Spotify Releases Playlist Pitching Feature
Everyone knows that the key to streaming success today is getting placement on a key playlist, especially on Spotify. While this might have been easier to accomplish a few years ago, it’s now become increasingly more difficult, thanks to the fact that playlist curators are overloaded with submissions. This has even to a new type of promoter that will pitch your song with an increased chance of a placement, but for a fee (some call this “playola”). Spotify has recognized the problem and has launched a new beta program designed to make it easier to get your songs in front of its playlist curators.
The new feature is part of its Spotify for Artists and Spotify Analytics tools, but remember that its not yet a finished product as the company is still tweaking it while in beta.
If you’re an artist, label or manager with access to these tools, you’ll be able to choose one song (and only one!) to submit. That said, the company wants as much info as possible to help with its selections, as indicated by this statement:
“It’s important to give us as much information about the track as possible — genre, mood, and other data points all help us make decisions about where it may fit. You can note the instruments on it, whether it’s a cover, and the cultures you or the song belong to. The data you share will be complemented by what we already know about you — what else your fans listen to, what other playlists you’ve appeared on, etc. Editors will be searching through submissions based on the information you share to find unreleased music to consider for their playlists.”
Spotify actually has an ulterior motive for this tool. Yes, it wants indie submissions and more new undiscovered music on its playlists, but it also wants to increase the amount of meta included on the songs in its library, something that’s previously been a problem for all involved.
There’s more though. According to the company’s release, “For example, as long as you tag and submit your track seven days in advance, the song you select will automatically appear in every one of your followers’ Release Radar playlists. This way you have control over which single you’re promoting to your fans.”
It’s too early to tell just how well this new feature works, or if Spotify’s editors will face an impossible task of wading through submissions, but it’s a step in the right direction.
