on popular streaming platforms. The process begins with the curation team, which listens to a vast array of songs to identify tracks that fit the specific themes and quality standards of their playlists.
Artists can submit their music to Playlist Curator through an online form available on the platform’s website. Each submission is reviewed meticulously, with the curators assessing the song’s alignment with the playlist’s theme and its overall quality.
Once a song is selected, it is added to the appropriate playlist, which is then updated on the streaming platforms. Users can easily access these playlists on Spotify, YouTube Music, and SoundCloud, and they have the option to bookmark their favorite playlists by registering an account on the Playlist Curator website. This feature allows users to save and revisit their preferred playlists at any time, enhancing their listening experience .
2. Indiemono
Indiemono is a platform dedicated to helping independent artists get their music heard by a wider audience. It offers a free submission system for artists to get their tracks included in various Spotify playlists curated by Indiemono and its partners.
How It Works
Indiemono operates a straightforward and user-friendly submission process. Artists can submit their music through the Indiemono website by selecting a genre box that best fits their track. This categorization helps the curators to listen to similar types of music in one go, making the process more efficient.
Once submitted, the tracks are reviewed by Indiemono’s team, who then decide whether to include them in their playlists. The platform does not provide feedback on submissions due to the high volume of music they receive, but artists can track their playlist placements through Spotify for Artists. Indiemono also offers additional services like digital distribution and co-releasing music with partner brands, providing a comprehensive support system for independent musicians.
3. iMusician
iMusician is a digital music distributor that helps independent artists sell, manage, and monetize their music across a wide range of streaming platforms and download shops worldwide. It also offers various promotional tools to help artists optimize their releases and reach new audiences.
How It Works
iMusician provides a 360° service for artists, from digital distribution to promotional support. Artists can distribute their music to platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer by paying a one-time fee, ensuring their music remains online indefinitely without annual charges. iMusician also offers tools like the Artist Hub, which helps artists create a centralized page for their music, social media profiles, and event listings.
Additionally, the platform provides online instant mastering and music analytics tools to help artists understand their audience and improve their music. iMusician’s mission is to offer fair access to the music industry for all artists, regardless of their genre or level of development.
4. Soundplate
Soundplate is a London-based record label and music technology company that offers a range of marketing tools and resources for music artists and record labels. It helps artists reach playlist curators and better market their music through various innovative tools.
How It Works
Soundplate provides several tools designed to help artists grow their fanbase and increase their music’s reach. One of the key tools is Soundplate Clicks, which allows users to create smart links for their music, helping to increase streams, sales, and gig ticket sales.
Artists can also use Play.Soundplate to submit their music to hundreds of Spotify and Deezer playlists for free. Other tools include Music Visualizers for creating animated videos, Cover.Soundplate for creating cover artwork, and a job board for music industry opportunities.
Soundplate acts more as a marketplace, providing opportunities for artists to submit their music to curators, who then decide whether to include the tracks in their playlists.
5. Daily Playlists
Daily Playlists is a music curation platform that helps artists promote their music by connecting them with playlist curators. It offers both free and premium submission options, making it accessible for artists with different budgets.
How It Works
Daily Playlists allows artists to submit their music to a vast network of playlist curators. The platform boasts over 18,000 active playlists and 3,800 curators. Artists can use the free submission option to pitch their music to curators, although the premium version offers additional features like automatic submissions and better targeting.
The platform also provides a dashboard where artists can manage their submissions, review campaign insights, and connect with their Mailchimp account to build mailing lists. Daily Playlists also offers fan engagement tools like custom contest landing pages to help artists connect with their audience and drive engagement.
6. MySphera
MySphera is a freemium Spotify playlisting service that pairs artists with curators to help promote their music. The platform focuses on matching songs with tastemakers who can organically advocate for the music.
How It Works
MySphera operates by using an algorithm to match songs with over 450 tastemakers, including playlist curators, bloggers, streamers, and brand owners. Artists can submit their tracks for free through a curator contact form or opt for a paid campaign, which offers a broader reach and additional features like weekly updates and social media promotion. The platform emphasizes organic promotion, aiming to create genuine connections between artists and tastemakers.
