Navigating the world of music promotion can feel like an overwhelming journey, especially for independent artists striving to get their music heard. One of the most effective ways to gain exposure and grow your fan base is by getting your tracks featured on popular playlists. But with countless curators out there, where do you even start?
In this article, I’ve compiled a list of the 11 Best Playlist Curators to Submit Music. Whether you’re an emerging artist looking to make your mark or a seasoned musician aiming to expand your reach, these curators offer a variety of services to help you get your music in front of the right audience.
1. iMusician
iMusician is a digital music distributor that offers playlist pitching as part of its broader suite of services for independent artists and labels. While not exclusively focused on playlisting, they provide tools to help artists get their music on popular streaming platforms and playlists.
Artists can sign up for an iMusician account and upload their music for distribution. As part of their Artist Hub Pro and Pro+ plans, iMusician offers playlist pitching services. They have a team that analyzes your music and pitches it to relevant playlist curators on platforms like Spotify. The process is integrated with their distribution services, allowing artists to manage both distribution and playlist promotion in one place. iMusician also provides analytics tools so artists can track their playlist performance and streaming data.
2. Playlist Curator
Playlist Curator is a prominent platform dedicated to curating diverse and thematic playlists across major streaming services like Spotify, YouTube Music, and SoundCloud. Known for its meticulous selection process, Playlist Curator features a wide array of curated playlists that cater to various moods and occasions, from love songs and party jams to chill vibes and indie gems.
To submit music to Playlist Curator, artists need to fill out a submission form available on their website. Each submission is carefully reviewed to ensure it meets their high standards and aligns with the specific themes of their playlists.
While the platform does not notify artists of rejections, it promises to listen to every submission. If an artist’s track is selected, it will be included in one of their popular playlists, which are frequently updated and enjoyed by a broad audience.
Playlist Curator’s main presence is on Spotify, but they also have a significant following on YouTube Music and SoundCloud, providing ample exposure for featured artists.
3. Indiemono
Indiemono is an independent playlist curator with a significant presence on Spotify, focusing on indie and alternative music. They offer free music submissions and maintain a large network of playlists across various genres.
Artists can submit their music to Indiemono through a free submission form on their website. Submissions are sorted into genre-specific boxes, which Indiemono’s team reviews regularly. If a track is selected, it may be added to one or more of Indiemono’s playlists. The curator emphasizes that they don’t provide individual feedback due to the high volume of submissions, but they listen to every track submitted. Indiemono also offers a paid submission option through Patreon, which guarantees faster review times but doesn’t guarantee placement.
4. Tunemunk
Tunemunk is a platform that connects independent artists with playlist curators. It’s designed to be a free and accessible way for artists to submit their music to multiple playlists.
Tunemunk uses a “follow to submit” model. Artists must first follow a curator’s playlist before they can submit their track for consideration. To submit, artists simply input their Spotify track link and some basic information. Curators receive these submissions and can choose to add tracks to their playlists. Tunemunk is free for both artists and curators, making it an attractive option for those just starting out with playlist promotion.
5. Playlist Push
Playlist Push is a paid service that connects artists with playlist curators across various genres. They offer campaigns for both Spotify and YouTube Music.
Artists start by submitting their track for review by the Playlist Push team. If approved, they can then purchase a campaign. Playlist Push matches the track with relevant curators in their network based on genre and style. Curators listen to the submitted tracks and decide whether to add them to their playlists. Artists receive detailed feedback from curators, regardless of whether their track is accepted or not. Playlist Push provides a dashboard where artists can track their campaign’s progress and see which playlists have added their music.
6. SongRocket
SongRocket is a music promotion platform that offers playlist pitching services alongside other promotional tools for independent artists.
Artists can sign up for SongRocket and submit their tracks for playlist consideration. The platform uses an algorithm to match submitted tracks with appropriate playlists in their network. SongRocket offers both free and paid submission options. With paid campaigns, artists get access to a larger network of playlists and receive detailed analytics on their track’s performance. The platform also provides artists with feedback from playlist curators, helping them understand why their track was or wasn’t selected for certain playlists.
7. Daily Playlists
Daily Playlists is a music curation platform that connects artists with playlist curators. It offers both free and premium submission options, allowing artists to promote their music to a wide network of playlists.
Artists start by signing up on Daily Playlists and connecting their Spotify account. They can then search for the track they want to promote and submit it to either Standard or Premium playlists. Standard submissions are free and come with weekly credits, while Premium submissions require purchasing credits but guarantee feedback or placement. If a curator does not respond within seven days, credits are returned. The platform also offers a dashboard where artists can track their submissions and view the playlists that have featured their music.
8. For The Love Of Bands
For The Love Of Bands is a playlist curator that focuses on promoting independent artists across various genres, including indie, rock, and folk. They offer free and paid submission options to help artists grow their fan base on platforms like Spotify, Deezer, and YouTube.
Artists can submit their music for free using the regular submission option, which places them in a queue for review. To expedite the process, artists can choose from paid options like merchandise deals, donations, or social media engagement. These options allow artists to skip the queue and get faster consideration. For The Love Of Bands also offers submission opportunities for TikTok features and monthly YouTube compilations. They provide feedback to accepted artists and share their music across multiple platforms and social media channels.
9. Soundplate
Soundplate is a music technology company and non-traditional record label that helps artists promote their music through playlist submissions and other digital tools. They focus on supporting independent artists without long-term exclusive contracts.
Artists can submit their music to Spotify and Deezer playlists for free using Soundplate’s submission platform. The platform also offers additional tools like Soundplate Clicks for creating smart links, a music award eligibility checker, and a music visualizer video creator. These tools help artists promote their music more effectively and understand their audience better. Soundplate’s mission is to make music promotion easier so artists can focus on creating music.
10. SoundCampaign
SoundCampaign is a music promotion platform that connects artists with Spotify playlist curators and TikTok content creators. It aims to increase artists’ exposure and help them grow their fan base through targeted playlist placements and viral marketing.
Artists can create an account on SoundCampaign and submit their music for review. The platform uses advanced algorithms to match the music with suitable playlists, ensuring that it reaches the right audience. SoundCampaign offers a straightforward campaign setup process, automated matching, and constructive feedback from curators. Artists can track their campaign’s performance through detailed analytics. The platform also provides live support and an artist protection program, which includes a credit-back guarantee if feedback is not received from curators.
11. SubmitHub
SubmitHub is a platform that connects musicians with playlist curators, music bloggers, and influencers. It provides an efficient way for artists to submit their music to multiple curators at once, saving time and effort.
Artists create an account on SubmitHub and upload their music. They can then browse through available curators and submit their tracks along with a personalized message. SubmitHub operates on a credit-based system, where artists can purchase premium credits to bypass the standard queue and increase their chances of acceptance. Curators provide feedback on submissions, which can be either positive or negative, helping artists improve their music. The platform also offers a messaging system for direct communication between artists and curators, and a dashboard to track submission status and feedback.
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