If you're an independent musician who wants to know how to get your music on Spotify, you've come to the right place. Now more than ever, it's easy for artists to sell their songs on music streaming platforms. And since music is mostly consumed digitally in 2020, you don't even need a major record label to get your music out there.
The first step toward getting your music on Spotify is to register with one of the best music distribution companies. In a nutshell, a music distribution service does the licensing and distribution handling for your music. They work with streaming platforms like Spotify to get your music uploaded so you can start earning royalties when fans listen to your songs.
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Distrokid, CD Baby, Emubands and Record Union are among Spotify’s preferred distributors. Annual service fees range from $19 to $29 per album or 5% to 30% commission. Although there are some free music distribution companies out there, bear in mind that their service may not be on par with that of paid distributors.
Spotify for Artists
Once you lock down your distributor and your music is sent to Spotify, you’ll need to claim your Spotify artist profile. This gives you access to your audience stats and useful tools to promote your music and manage your Spotify for Artists profile page. You can also do this using the Spotify for Artists app, which is available as a free download for iOS and Android via the App Store or Play Store, respectively.
Spotify for Artists profile management offers three access levels that you set across your members of your team. Admin team members may edit the artist profile, view stats, invite team members, manage team members’ access levels, and view their activity. Most importantly, they can also pitch unreleased songs to Spotify’s playlist editors (more on that later). Editor team members may only edit the artist profile, view stats and pitch unreleased songs to Spotify’s playlist. Viewer team members can only view stats.
Submit songs to Spotify playlists
Some of Spotify’s millions of algorithm-generated playlists are curated by its team of experts, including genre, lifestyle and culture specialists. Playlists are recommended to each Spotify subscriber based on their unique listening habits and tastes. These playlists offer a great way to promote yourself, grow your fanbase and increase your odds of getting a hit song.
You can pitch music to Spotify’s playlist editors for consideration via Spotify for Artists in just three easy steps.
There’s no guarantee that your music will land a spot on Spotify’s editorial or Discover Weekly playlist. However, it will be added to your Spotify followers' customized Release Radar playlist, which is updated on Fridays.
Follow these tips to help get your music in front of Spotify playlist editors.
- Choose one song from your album to focus on. Only one unreleased song may be submitted at a time.
- Don’t skimp on the details. The more info you provide, the easier it is for editors to find the perfect song for listeners.
- Submit at least one week before release. Don't wait until the last minute to submit a song for consideration.
- Set up a Spotify pre-save campaign. Get the Spotify URI for your scheduled release and sign up for a free smartURL account to use the pre-save tool. Distrokid members can use the pre-save tool here.
To learn more about getting your music on Spotify and advice from recording artists like Cyndi Lauper, Karol G, Lizzo, Sean Paul and more, visit the Spotify for Artists YouTube channel.
