At this point in the process, your song is uploaded, your profiles are claimed, and your links are in place.
Now comes the part most artists obsess over.
Pitching.
Let's start with the truth. Nobody owes your song a listen. Every day, hundreds of thousands of new tracks (maybe more) hit Spotify alone. It is a flood. When you pitch a song, you are not competing against other artists. You are competing against the noise.
Curators do not have time for gimmicks, fake hype, or another "banger" from someone who is "changing the game." They are looking for something real. Something that stands out because it actually feels like something soul stirring.
Before we talk about tools and platforms, we need to talk about what curators and editors actually care about.
Always Use the Built In Pitching Tools First
Before you think about third party playlists, you should always pitch your music through the tools that already exist inside the streaming platforms themselves.
These Are the Most Important Ones
Spotify for Artists
Pitch your upcoming releases directly to Spotify's editorial team for playlist consideration. Pitching must be done before your release date.
Apple Music for Artists
Submit your music to Apple Music's editorial team for playlist and feature consideration through your artist dashboard.
Amazon Music for Artists
Pitch your releases to Amazon Music's editorial team and access promotional tools through the artist dashboard.
Pandora AMP
Use Pandora's Artist Marketing Platform to pitch your music and access promotional features on the platform.
Deezer Backstage
Submit your releases to Deezer's editorial team through Backstage for playlist consideration and promotional opportunities.
Each of these platforms has its own editorial teams and algorithmic systems. When you pitch directly through their tools, you are giving your song a chance to be considered for official playlists and algorithmic support.
This is the one type of pitching that every artist should be doing, every time.
Some of these tools require you to pitch before the release date. Others allow pitching after release. The important thing is that you actually use them instead of skipping straight to third party playlist sites.
Think Like a Curator
Once the song has released you can start thinking about outside and third party playlists and curators, but before you do any pitching at all, you must learn to think like a curator. What does a playlist curator, who receives an influx of songs every week, really want to know?
Who Are You, Really?
Do not send a link and call it a day.
Tell the curator who you are. Not your resume. Not a list of accomplishments. Tell them why you make music at all.
- What is the story behind this song
- What thread runs through your work
- What have you navigated through
- What are you aiming for
Curators want to know where you have been and what this song means in the context of your life. Not in a press release voice, but in a human voice.
If you have traction worth mentioning, you can include it. Just do it tactfully. It should support the pitch, not be the entire pitch.
Why This Song, and Why Now?
Every song has a reason it exists.
- Was it written in a messy season
- A moment of hope
- A strange cultural moment
- A personal breakthrough
- Or just because it felt good to make
Say that.
The best pitches sound like a conversation, not a commercial. Think about how you would recommend your favorite new restaurant to a friend. Same mentality.
Do Not Try to Impress. Try to Connect
The pitches that stick are rarely the most polished. They are the most honest.
"I made this because I needed to hear it"
hits harder than
"this is my next banger of a single destined for the playlists."
Curators care about excellent songs that make them feel something. Not songs that beg for validation.
Take the posture of sharing something cool, not begging for a spot.
Know Your Space
Do not say your music is for everyone.
Be specific.
Help the curator picture where this song lives. If they can see it in the world, they can see it in a playlist.
Keep It Simple
You do not need a ten paragraph pitch.
Give the essentials.
- Who you are
- Why the song exists
- Where it fits
- A link that works the first time it is clicked
One strong photo helps too.
Curators are not dramatic gatekeepers. Most of them genuinely love discovering something new. They want to believe in the artist. They want to believe in the song. They are just sorting through an overwhelming amount of music every single day.
Think like a curator and give your song a fighting chance.
What Pitching Platforms Are Actually Worth Your Time?
There are dozens of platforms that promise playlist placements. Most of them are not worth your time or your money.
For years, the two most talked about platforms were SubmitHub and PlaylistPush. They still exist, and they can work in certain situations, but they are no longer the only options.
There is a newer platform that has been seeing serious growth called Magic Nothing.
A Different Approach to Playlist Pitching
Magic Nothing is a very different approach to playlist pitching.
It is conversational and symbiotic. Instead of paying for guaranteed reviews or placements, Magic Nothing runs on a credit based system. Artists can submit songs to playlists using credits. Often these curators are artists themselves, so if you have a playlist, big or small, and accept pitches, you earn credits back. Those credits can then be used to submit your own music.
The entire system is designed to stay inside a real music ecosystem instead of a pay to play environment.
Another key difference is how the platform handles fraud. The backend uses automated checks to verify that playlists are real and not bot driven. That means your music is far less likely to end up on a fake playlist that damages your data.
For a new or developing artist, this kind of ecosystem is often a better starting place than traditional pay per submission models. It encourages real engagement, real listeners, and real communities around playlists.
That does not mean other platforms are useless. It just means you should be thoughtful about where you spend your time and money.
The Real Goal of Pitching
Pitching is not about tricking your way onto playlists.
It is about finding the people who are already looking for something like what you made.
Who am I?
Where have I been?
Where am I going?
Why this song?
Why should you care?
If your pitch feels human, if it carries your fingerprints and a little bit of your story, it will stand out.
That is your only real shot.
Because at the end of the day, you are not pitching a song. You are giving someone a chance to care about one sound in the middle of an ocean of noise.
Your song is uploaded. Your links are live. Your profiles are set.
Now what?
Now you start real conversations with real people.
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