Playlist Push

Playlist Push

Playlists are a key part of the Spotify algorithm and an essential part of gaining more listeners on the platform. It's no wonder then, that artists are so desperate to get on them. So desperate in fact, that they are willing to pay large amounts of money to get on them. While there are creators of such playlists who are always looking for fresh music to add to their playlists free of charge, it's no secret that some charge huge amounts of money to get on them. Are they justified to do this ? Curating playlists on Spotify does take effort. To add tracks and also advertise the playlists. It takes time and potentially money. The more experienced ones definitely have a good reach and get you more exposure. I feel personally though, that there are many scams out there with so many promises and so little delivery. You need to be very weary. If someone is charging you $50 dollars to get on a playlist you'd better realize that's a heck of a lot of plays to get you money back around (15k) potentially. With so much pressure on them from the covid 19 pandemic, to increase their online revenue, there is a developing predatory behaviour targeting musician as there pry. So with that all said, I'll give you a few tips and pointers. What to look out for and what to avoid. 

If it's free; then it's free game

Getting on a playlist doesn't guarantee plays, especially if it's free. But hey if it's free then anything is better than nothing. One playlist I got on springs to mind, whereby I gained two plays from it. I would still gladly do that again because you never know. If it only cost you an email or some simple engagement with the curator then, definitely it's worth it. It might only be a smaller playlist with a lower engagement but you never know. The biggest problem is with finding them. So far I have found no constant or consistent way of finding new ones. One week I might get on two, sometimes none. It really is inconsistent. Sometimes the more popular playlists so to speak, will offer some free trials. Look out for this, they might say that you have to pay after a week but this is a great way to trail things and if you don't like it then you don't have to pay. Make sure to make use of your Spotify for artist dash board to check the amount of plays from specific playlists.    

Supporting each other, Now that's cool !

Mutual support streaming groups are a collective of musicians/bands who come together to support each other's music. The principle idea being that by streaming a playlist and other artists you are giving them plays while also building the playlists itself. This is probably the most sure fire way to generate plays for yourself, as the more you listen to other artists the more you help yourself. Hopefully the playlist will grow to the point whereby it can be heard by other listeners and a great way to discover artists. It is proven way to grow as a group, rather than as individuals which; can be a very difficult process. The only major downsides to this are two factors; The playlist creator has all the power and secondly it's hard to make sure that everyone put enough effort into the playlist. Sure enough, however, it can all come together quite nicely. With the right effort put in, it can really grow. If everyone is working towards the same goal you can achieve that goal much more quickly. Exposing your audience to new sounds isn't exactly a bad idea either.

Do it yourself

What's wrong with making a playlist yourself ? Yes upfront it is a lot of work but by finding a few similar artists they will hopefully apricate it. Sharing around the musical love is great. You get what you give as the saying goes. So find some good artists, stream them while you sleep and put a few cents in each others pockets.

To conclude

Playlisting yourself or finding mutual streaming group with other artist is ideal. In less you want to just throw money at it with no real grantee of success. Your very unlikely to get your money back from paying to get on certain playlists. The choice is yours to make but just remember there are a lot of people out there trying to make money from artist, they are the target market and not the artists audience.