Three kinds of Spotify playlist
Spotify describes three kinds of playlist: those made by its editors, those made by its algorithms for each listener, and those made by listeners themselves. Each is reached a different way.
| Kind | Who makes it | How your music gets in |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial | Spotify's editors, who specialise in genres, lifestyles and cultures | A pitch from Spotify for Artists, before release |
| Personalised (algorithmic) | Spotify's algorithms, a different version for each listener: Discover Weekly, Release Radar, mixes | Real listening: plays, saves, playlist adds and follows |
| Listener | Fans, curators and other artists | People finding your music and adding it themselves |
Personalised playlists usually carry a "Made for" byline with the listener's name. There is no way to apply to them.
Pitching to Spotify's editors
Editorial pitching happens in Spotify for Artists, Spotify's free app for artists and their teams. Once your distributor has delivered an upcoming release, it shows there and you can pitch one song from it. Spotify's rules:
- Only unreleased songs can be pitched. Once a song is live, it can no longer be pitched.
- One song at a time. When the pitched song goes live, you can pitch another.
- Compilations, and songs on which you are only the featured artist, cannot be pitched.
- Deliver your music at least seven days before release, so the editors have time to listen.
- You can edit the pitch up to release day, but the editors may not see the changes.
- A pitch does not guarantee a place, and the editors may pick a different song from the release.
Fill in the form fully. Spotify's own advice is that more detail gives a song a better chance. Anyone on the artist's Spotify for Artists team with Admin or Editor access can write and edit the pitch.
Release Radar: the one playlist a pitch secures
A song pitched at least seven days before release goes into your followers' Release Radar, the personalised playlist of new music that updates every Friday. It is the one playlist result you control. If you do not pitch, Spotify chooses which song from the release your followers get. Spotify's rules for Release Radar:
- Each listener gets one song per artist per week
- A song stays for up to four weeks if the listener has not heard it
- Songs where you are the main or featured artist are included; songs where you are only the remixer are not
- Re-releases of songs already on Spotify, Various Artists releases and some alternative versions (acoustic, karaoke, live) are left out
- Remixes are included
Release Radar goes to your followers, so every follower you gain before release day is someone it reaches. And because re-releases are left out, save your pitch for new music.
Algorithmic playlists: earned through listening
Discover Weekly, the mixes and the other personalised playlists are built for each listener by Spotify's algorithms. Spotify says they look at what a person listens to and when, which songs they add to their playlists, and the habits of people with similar taste. For some of them, editors choose the pool of songs the algorithm picks from.
There is no form for these. What you can do is bring real listeners to your music and give them reasons to save it:
- Point fans straight to the track on release day, rather than to your profile in general
- Ask listeners to follow you and save the song, not just play it
- Encourage fans to add it to their own playlists, which Spotify says tells it what they like and what to recommend
- Complete your profile with a picture, a bio and links, so new listeners who arrive stay
- Release regularly, so Release Radar has something new to send your followers
Listener playlists and curators
Listeners have made millions of playlists on Spotify. Spotify says they show how your music resonates and can influence other playlists. Genuine curators, such as bloggers, radio hosts, other artists and fans, add music because they like it. Approach them the way you would approach press: a short personal message, a link to the track, and no payment for a place.
Be wary of services that charge for a place, or just to be "considered". Spotify warns that some of them use bots, and says charging to be considered for a playlist is against its terms.
What not to do: bought streams and paid placements
Spotify strictly prohibits third-party services that promise streams or playlist placements for money. Many of them use bots to play a song on repeat. When Spotify detects artificial streams:
- Those streams earn no royalties
- They do not count towards public stream numbers or charts
- They do not help the song in recommendations
- Depending on how serious it is, the song can be removed from Spotify playlists, or from Spotify altogether
Since 1 April 2024 Spotify also charges labels and distributors per track when it finds flagrant artificial streaming on their content, and a distributor may warn you, charge a penalty fee, suspend the account or remove the music. Spotify also asks artists to discourage coordinated looping by fans, such as using extra accounts to stream one track. The full policy is on Spotify's artificial streaming page.
Bots sometimes add songs to playlists without the artist knowing. If you see a sudden spike from a place your music has never been played, or a spike followed by a sharp drop, tell your distributor straight away and name any promotion service you have used. That is what Spotify asks.
Timing your release for playlists
Most missed playlist chances come down to timing. Set your release date two to three weeks ahead, so that:
- Your distributor delivers in good time. TempoDigital delivers approved releases within 24 hours.
- The release appears in Spotify for Artists as upcoming, ready to pitch.
- You pitch at least seven days before release day, earlier if you can.
- Every other store goes live on the same day.
The full timeline, from finished master to the weeks after release, is in our music release checklist.