The power of playlisting
noun: a curated list of songs or audio tracks compiled to be played on a radio station or a digital music platform. Also: a similar list used for organizing a personal digital music collection.
Playlisting is something a lot of artists are exploring right now to promote music, so I thought I’d give you the lowdown on this month’s TUNED IN. The landscape of playlisting has changed a lot in the past ten or so years, so let’s jump right in.
To reiterate, playlisting is the process of having your song added to playlists with digital service providers. This could include Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc., or radio stations. Since playlists are a big part of music discovery, it’s good to put some focus on this when releasing new music. Getting on a good playlist can help artists reach new audiences. For my radio show – where we work off a weekly playlist – we often find songs via suggestions based on songs we’ve already listened to. More often than not, those suggested songs are by artists we have never heard of.
So how do you get on a radio or DSP playlist?
The first thing to remember is a spot on a playlist is NOT for sale. It could really damage your reputation to engage with a third party who says they can buy you onto a playlist. In fact DSPs all have disclaimers on their websites dictating just that. No promotional tool should guarantee anything and song submissions are always up to third party curators. But what you can pay for are people to pitch your songs, owing to the fact they have stronger relationships with radio stations and DSPs than you do. And that would be money well spent.
The first thing to look for are editorial teams, curators and program directors who are looking for YOU. For example, new music. If you can identify some of these people with a little research, start to follow them and collect a list of targets then share your music via the appropriate channels – whether that be via submission hub or tool. Bigger playlists will have their own set of rules whether that be Spotify Artists or those that only receive submissions via a website or specific tool.
Make sure you have all your proverbial ducks in a row! You have the correct metadata for your songs, you are utilizing “insight” pages to learn about your audience. (If you’re a Play MPE Caster user, you can track radio airplay which will give you extra info to share!)
Some radio stations ALSO have weekly playlists on DSPS showcasing the songs they play on the radio, so always good to check!
SongTools and your own tools!
Need a playlisting tool you can trust? One company I can recommend is SongTools, an all-in-one music marketing platform that’s extremely user-friendly. SongTools provides indie labels and artists with tools that automate playlist pitching as well as a one-click social media advertising platform to target potential new fans and promote your release across platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. Play MPE recently partnered with SongTools to offer a 50% off discount on a first playlisting campaign. Sign up for Caster+ today, visit the new Trusted Partners dashboard to learn more and access this and other partner perks.
Remember, not every playlist is about the “Top Hits”. There are curators that create weekly playlist for radio, for restaurants, hotels, boutiques, holidays, moods. So, while your focus track may hit one note (pun intended ofc), another track may be just the right vibe for a hotel lobby or yoga class. So get those songs out there!!!! PRO TIP: Caster can also get your songs to curators who help brands find the perfect songs. The best course is to always cover your bases and promote to industry curators in radio, media and more and target playlisters both editorial and independent tastemakers.