How Curators Select Songs for Spotify Playlists

Why is it important to submit to independent curators?

Around 120,000 songs get uploaded to Spotify every single day. 

That’s just over one every second–1.3 to be precise. 

So, it begs the question: how can you get your music heard when you’re competing with so much content? 

The good news is that Spotify brags over 550M users, all with different tastes. This makes it more than likely that there is an audience for you. 

And to help them find you? Playlists.

But there’s a problem. Much like how you endlessly scroll through Netflix to find something to watch, feeling “overwhelmed by choice” can make you want to give up completely. 

That’s why Spotify users turn to trustworthy independent curators to deliver them the best music on offer. 

How do independent curators select songs for their playlists?

So now you know how important it is to get your music on independent curator playlists. But how do you go about it?

Just to remind you, independent playlists are those created outside of Spotify’s editorial team. They’re crafted by individuals who have no affiliation with the platform. Got it? 

Let’s get stuck in. 

Genre / Mood / Theme

Curators have a responsibility to keep their playlists within certain guidelines. 

If a playlist is titled “underground sad folk,” the songs must fit that theme. Luckily, most curators are strict when selecting the music, making the playlists a reliable go-to spot for the right listeners. 

Most curators spend a lot of time working on their playlists–they know exactly what vibe they’re looking for. 

Don’t waste time submitting to a playlist if your music doesn’t align with it. It’s not worth it. 

If you’re unsure what kind of music a playlist contains from the title alone, listen to a few of the songs. If you’ve gone through a few and realise your music doesn’t fit, move on to the next. 

Genres, moods, and themes play a huge role in determining your suitability. You can read more about each in detail here. 

Production quality

Those who have been in the game a while can spot a low-quality track immediately. Most will skip right past it. 

Even if your song perfectly matches the theme, genre, or mood of the playlist, curators don’t want something that sounds unprofessional. 

After all, they have regular listeners who they want to stick around. 

If you’re looking to get added to more playlists, investing in high-fidelity sound mixing and production can help you take that next step. 

Music discovery sources

Every curator has a unique way of discovering music.

While many have ways to contact them through email or social media, most will seek out tracks at the same time. 

⁠The best thing you can do? Make your music accessible on as many platforms as possible. 

Being present on streaming platforms, organic social media, SoundCloud, and YouTube is crucial. And not to mention free. 

Using tools found on websites like DailyPlaylists and utilising paid social media can give you a significant boost in exposure without demanding too much from your wallet. 

Congrats! Your song entered the playlist, now what?

You’ve got on a playlist–good job. But it’s not over yet. 

Now you need to maintain that spot. 

There are things you can do to ensure you keep your spot. 

• Share the playlist with your audience: If you’ve got a decent presence on social media, you can share your success with them. This way you can also encourage some engagement with the playlist itself. 

• Interact with the curator: Establishing a relationship with the curator means you’re more likely to remain part of the playlist. Or, be added to another playlist by the same curator. 

• Keep track of the curators who have accepted you: If you’ve been lucky enough to be accepted by several curators, keep them in your consciousness and check in with them now and again. Popping up in their inboxes solidifies your place in their mind. Showing your appreciation will never go amiss. 

So you know why and how but what should you do now?

To get you started with playlisting, you’ve got a few options.

DailyPlaylists has a wide collection of tools for artists. We do the hard work for you by vetting curators and compiling them all in one place for you to peruse. 

You can use both free and Premium credits to send your music to them. How easy is that? 

If that’s not your bag, you can search through Spotify and type “@gmail,” for example, to generate a list of contactable playlists. Then, you can work your way through and find the most suitable ones. 

Which method will you take on?