Last time, I wrote an article with my personal thoughts about the addition in Spotify Editorial Playlists (in february 2022, with my first additions) :
8 months later, another editorial addition, with some new thoughts about it.
I want to share it with you, again.
The project behind the music selected
In September, I released an ambient music as a single, which will be a part of compilation of all my ambient musics with nature sounds released in 2022.
This single was "Self Empathy 2".
As the first "Self Empathy" was my most successful music on Spotify, (first release to reach the 100k streams), I took myself for Steven Spielberg and I imagined doing a sequel...
A friend of mine gave me this idea of a compilation.
On my Spotify page, he asked me : "What music can I listen to if I want relaxing musics?"
So, I had the idea to make a compilation with released musics and new tracks (or new versions).
3 minutes to sleep : a new version (nature sounds added) of this popular track (60k streams)
Self Empathy Night Version : the most listened ambient music (90k streams)
Water Therapy : I have changed the normalisation (the music is less loud)
Tocane : a new and unreleased music, with my own recording of the river at Tocane in France (24)
Counting to Nothing : an unedited version (soundscapes and nature sounds)
Serenity
Self Empathy 2 : the track will be released as a single 3 weeks before this album
Relax Time : I have reduced the sound volume
For sure, the idea was "brillantissime" (lol), that surely explains the add on the editorial playlist ! (lol again)
More seriously : here is the track "Self Empathy 2".
For the first time, I took the same image (as for Self Empathy), the same presentation. People will see more easily it is the sequel of the first music.
2. The great news : when and how?
Artists friends told me a track was able to be selected days or weeks after the release day (according to the number of streams the first days after the release date). But for me, it is always like this : Friday the music is released.
The live stats show me there are a lot of streams, more than I have usually.
But no indication the music has been added to an important playlist.
Saturday I had the begining of an answer thanks to forTunes (an application which tells you all the playlists additions for your musics - not only editorial ones).
Here is what Fortunes looks like.
"Forest Bathing" is a brand new playlist on Spotify (only 45 followers when I got the news).
So, on saturday I guess there is more than this new playlist to generate all these streams (about 300 per day).
On sunday morning I have the message on Spotify for artists and by mail : the second playlist is "Wild Ambience" and Self Empathy is added in top position !
Compared to my previous additions, this playlist is an editorial playlist, not
a personalized editorial playlist (which is different for people who are listening).
In this playlist, the first music is Self Empathy 2, for every listener everywhere in the world.
3. A single, then the album : good idea?
I didn't invent anything. A lot of artists / labels do this.
I tried it for the first time with "In Tenebris".
When the album was released, the title I pitched to editorial curators was added to an official spotify playlist (Coney Island, with opeNWave)
The album "Sleep Among Nature" was released Friday, October 14.
Fun fact, see what I saw on spotifyfor artists :
Almost a heart attack when I opened it !^^
Actually, since it's a compilation with titles already released, the application gives me the total number of plays since the release of each track already edited.
Saturday morning, I see on Fortunes that "Self Empathy Night Version" has been added to the editorial playlist "Forest Bathing", just 5 places after Self Empathy 2 !
So, this is the first time for me that an old music is added in a editorial several weeks after the release date ! (Here is another advantage to release compilations), and this isn't the music I have submitted to editorial curators ! (The music I have pitched was "3 minutes to sleep - Night Version).
=> So, curators listen to all the tracks when it is an album?
About the "Forest Bathing" playlist, we can notice there is only a spotify playlist which can have more listeners than followers !^^
With just 295 likes, it generates 347 different listeners per day !
Yes, people listen to this kind of playlist in background, maybe while they are sleeping lol. And Spotify shows their own playlists in the listener's recommandations.
4. And it's not finished !
Saturday afternoon, the great news : An addition in the playlist I wanted to be featured : "Meditate to the sounds of Nature" which counts over 700k followers !
The most important playlist in this genre.
And surprise, it isn't "3 minutes to sleep" (the music I pitched) but "Water Therapy", a new version of an existing music ! In position 19 !
Spotify for artists tell me there is 4 more playlists additions, but I don't see the others yet.
5. Conclusion
- Be spotted by editorial curators
I think (but maybe I am wrong), the most difficult is to be added the first time.
When we succeed, it is easier to be added again.
When I pitch, on the last page I can see (and the spotify curator too) all the editorial playlists where my musics are added. The curator can say : "ok, he's already on several editorial playlists".
And to be spotted, we need to be added to more and more influent curators before, in personal playlists which are listened by a lot of people.
- Use the single + album strategy
If we get the chance to have the single added, we can hope more additions with the upcoming album...
- Promote the other artists.
I am sure it helps to play this role of curator, because we make the spotify platform live and grow.
Spotify wants more and more listeners and users, so, curators, influencers on the web are its best promoters / advertisers.
- Understand and use the algorithms.
When I am added to a middle / important playlist, I aways stream my music in this playlist (4/5 tracks before, to 4/5 tracks after). That is the advice I give to artists who get their musics in my playlists. It tells to the algorithm : "ok, this music recently added generates some traffic".
The algorithm also told to me "You are the boss, man" but maybe I have dreamed it (not sure).
- The pre-save didn't help me
Only 1 presave for the album and single Self Empathy.
I stopped posting the pre-save links weeks ago. Visibly, it does not prevent to be added to editorial playlists.
Hope these new tips could be useful for you !
You can ask me what you want in the comments, I will try to answer you !
A bonus track on bandcamp (official release date : december 2022 !)
You can see an example in a previous post on the blog. Today I am not sure what we write is very important… I think we must see and think in a global way : music, project, world dimension, what we have to say ? To share? With this music? I hope it will help you. Again, you can read the previous post about it too.
Hey, thank you so much for this article. Concretely, what do you write when you pitch a track in Spotify for Artists? What is important to include?
Thanks for your answers. Alex