In the ever-evolving music industry, getting your tracks heard by a wider audience can be a daunting task for independent artists. One of the most effective ways to boost your visibility and increase your streams is by getting your music featured on popular playlists. Playlist curators play a crucial role in this process, as they have the power to introduce your music to new listeners and potential fans.
In this article, we will explore the 10 best playlist curators to submit your music to, offering a detailed overview of each curator and how their submission process works.
Whether you’re an emerging artist looking to make your mark or an established musician aiming to expand your reach, these playlist curators can help you achieve your promotional goals.
1. Playlist Curator
Playlist Curator is a leading online platform dedicated to curating and distributing music playlists across major streaming services such as Spotify, YouTube Music, and SoundCloud. Known for its diverse and meticulously curated playlists, Playlist Curator caters to various moods, occasions, and themes. The platform is a go-to destination for music enthusiasts looking to discover new tunes and for artists aiming to get their music heard by a broader audience.
Playlist Curator operates by carefully selecting and organizing songs into themed playlists that resonate with listeners. The process begins with the submission of music by artists. Musicians can submit their tracks to Playlist Curator through a form available on the Playlist Curator website. Each submission is reviewed rigorously against a set of criteria to ensure it aligns with the playlist’s theme and maintains a high standard of quality.
The platform receives hundreds of submissions monthly, and while not every song makes the cut, those that do are featured in playlists that span a wide array of genres and themes. Some of the popular themes include “Songs About True Love,” “Songs About Soulmates,” “Songs About Trust And Honesty,” and “Songs About The Sun And Sunshine” among many others. This ensures that there is something for everyone, whether they are looking for love songs, party anthems, or chill vibes.
2. Indiemono
Indiemono is an independent music curation platform with a significant presence on Spotify, boasting over 3 million playlist followers across more than 100 actively curated playlists. They pride themselves on their commitment to supporting independent artists and maintaining high curation standards.
Indiemono operates a free submission system where artists can submit their music for consideration in various playlists. They categorize submissions based on genres and moods, allowing artists to target specific playlist bundles. Once submitted, songs are added to a private playlist where curators listen and evaluate them. Indiemono emphasizes that they do not sell placements or accept payments for inclusion in playlists, maintaining the integrity of their curation process.
3. Daily Playlists
Daily Playlists is a music promotion and marketing platform designed for independent artists and music curators. It boasts over 3 million approved submissions, 18,000 active playlists, and 3,000 active curators.
Artists can submit their music to thousands of curators for free using Daily Playlists. The platform offers two subscription tiers: a free tier and an Artist Pro tier. Users receive a weekly allotment of Standard credits for submissions to Standard playlists. Premium credits can be purchased for submissions to Premium curators, guaranteeing feedback if a track is not accepted. Daily Playlists also provides features like automatic submissions, contest hosting, and integration with mailing list services.
4. SubmitHub
SubmitHub is a widely-used platform that connects artists with music blogs, playlist curators, record labels, and social media influencers.
Artists can submit their music to a variety of curators on SubmitHub. The platform offers both free and premium submissions. Premium submissions guarantee a response from curators within a specified timeframe. Curators on SubmitHub include blogs, playlists, YouTube channels, and record labels. The platform provides transparency in the submission process and allows artists to target curators based on their preferences and genre focus.
5. Playlist Push
Playlist Push is a platform that connects artists with Spotify playlist curators, offering a way for artists to get their music on popular playlists and for curators to monetize their playlists.
How It Works:
Artists can submit their music to Playlist Push, where it will be distributed to relevant curators based on genre and style. Curators on the platform are required to have playlists with a significant number of real, organic followers. They are paid to review submitted music and decide whether to add it to their playlists. Curators can earn up to $15 per song review, depending on their playlist’s listener count and activity level. Playlist Push emphasizes that curators are not required or incentivized to add songs, maintaining the integrity of the curation process.
6. Rizing Playlists
Rizing Playlists is a platform focused on helping artists discover new music and reach new audiences through playlist curation.
Artists can submit their music to Rizing Playlists for consideration. The platform’s editorial team reviews submitted tracks, and if approved, the artist is notified via email. Rizing Playlists emphasizes that they adhere strictly to Spotify’s and other DSPs’ terms and conditions, avoiding any form of payola or direct paid placements. They encourage artists to familiarize themselves with the tracks on their playlists before submitting to ensure a good fit. The platform allows submissions of both new and older tracks, but they generally prefer fresh music.
7. iMusician
iMusician is a comprehensive music distribution and promotion platform that offers playlist submission services to help independent artists gain exposure on Spotify and other streaming platforms.
iMusician provides a straightforward process for submitting music to playlists. Artists can start by creating an account on their website and uploading their tracks. Once the music is in their system, artists can access iMusician’s free Spotify playlist submission page. Here, they can select their track’s genre to see appropriate playlists for submission.
The platform allows artists to preview tracks on each playlist before submitting, ensuring a good fit. iMusician also encourages artists to build their own playlist curator contact list, providing tips on how to find and approach curators directly. This approach gives artists access to a wider pool of playlists and puts them in direct contact with influential curators and labels.
8. For the Love of Bands
For the Love of Bands (FTLOB) is a music blog and playlist curation service focused on promoting independent artists across various genres, with a particular emphasis on alternative, indie, rock, and folk music.
FTLOB offers free music submission to their Spotify playlists through their website. Artists can choose from different submission options, including a regular free submission or priority options that involve purchasing merchandise, making a donation, or engaging with their content.
The platform also allows submissions for blog reviews and features on their TikTok account. FTLOB curates playlists on multiple platforms beyond Spotify, including Deezer, YouTube, and SoundCloud. They have specific guidelines for submissions, such as track age requirements for different playlists, and they focus on certain genres while excluding others like hip-hop, rap, and electronic music.
9. Boost Collective
Boost Collective is a music distribution and promotion company that offers Spotify playlist promotion services alongside their distribution platform.
While Boost Collective initially focused primarily on Spotify playlist promotion, they have expanded to become an all-in-one development platform for artists. Their main offering now is music distribution, which they provide for free with unlimited releases.
For Spotify promotion, Boost Collective uses a model where they build and manage their own playlists. They filter submissions for quality and drive engagement to these playlists through Instagram ads. This approach allows them to retain more control over their campaigns. Artists can access these promotion services for free when using Boost Collective for distribution, making it a potentially valuable package deal for independent musicians.
10. SongRocket
SongRocket is a platform that connects artists with playlist curators, facilitating music submissions and reviews.
SongRocket operates by maintaining a network of playlist curators. Artists can submit their tracks to these curators for consideration. The platform has specific rules for curators to ensure fair and timely reviews of submitted music.
Curators have a 7-day deadline to review each submission and are expected to provide proper feedback. They are encouraged to add tracks that fit their playlists and to keep added tracks on their playlists for at least 3-4 weeks to give artists a chance to gain monthly listeners and fan engagement. SongRocket also tracks listener counts to evaluate curator performance.
