How to get music featured on popular unofficial playlists

Learn the essential tips to get your music featured on third-party playlists and boost your audience reach.

by Randi Zimmerman of Symphonic Blog

When it comes to third-party playlists, there are passionate curators out there who have dedicated their lives to finding new music. To help them find you, however… is all a part of the game. It’s up to you to do the work to get your music in front of the right people, but to also set yourself up for success through best practices like these. Look no further, here are some tips to help you improve your chances of getting playlisted.

Optimize Your Profiles

Your artist pages are the first point of contact between you and potential listeners, but also the playlist curators looking to learn more about you. These serve as one of the most important ways to represent your brand and your music at a glance. That’s why it’s absolutely essential to optimize your profiles to showcase what you have to offer to the best of your ability. Ensure that you have a high-quality profile picture and header image that represents your brand. Write a compelling bio that tells your story, and make sure to include links to your social media accounts and website.

Get Verified

Making sure your profile is verified on Spotify is not only super important, but very easy to do. It ensures that your profile is really you and solidifies your commitment to the platform and your artistry. To get verified, all you have to do is claim your profile on Spotify For Artists. To do this, follow these steps:

• Head over to https://artists.spotify.com
• Click Get Access. (Located in the top right corner of the page.)
• Then, you’ll be redirected to a page that will give you the option to either paste your URL or search for your profile.
• Once your request is accepted, your profile gets the blue verified checkmark.

Work On Your Social Presence

Improving your social media presence is a great way to develop a strong and cohesive brand that reflects your music style and personality. Make sure to post regularly to keep your audience engaged, share updates about your music, behind-the-scenes content, upcoming shows, and personal insights. Also use high-quality visual content like music videos, live performances, and rehearsal clips and more to catch attention and enhance your profile.

In addition to posting consistently, try to use interactive features to engage with your audience too. Utilize Instagram Stories, Reels, Facebook Stories, TikTok live streams, etc. to connect with your fans on a deeper level. Engage with your audience by responding to comments and messages, showing appreciation for their support. By doing all of this, you can not only improve your social media presence, but also increase your chances of getting playlisted by showing curators everything you have to offer.

Join Playlist Communities

Joining playlist communities online can significantly boost your chances of getting featured on third-party playlists. Start by finding relevant online forums, social media groups, and platforms where playlist curators, musicians, and music enthusiasts gather. My personal favorite place to do this is Reddit. Users on Reddit are blunt, honest, and sometimes overwhelmingly (and aggressively) passionate, which is good for someone looking for real feedback and advice that isn’t sugar-coated. Once you find communities that fit your needs, engage actively by participating in discussions, providing value, and by avoiding spamming your music links.

The key is to build trust within the community. Once you’ve established yourself as a respected member, now you can begin networking with curators by engaging with their posts and showing genuine interest in their playlists. There’s a huge difference between a curator getting a request to check out music from a total stranger versus a familiar face (or username).

Utilize Third-Party Playlisting Services

Did you know there are services out there built specifically to help you find playlist curators? Platforms like Groover and SubmitHub can get your music in front of the right people, but also help you get feedback and communicate with your new connections. We did a whole article here with a ton of other options, but here are some of my favorites you can check out right now.

Soave Records: If your sound relates more to tropical house, chill electronic, or laid back party vibes, look no further. Soave is all about bringing the masses the finest new electronic music. With playlists like Feel Good Friday, Sunny Chills, and Tropical House Remix, you’re sure to find something that floats your musical boat.

📌 Discover more of their most popular playlists here.

Klangspot: This Spotify playlist managed by Klangspot is updated every Friday giving you a chance to have your tracks listened to by 47,000 fans across 30+ playlist placement opportunities. They’re passionate about supporting DIY and indie artists and aim to give playlist placements to these artists just as much as the “big players.”

📌 Pop in here for a free submission to a playlist of your choosing.

IndieMono: These guys are another one of the biggest independent playlist communities out there. Good thing about this one is they absolutely love breaking out new artists, especially if you have less than 1000 streams. A service like this is great for those of you who are just getting your music out there and could use a boost.

📌 To start submitting, follow this link to give you all the information you need to get featured.

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Only Submit To Playlists That Fit Your Music

If you’re targeting third-party playlists, the best thing you can do is listen to the playlist first and only pitch songs (if any) that truly fit the vibe. All too often, artists will send a link to their Spotify profile expecting the curator to sit there and go through all their songs to find something to feature. With hundreds, sometimes thousands, of submissions a day, they don’t have time for that. It’s up to you to offer something that’s worth featuring. At the end of the day, they’re doing YOU a favor.

Beware of Fraudulent Streaming & Bots

All too often, independent artists fall into the trap of fraudulent services promising to help them make it big. In a world that’s obsessed with stats, it’s understandable why. But the issue runs deeper than just buying streams. Even if you decide to work with a service that claims to be legitimate, they might be using illegal methods you’re trying to avoid.

Buying fake streams (along with many other illegal practices) on major streaming platforms like Spotify is nothing new. As easily as fraudulent users can steal an artist’s music to leech royalties, they can also buy streams from illegal third parties and fake them with bots and click-farms. Of the most common, third parties who promise playlist placements or a specific number of streams in exchange for compensation are likely using illegitimate practices without your knowledge. To learn more about how to avoid scams like these, check out this post.

To wrap things up…

It’s important to note that securing a spot on a popular playlist shouldn’t be a cure all marketing solution. Third-party playlists are simply a useful tool in your arsenal. The key to getting accepted is to do your research before you submit your tracks. Only submit to playlists that your music truly fits into.

One of my final, and possibly most important tips to leave you with… Know your sound and seek out playlists accordingly. Sending your Latin/Pop song to a strictly Hip-Hop playlist isn’t going to cut it. Not only that, but overloading the curator with 20 submissions is just going to annoy them and ruin your chances. Find a happy medium. We suggest not submitting more than 3 songs and to keep your message short and sweet. If you don’t get a response after a month, respectfully try again. Keep your head up; there are endless opportunities to get yourself featured.

Here at Symphonic, we also curate some awesome playlists featuring distributed music by some of the best undiscovered artists. Pitch your track and follow these steps to get featured on one of our own Spotify playlists. We’ve got a ton of playlists to choose from, ranging from Underground House all the way to Latin Alternative. Wherever you submit to, being featured offers a huge deal of exposure to help you reach your highest potential.

Keep your head up; there are endless opportunities to get yourself featured. Good things come to those who wait…. and those who do their research. 😉