The actual steps. No fluff. This is what Spotify’s editorial team looks for and what you need to do before your release date.
Build Momentum Now →Spotify editorial playlists are curated by Spotify’s internal editorial team, not by the algorithm. Playlists like Today’s Top Hits, RapCaviar, and Peaceful Piano are editorial. They are built and maintained by human editors who select tracks based on quality, momentum, and fit.
This is the key distinction: editorial playlists require a human decision. Algorithmic playlists like Discover Weekly and Release Radar are triggered by listener behavior data. You can influence the algorithm through streaming performance. You influence editorial through a pitch submission combined with proven release momentum.
Getting on an editorial playlist is possible for independent artists. The path requires preparation, timing, and real streaming data behind your track.
Your track must be in Spotify’s system before you can pitch it. Use a distributor like DistroKid, TuneCore, or CD Baby and set your release date at least 7 days out so you have time to pitch.
Log in at artists.spotify.com. Navigate to “Music” and find your unreleased track. You will see a “Pitch a Song” option appear before the release date.
Genre, sub-genre, mood, instrumentation, song language, and a written pitch describing what is unique about the track. Incomplete pitches are ignored. Fill every field as specifically as possible.
Spotify requires that you deliver your music at least 7 days before release so editors have time to listen.
Spotify recommends pitching about two weeks out. More runway, better odds.
The 7-day mark is not only about editors. Pitching an unreleased song at least 7 days before release is also what puts it into your followers Release Radar. That is the one guaranteed outcome in this process. Everything else is a maybe.
You can only pitch one song at a time. Once the pitched song goes live, you can pitch the next one, so choose the track with the most momentum behind it.
Once the track is live, the editorial pitch window is closed.
Spotify is rolling out video pitching in Spotify for Artists. It works alongside the song pitch, not instead of it.
Unlike songs, you can pitch several eligible videos at the same time.
Your video story, genre, mood, visual style, and marketing plans.
It is rolling out gradually. If you do not see it yet, check back. Most artists are not using it, which is exactly why it is worth doing.
Editorial placement is genuinely rare. There are far more releases every week than there are editorial slots, and a human has to choose yours over everything else submitted.
Pitch anyway. A complete pitch costs you ten minutes, guarantees the Release Radar placement, and puts your track in front of an editor. An incomplete pitch, or no pitch, guarantees nothing.
Treat editorial as upside, not as the plan.
Pre-save numbers, early streaming velocity, and third-party playlist placements that show real listener interest before the editorial team reviews your pitch.
A clear, specific description of your track. What genre, what mood, what makes it stand out. Vague pitches like “great vibes” get ignored. Specific pitches like “high-energy Afrobeats with Lagos influence, tempo 112 BPM” get considered.
Where your listeners are located, what other artists they follow, and how they engage with your previous releases. Strong listener profiles make your pitch more compelling.
Blog features, playlist adds from independent curators, and social proof that real people outside your friend group are engaging with the track.
Third-party playlist promotion builds the streaming data that Spotify’s editorial team uses to evaluate your pitch. When you have 50+ organic playlist placements and rising save rates before your editorial pitch is reviewed, you are showing real demand, not just claiming it.
The algorithm also responds to strong organic playlist performance. Tracks with high save rates and completion rates get surfaced in Discover Weekly and Radio, which generates even more data for the editorial team to review.
A 4Labs Spotify campaign running in parallel with your editorial pitch submission is the most effective preparation you can do for editorial consideration.
Start a Spotify Campaign →What artists ask about Spotify editorial playlist submissions.
4Labs builds the streaming momentum that makes your editorial pitch land. Verifiable placements, real listeners, no bots.
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