As a DJ who’s been spinning tracks for years, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to get your music out there. Trust me, I’ve been in your shoes, spending countless hours in the studio perfecting my sound, only to wonder how to get it heard by the right people. That’s where playlist curators come in – they’re the modern-day tastemakers who can help launch your tracks into the stratosphere of streaming success.
In my journey to promote my own music, I’ve experimented with various playlist submission services, and let me tell you, not all of them are created equal. Some have helped me reach new audiences I never thought possible, while others… well, let’s just say they left me feeling like I was shouting into the void.
That’s why I’ve put together this list of the 10 best playlist curators to submit your music to. These platforms have proven their worth in the ever-changing landscape of music promotion. Whether you’re a bedroom producer looking for your first break or an established artist aiming to expand your reach, these curators offer a real shot at getting your tracks in front of eager listeners.
1. Submit Hub
Submit Hub is a well-established platform that connects artists with curators, bloggers, and playlist owners. Founded in 2015 by music blogger Jason Grishkoff, it aims to streamline the process of music submission and discovery.
The platform uses a credit-based system, offering both free standard credits and paid premium credits. Premium submissions have a higher approval rate of 18%, compared to 5% for standard submissions. Submit Hub’s unique “Genre Match” feature helps artists find curators who are most likely to appreciate their music style, increasing the chances of a successful submission.
One of Submit Hub’s strengths is its transparency. The platform provides detailed statistics on curator response times and approval rates, allowing artists to make informed decisions about where to submit their music.
2. Playlist Curator
Playlist Curator is a prominent online platform dedicated to curating high-quality music playlists across various themes and moods. Founded by Serena Whitfield, a musician with a distinguished background from the University of Oxford, the platform prides itself on its meticulous and human-driven approach to playlist curation.
Unlike many automated services, Playlist Curator employs a team of experienced music professionals who personally listen to and evaluate each track before inclusion. This hands-on method ensures that every playlist maintains a cohesive theme and meets the platform’s strict quality standards. The curation team, which includes professional guitarist Jasper Clarke, brings a wealth of musical knowledge and diverse genre expertise to the selection process.
The platform offers an impressive array of playlists covering a wide range of themes, from love and relationships to more niche topics like songs about bees. These carefully crafted collections are available on major streaming platforms including Spotify, YouTube Music, and SoundCloud, making them easily accessible to a broad audience.
For artists looking to submit their music, Playlist Curator provides a straightforward submission process. However, the platform is transparent about its high standards and the volume of submissions it receives, setting realistic expectations for artists. While they don’t guarantee inclusion, they assure that each submission is given careful consideration.
Playlist Curator has built a significant following, boasting over 100,000 followers across their playlists and more than 500 actively curated collections. The platform’s website attracts over 20,000 monthly visitors, indicating its growing influence in the music discovery space.
3. Playlist Push
Playlist Push focuses specifically on connecting independent artists with playlist curators on Spotify. The platform offers a unique opportunity for curators to monetize their playlists while discovering new music.
Curators on Playlist Push are paid to review new music and decide if it fits their playlist. The payment per song review ranges from $1.25 to $15, depending on the curator’s “Reputation Score,” which is based on their playlist’s follower count and activity level.
Playlist Push uses an automated genre-matching system that aligns with Spotify’s catalog of over 1,800 genres. This ensures that curators receive songs that closely match their playlist’s style, increasing the likelihood of placements for artists.
4. SongRocket
SongRocket is a newer entrant to the playlist pitching scene, launched in April 2021 by DJ and music producer Lukas. The platform aims to simplify the process of pitching music to carefully selected curators.
What sets SongRocket apart is its focus on quality over quantity. The platform boasts over 170 curators with a combined follower count of over 11 million listeners. SongRocket’s founder personally vets each playlist, ensuring that only active and genuine playlists are included in the network.
SongRocket offers a more affordable entry point for artists, with campaigns starting at just $6. The platform also emphasizes building a community rather than just being another submission service, drawing on the founder’s experience as both an artist and a curator.
5. Daily Playlists
Daily Playlists is a platform that connects independent artists with playlist curators, offering a streamlined approach to music promotion. Founded in 2018, the service has helped over 260,000 artists submit their music to curators, resulting in more than 2.9 million successful track placements.
