Ok, you've claimed your Spotify for Artists page (if you haven't, get started here) and you've got it just the way you want. Here's what comes next: promote your music!
You can now submit your music directly to Spotify for playlist consideration through your Spotify for Artist profile. This is huge! This really puts artists in the driver's seat and allows them to promote their own music AND WE LOVE IT. Though do keep in mind that you can only submit titles that are delivered to Spotify but unreleased (submitted with a future release date).
You can check out Spotify's FAQ on how to submit, but here are the basics.
- Log into your Spotify for Artists Account
- Click "Catalog" on the left-hand menu
- Click "Upcoming" to see all your unreleased titles
- Click "Submit a Song" and fill out the form
Seriously, it's that easy. That being said, we've been keeping an eye on how this tool is working and we have 5 major things for you to keep in mind while submitting.
- It works. It’s not just a “roll the dice and hope for the best” situation – correctly following the prescribed steps in Spotify’s system seems to consistently and automatically go to the Release Radar of all your followers. In many-to-most cases, it’s going on the appropriate genre- and mood-based playlists as well. This is true for artists at all levels – not just those with big followings.
- It’s important to fill out all the requested info. Don’t choose “none of these” for moods, genres or other categories if a category may fit. Don’t try and be funny and choose “family” as the genre for your metal project. Give them as much info for your track as possible, and fill out absolutely everything thoroughly and accurately. The less work they have to do, the better your chances of a choice placement.
- It’s SUPER important to set a future release date when you set up the release in Soundrop. To pitch a release, you need the title delivered at least 3 weeks before the release date. If your release is a cover, please upload it to us with plenty of time for your license to clear. We recommend at least 30 days (more if you can) before your intended release date. If you’re unsure of what date to select, pick a Friday that’s 6 weeks in the future.
- YOU CAN DO IT. Don’t be intimidated, don’t feel like it’s a waste of time. Spotify set this up for a reason and they truly want artists to use it. Even though you still need us to get your music on Spotify, the distributor or label no longer needs to be involved in the playlist pitching process like before.
- Put your best foot forward. Remember that you can only have 1 song at a time under consideration, so if you’re releasing weekly, you probably won’t be able to submit every song. Plan ahead; don’t submit next week's track right if you think the one arriving in a few weeks is more likely to land a playlist spot! Put some real thought into which tracks have the most potential and submit only those.