Spotify’s Playlist Submission Tool is available for artists and their teams to submit marketing and promotion information about their releases to Spotify’s global editorial team for playlist consideration.
The tool aims to streamline the pitching process for submitting unreleased songs to Spotify’s playlist curators, making it easier for them to discover new music and build the best possible playlists on the platform. It’s super important that artists and their teams submit their track through the tool via Spotify for Artists at least 7 days in advance of release day.
Note: For more information about accessing Spotify for Artists, read our Knowledge Base article here.
Please keep the following best practices in mind while using Spotify’s Playlist Submission Tool:
Timing is of the essence
You must submit your upcoming release through Spotify’s Playlist Submission Tool at least 7 days before your scheduled release date. Doing so ensures your track populates in your followers' Release Radar playlists on release week and for the few weeks following.
Note: Tracks can appear in Release Radar up to 28 days after release day.
It’s important to keep in mind that your release must be successfully delivered to Spotify first in order to locate the track in Spotify for Artists. Please upload your release to AWAL with our 4 week lead time in mind to ensure we can approve & deliver your release well in advance of Spotify’s deadline.
See our Knowledge Base article here for more details on monitoring delivery to Spotify.
Note: Please get in touch with us if you see your track has been delivered but you are unable to view the release on Spotify for Artists.
Choose the right track
You can only submit one unreleased track per artist through the Playlist Tool at any time, so if you’re releasing multiple products as part of your release plan (for example, 2 singles leading up to an EP) you should submit the most imminent release through the tool first. Once that release goes live, you can submit your next release and so on.
Tip: Make sure to allow for more than 7 days between releases to make sure you have time to submit the latest release after the previous one goes live and in line with Spotify’s required timeframe.
If your release is a single, you’ll be submitting market drivers and information related directly to that track. However, if your upcoming release is an EP or album, you’ll need to select one focus track that best represents you as an artist, your release, and the most tailored for the market.
Tip: It’s best practice to select a focus track that you have not already pitched through the Playlist Tool previously.
Pick the correct main genre & subgenres for your release
You’ll be asked to input some of your release’s metadata in the Tool, starting with the genre. Select one main genre and up to three subgenres when prompted. The subgenres will change according to the main genre you select, for example:
It’s best practice to ensure the primary/main genre you input here also matches what you uploaded with your release.
Tip: With all of the options available, we encourage you to tag additional subgenres where possible to widen the scope of potential genre-based playlists your track can get placed on.
Complete All Optional Fields
There are a few fields in Spotify’s Tool that are not required to complete the submission, however we strongly recommend you complete these sections with every pitch submission:
- Music Cultures: You will be able to select up to three music cultures that cover music language, cultural influence and the location where you created your release within Spotify’s Playlist Tool. These selections can help to distinguish your track for editors around the globe who are searching for tracks in a particular market to include in territory or mood focused playlists.
- Moods & Song Styles: You will have the option to include up to two moods and two song styles with your Playlist Tool submission. Moods & styles can give editors indicators that help them place your track on mood-based playlists, such as ‘Confidence Boost’ or ‘All the Feels’.
- Instruments: We advise you to fill in this optional section to help your song stand out from other submissions, particularly if you are using unique instruments like the Djembe or Ukulele. These instruments offer distinct sounds & styles that could increase the chance of your track surfacing to an editor as they put together playlists with a specific theme or with other tracks using the same instruments.
- In this section, you also must specify if your release is a cover, a remix, or an instrumental and whether it was recorded live or in studio.
Verify your artist profile is optimized and social media platforms are linked
On the third page of the submission, you will see a replica of what editors will see of your profile which includes: social media links, monthly listeners, and top cities. In this section, you can verify your social handles are linked properly.
Note: If your social media pages are not already linked, you’ll need to add them in the Spotify for Artists Dashboard. You cannot add social media handles in the Playlist Tool.
It's important that your social handles are correct not only so your fans can connect with you, but also so editors can gain an understanding of your audience as well as your off-platform activities.
Tip: Take a look at our article about Optimizing Your Spotify Profile for more guidance on editing your artist page.
Select A City You Associate With
This section should be used to pick your home city, a city you connect with deeply, or even where you believe to have a large audience. It can help editors understand your targets a bit more. (This selection is a guiding point, but will not limit the reach of your release with editors).
Tip: If you’re having a hard time selecting a particular city, take a look at your top cities on Spotify, which are visible in the Playlist Tool right below your social media handles. This could be a good way to inform your selection on this section of the Playlist Tool.
Describe your song
Here you can tell editors anything else you would like them to know about your release in 500 characters or less. It’s really important you utilize this section for every Playlist Tool submission as it's the only place you’re given space to freely customize & share information about you, your inspirations, and your release. It gives the editors an even better understanding of your release and journey as an artist.
You should focus on communicating your off-platform marketing drivers here that are not otherwise present in the Tool such as: radio support, online and press pick up, touring information, and more. This is a space to share more unique information about your track with the editorial teams at Spotify and encourage them to take time to listen.
Review your pitch
Before submitting your pitch, you’ll have the possibility to review it. Please take this time to review all the information you included in your pitch to verify accuracy as well as to ensure you’ve not forgotten anything.
Update your submission (when relevant!)
Once your unreleased song is submitted, you’ll have up to the day before the scheduled release date to edit or withdraw your information. Don’t forget to update your submission if any notable marketing drivers come in after your initial submission!
We've pulled together some expert advice on how best you can work with AWAL and the streaming partners to secure editorial support in this AWAL Academy Video: Q&A on Playlisting & Editorial Support with Sam Potts (VP Promotions at AWAL)