What is an Editorial Playlist?

An editorial playlist is one of the most important ways to promote your music. Getting your music featured on these can generate streams and followers and even help you build your musical career!

Editorial playlists are curated by Spotify’s editorial team and constitute around a third of all listening time on the platform. Some are genre-specific, like Rap Caviar (26m+), while others are context-driven, like Songs to Sing in the Car (9m+).

What is an Editorial Playlist?

An editorial playlist is a curated list of music created by Spotify’s editorial team. These playlists are a great way to get your music noticed by Spotify’s audience and give you massive exposure for weeks, months or even years.

They are a great opportunity for indie artists to get their music out there to new fans and increase their Spotify streams. However, it’s important to understand that these playlists aren’t always easy to get onto and can take a lot of time.

To get your music on an editorial playlist, you need to submit your song in advance and provide a strong pitch for it. This should include a description of your song and a pitch that tells the story behind it.

Getting your music on an editorial playlist is possible for both independent and signed artists. If you have a record label or distributor, they may be able to send your track to Spotify in advance and get it considered.

You can also try and find a playlist curator on social media that is interested in your style of music. You could even create a blog or YouTube channel around your music to gain some extra attention and exposure.

While there are a lot of different types of playlists available on Spotify, there are two main ones: algorithmic and editorial. Algorithmic playlists are created by Spotify’s own algorithms, such as Release Radar, Discover Weekly and Daily Mix.

Editorial playlists are a bit more difficult to get on, as they are created by real people who work at Spotify. Rather than just selecting a specific set of songs, Spotify’s team of editors will carefully select and curate playlists based on their listening habits and compatibility.

The most common way for independent artists to get on an editorial playlist is by submitting their music in advance through an artist submission service. The best practice here is to submit your music a month before you plan on releasing it, so that the Spotify team have plenty of time to consider it and decide if it’s a good fit for the playlists they’re creating.

How to Submit Your Music to an Editorial Playlist on Spotify

Editorial playlists are one of the best ways to get your music out there, and are a great way for listeners to discover new artists. They are created by Spotify staff, who take into account the entire music catalog before adding your songs to a playlist. This is a huge difference from algorithmic playlists, which are automatically generated by Spotify’s algorithms.

When you’re looking to get your music on an editorial playlist, there are a few things you can do to increase your chances of being accepted. First, make sure your music is up to date and ready for submission. This means that it should be in good shape, and the audio should sound perfect.

Once you have your music up to par, it’s time to pitch it to Spotify’s editorial team. To submit your music, log into your Spotify for Artists account and go to the “Upcoming” tab.

Then, fill out all of the important information about your song. Once you’ve submitted your information, the editorial team will review it and send it back to you.

After reviewing your pitch, the team will decide whether or not to include it in a playlist. This will take at least a few days, so it’s important to submit your music as soon as possible.

If you’re submitting a single, it’s best to submit your song at least 7 days before the release date. This will give the Spotify team enough time to check it out and make any necessary changes.

Another thing to keep in mind when submitting your music is that you can only submit one song at a time. This is because the Spotify algorithm won’t promote your music until it’s fully up to date and ready for distribution.

As a result, it’s best to release more singles than albums. This will allow you to submit more songs, and will also give the Spotify team more “at bats” in getting your music added to a playlist.

When you submit your songs to Spotify, it’s important to think about what makes them unique and how they can impact their audience. For example, if your song has a special instrumentation or a unique vocal arrangement, that’s a great reason for the editorial team to add it to a playlist.

What to Include in Your Pitch

If you’re a new artist and you want to submit your music for a Spotify editorial playlist, there are a few things you need to know. The first thing to understand is that the playlists are curated by people who work at Spotify, and they only want to include high-quality, exciting and unique music. So it’s crucial to show them that you can deliver on these expectations, and to provide them with information that will make their job easier.

A good way to do this is by sharing your song’s story in a creative and compelling manner. This can be through an audiovisual or a written piece, but whatever method you choose to use, make sure that your pitch is compelling and that it speaks to the listener.

Another key to success in your pitch is making it personal and addressing the prospect’s specific needs. This is why Edward Jones, a financial advising firm, makes such an effective pitch: they focus on the customer, rather than their own product, and that helps to build a strong connection with the prospect.

Start with a problem statement or question that your target audience is struggling with, such as “How do you bookkeep a small business?” and then tell them how you are the answer to their problem. This is an excellent way to explain your value proposition, and it’s also a great way to create a memorable pitch.

Next, you need to identify your competitive advantages over the competition and how those unique differentiators set you apart. This could be through an industry validation or awards list, a list of successful clients or even by telling an emotional story about how you helped someone achieve a goal.

Finally, be sure to provide proof points that back up your claims. This can be through a video or demo, a customer testimonial or other proof that you can cite to support your claims.

This will help you to convince your potential investors that your product is viable and worth investing in. It will also ensure that your pitch is logical, concise and credible.

What to Expect

An editorial playlist is a special playlist created by Spotify staff, often with a specific genre or theme in mind. These are a great way to reach new audiences and increase the number of streams your music receives, as long as you make sure you submit your songs in good time and promote them properly.

Getting on an editorial playlist can be a huge boost to your music career. It can bring in hundreds of thousands of new listeners, a massive jump in stream velocity, and new opportunities for your music to be discovered.

The biggest problem with editorial playlists, however, is that the number of spots available on these playlists is limited. In fact, as of 2022, Spotify had curated around 5,000 frontline official playlists (that’s frontline, meaning that the majority of tracks in these playlists are new additions released within the past 18 months).

This means that even if you manage to get onto one of the most popular playlists, your chances of securing a spot on a more niche subgenre or lesser-known playlist are very slim.

What this means for your career is that you’re likely to have to put in a lot of hard work and effort on your part in order to get on an editorial playlist. You’ll have to create a pitch that will get you noticed, and convince the Spotify staff that your music is worthy of a placement.

As with any pitch, it’s important to provide a lot of information about your song in order to impress the playlist curators. This includes details such as the title, the artist name, a link to your website or social media, and your release strategy.

Once you’ve submitted a pitch, the playlist editors will review it and decide whether they want to add your song to their playlist. They will also let you know if they have any further questions.

In order to maximize your chances of getting on an editorial playlist, you should always submit your music in advance of the release date. This will give the Spotify team plenty of time to review it, and you’ll also be able to drive up your stream velocity during the week leading up to your release day.