MySphera’s campaigns can result in playlist placements, social media mentions, video interviews, and blog posts, providing a comprehensive promotional strategy for artists. The platform also offers insights and feedback to help artists understand the impact of their campaigns and improve their promotional efforts.
7. Boost Collective
Boost Collective is an all-in-one music distribution and promotion platform that offers free unlimited music releases and a suite of additional marketing services, including Spotify playlist promotion.
How It Works
Boost Collective distributes music to over 150 stores like Spotify and Apple Music at no upfront cost. Artists can then use credits earned from their releases to access various promotional services on the platform.
One of the key services is Spotify playlist promotion, where Boost Collective owns and actively manages a network of ad-driven playlists. Artists can submit their songs to be considered for these playlists, with the streams generated from real users through targeted advertising.
The platform uses an automated system to match songs with relevant playlists based on genre and other criteria. Artists can choose from different pricing plans, with the number of potential playlist placements and expected streams varying accordingly.
8. SpinGrey
SpinGrey is a music promotion company that specializes in Spotify playlist pitching and campaign management.
How It Works
SpinGrey offers customized Spotify playlist promotion campaigns tailored to an artist’s genre, budget, and goals. Their team manually pitches songs to a curated network of Spotify playlist curators who have been vetted for authenticity and engagement.
The process begins with an artist submitting their song and providing details about their target audience and desired outcomes. SpinGrey then creates a personalized campaign strategy, identifying the most relevant playlists and curators to pitch the song to.
Throughout the campaign, SpinGrey’s team communicates directly with the curators, negotiating placements and providing regular updates to the artist. Detailed reports are provided at the end of the campaign, including playlist placements, stream counts, and other metrics.
9. For the Love of Bands
For the Love of Bands is an online music blog and indie music platform that features music reviews, playlists, and industry tips.
How It Works
While not primarily a playlist promotion service, For the Love of Bands maintains a network of Spotify playlists curated by their team of music enthusiasts and writers.
Independent artists can submit their music to For the Love of Bands for consideration to be featured on their blog, in their playlists, or in their monthly music contests. The submission process is typically free, and the team selects songs based on their quality and fit with the blog’s focus on indie, rock, folk, and alternative genres.
If an artist’s song is selected, it may be added to one or more of For the Love of Bands’ Spotify playlists, potentially exposing the artist to the blog’s dedicated audience of music fans.
10. SubmitHub
SubmitHub is a popular music submission platform that connects artists with music bloggers, Spotify playlist curators, and other influencers for potential promotion and coverage.
How It Works
Artists can create an account on SubmitHub and upload their music. They can then browse through a vast network of curators, including bloggers, Spotify playlisters, YouTube channels, and more, filtering them by genre, mood, and other criteria.
To submit their music to a curator, artists must use “credits” – either free standard credits or paid premium credits. Curators receive the submissions and have a set time to review the music, providing feedback and deciding whether to accept or reject the submission.
If a curator accepts a submission, they will share the artist’s music on their platform (e.g., blog, Spotify playlist, YouTube channel) and communicate directly with the artist about the coverage details.
11. Playlist Push
Playlist Push is a music promotion service that specializes in getting songs placed on Spotify playlists and featured in TikTok videos by influencers and creators.
How It Works
Artists can create a campaign on Playlist Push by submitting their song and selecting a pricing plan based on their budget and desired reach. Playlist Push then utilizes an AI-powered algorithm to match the song with relevant Spotify playlist curators and TikTok creators within their network.
For Spotify promotion, Playlist Push has a rigorous vetting process to ensure that the curators in their network have authentic engagement and provide thoughtful reviews of submitted songs. Curators are paid to listen to and review songs, deciding whether to add them to their playlists or not.
For TikTok promotion, Playlist Push connects artists with verified TikTok creators and influencers, who create videos featuring the artist’s song. The videos are then shared on the creators’ accounts, potentially exposing the music to a large audience.
Throughout the campaign, artists can access detailed analytics and placement data through Playlist Push’s reporting dashboard.
