As a seasoned label manager, here’s an insider’s guide to what you should expect when looking into Spotify playlist promotion for your artists.
TL/DR
If you want to know the best one to use without reading below?
It’s YouGrow Promo and Daily Playlists. Many of our record labels use YouGrow Promo for every release and Daily Playlists is FREE so that is no-brainer. To find out why, keep reading.
Initiating the Promotion Journey
When starting your promotion journey, investments typically range from a modest $50 to a more substantial $300 for entry-level promotions. Here’s what to consider:
- Track Vetting: Some companies vet your track before billing to ensure it aligns with their playlist criteria.
- Upfront Payment with Screening: Others request upfront payment but perform a background check on your music, offering refunds if it doesn’t match.
- No Pre-Screening: A few companies charge without pre-screening but may offer refunds if they can’t deliver placements.
From my experience promoting various artists, rejections are rare.
Understanding Playlist Placements
Your song will generally land on playlists within a week, often sooner. Here’s what to expect:
- User-Generated Playlists: These are the most common. Keep in mind, reputable playlist companies don’t guarantee placements on Spotify’s editorial lists, though some “industry whispers” may suggest otherwise.
- SEO-Driven Playlists: Some services have adopted an SEO strategy to target popular search terms (e.g., “running 180 BPM tracks”).
- Trending Topic Playlists: Playlists inspired by trending topics or popular shows can still attract streams, although these aren’t the official soundtracks.
The goal is to strike a balance between high-traffic playlists and genre fit so your track doesn’t get lost among unrelated songs.
The Aftermath of Promotion
Most promotional campaigns last about a month. Many companies will refund you if they can’t place your track. The objective is to retain a heightened stream count due to visibility and saves by listeners.
Keep in mind that outcomes can vary, with some tracks returning to pre-promotion numbers post-campaign.
Should You Pay for Playlist Promotion?
Investing in playlist promotion is nuanced. Even with reputable promoters avoiding automated methods, there’s no guarantee your music will resonate with every playlist’s audience. Mismatches can lead to poor engagement, impacting Spotify’s algorithm and potentially limiting your track’s reach if frequent skips are detected.
Trusted Playlist Promotion Companies
Here’s a list of companies known for reliable Spotify playlist promotions, with personal insights to help you gauge what might work best for your goals.
1. Indie Music Academy
Personal Take: Led by Ryan Waczek, Indie Music Academy is an impressive choice. Ryan is the real deal, adept in securing Spotify playlist placements through a robust network of curators. I’ve met Ryan a few times, and he genuinely gets results.
Highlights:
- Ryan’s team excels at finding playlists that rank well in search results.
- Indie Music Academy’s service identifies playlists with authentic engagement, ensuring no bots are involved.
- There’s also an educational academy component, where artists can learn how to increase their playlisting chances independently.
2. Playlist Push
Personal Take: Playlist Push is one of the original playlist promotion companies, and they maintain a solid reputation.
Highlights:
- They work with 900+ independent playlist creators, with an extensive reach of over 25 million listeners.
- Playlist Push is reasonably priced, with campaigns starting around $200, and an average spend of about $450.
- Their extensive curator network makes them ideal for artists looking to reach a broad audience without much genre limitation.
3. YouGrow Promo
Personal Take: YouGrow has been a solid performer. Though I haven’t tried their YouTube service, many artists have achieved great results with their Spotify campaigns. Their CEO is hands-on and runs a tight ship, focusing on excellent customer service and prompt responses.
Highlights:
- With campaigns starting at just $79, they offer excellent value for the cost.
- Feedback shows genuine, non-bot engagement.
- They provide a refund or option to transfer to a new campaign if placements aren’t achieved, which I find very professional and customer-friendly.
4. Omari MC
Personal Take: Omari has been around for over six years. I’ve tried him a few times, and while results can vary, he’s consistent with open communication and responsive customer support.
Highlights:
- Campaigns start at $47, making it a cost-effective choice.
- Omari’s focus is more on Hip Hop and R&B, so artists in those genres may see the best results.
- They offer other promotional services, such as press releases, making it a good all-in-one choice for artists looking to build a cohesive marketing strategy.
5. Playlist Promotion
Personal Take: Playlist Promotion lives up to its name, focusing solely on playlisting and recently expanding into YouTube promotion.
Highlights:
- They’ve had mixed feedback, but they have a unique application process to ensure artists fit their network.
- This approach can be reassuring, as it indicates they aren’t solely profit-driven and aim for quality matches between artists and curators.
6. Daily Playlists
Personal Take: Daily Playlists is a must-use service since it’s free! I met their team at ADE, and they’re fantastic to work with.
Highlights:
- Their paid option lets artists submit by genre, and they also allow back-catalogue uploads to drive streams on older tracks.
- Artists report significant gains in streams, with some using it successfully over the last six months of 2023.
Notable Mentions
These services are not technically playlisting companies, instead they allow artists to research and submit their music themselves, giving you more control over where your track is pitched.
1. SubmitHub
Personal Take: SubmitHub is well-known for its user-friendly, comprehensive database, offering consistent outcomes.
Highlights:
- A wide database of curators across Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud, and blogs.
- Curators are paid per listen, ensuring they actually engage with your music.
2. Groover
Personal Take: Many artists I know have used Groover with success, especially for Spotify playlists and blog features.
Highlights:
- With a budget of around $75, Groover can provide quality placements and a few solid blog features.
- The platform is easy to use and offers access to blogs, radio stations, and playlist curators.
Conclusion
Playlist promotion is a great supplement to your other marketing activities but shouldn’t be the sole focus. Spotify’s recent crackdown on bot streams has led to account bans, so it’s best to focus on genuine engagement. Additionally, results can vary based on the genre focus of each platform’s network. Experimenting with a few different companies to find the right fit can help refine and optimize your promotional campaigns over time.