One of Daily Playlists’ standout features is its accessibility. The platform provides artists with 25 free submissions per week, allowing them to reach out to over 3,200 active curators managing more than 18,000 playlists. This free tier makes it an attractive option for artists on a tight budget.
Daily Playlists also offers tools for curators to monetize and grow their playlists. The platform uses sophisticated methods to ensure curator legitimacy, including tools like Chartmetric and Isitagoodplaylist to verify engagement rates and follower growth.
6. iMusician
iMusician is a comprehensive music distribution and promotion platform that includes playlist pitching among its services. While primarily known for its distribution capabilities, iMusician also offers editorial playlist pitching as part of its promotional toolkit.
The platform’s playlist pitching service is integrated into its distribution process. When uploading a release, artists can select “Spotify pitching” in the delivery step, which automatically adjusts the release date to ensure there’s enough time for pitching (at least 14 working days before release).
iMusician emphasizes the importance of timing in playlist pitching. They advise artists to submit their tracks well in advance of the release date to maximize their chances of playlist inclusion. The platform also offers an Editorial Playlist Pitching service where their curation team checks submitted releases for pitching purposes.
7. SoundCampaign
SoundCampaign is a Spotify promotion service that focuses on connecting artists with playlist curators. The platform uses a unique model where curators are paid to review and potentially add submitted tracks to their playlists.
One of SoundCampaign’s strengths is its commitment to playlist legitimacy. The platform vets curators and playlists to ensure they are built with real listeners, not bots. Curators must have playlists with at least 20 tracks and 1,000 genuine followers to be accepted on the platform.
SoundCampaign uses a 15-position ranking system to determine curator rewards, which range from $1 to $14 per review depending on the playlist’s rank. This ranking is based on factors such as follower count and the value the playlist provides to artists in terms of streams and new followers.
While the platform’s effectiveness can vary depending on the specific track and campaign, SoundCampaign’s model offers a potentially high ceiling for success. However, as with any playlist pitching service, results are not guaranteed, and artists should approach it as part of a broader promotional strategy.
8. Soundplate
Soundplate is a music technology company that offers a free and user-friendly platform for artists to submit their music to Spotify playlists. The service prides itself on its simplicity and accessibility, making it an attractive option for independent artists looking to gain exposure.
One of Soundplate’s key features is its genre-specific playlist categorization. Artists can easily browse playlists by genre, ensuring they submit their music to the most relevant curators. This targeted approach increases the chances of successful placements and helps artists find playlists that align with their musical style.
Soundplate emphasizes the importance of submitting to the right playlists. They advise artists to listen to playlists before submitting to ensure their music is a good fit. The platform also offers additional tools for artists, including a Spotify playlist analyzer and a track analyzer, which help determine if a song is suitable for a particular playlist.
9. MySphera
MySphera is a freemium Spotify playlisting service that has been operating since 2018. The platform aims to connect artists with tastemakers and playlist curators, offering both free and paid submission options.
For free submissions, artists can use curator contact forms, although the number of available curators is limited. Paid campaigns, starting at $29.99 for a 30-day period, provide access to a larger pool of curators and additional features such as weekly updates and social media promotion.
MySphera’s curator base covers a wide range of genres, with particular strength in Hip-hop, EDM, Lofi, and Electronic music. The platform uses a “reach potential” model based on playlist follower counts rather than guaranteed streams. While this approach has its limitations, it can be a useful tool for artists looking to generate buzz and potentially land on Spotify’s algorithmic playlists.
10. Indiemono
Indiemono is a platform that focuses on indie music discovery and Spotify playlist curation. They offer a free submission system for artists to submit their music to Indiemono’s editorial selections.
The platform organizes submissions into genre-specific “boxes” to help curators focus on similar styles of music. However, Indiemono emphasizes that songs submitted to one box may be considered for multiple playlists across their network.
Indiemono’s approach is curator-centric, with the team dedicating their time to listening to submissions and playlist curation rather than providing individual feedback. This allows them to process a large volume of submissions efficiently. The platform also advises artists to use Spotify for Artists to track their playlist inclusions, as they don’t provide direct notifications for successful placements.
In addition to their playlist curation services, Indiemono has expanded their offerings to include a DIY distribution platform for indie artists, providing a more comprehensive solution for independent musicians.
