Seeking to attempt Spotify promotion and undecided which providers are value it? I personally tried 15 corporations to see which of them received actual outcomes. Primarily based on these campaigns, listed below are my high providers:

1. Indie Music Academy
2. Playlist Push
3. YouGrow
4. Partnered Promotions
5. Moonstrive Media
6. Daimoon Media
7. Omari MC
8. Playlist-Promotion
9. SubmitHub
10. Orion Promotion
11. SoundCampaign
12. SubmitLink
13. Groover

Every of the businesses up there supplied streams from actual folks, not bots. Whereas outcomes will range, I’d take into account every firm above to be legit.

That stated, the listing is fairly subjective; my ninth-ranked firm may’ve been the first-ranked firm, and so forth. Be at liberty to click on via and verify all of those providers out for your self. Additionally, heads-up that lots of the hyperlinks up there are affiliate hyperlinks, which implies that should you do click on certainly one of them and take a look at a marketing campaign, I’ll get a small fee.

I’m not going to lie – testing this many Spotify promotion providers was a wild trip.

It was full with some attention-grabbing ups and a few fairly unhappy downs (learn: a few corporations I attempted had been complete scams). Over the remainder of this publish, I’m going to unpack the whole lot I discovered. I don’t often present a desk of contents for my posts, however this one is lengthy sufficient that some kind of define is required.

Right here’s what I’ll be masking:

This may all be type of lots.

In the event you’re considering, “Yeah, that is beginning to really feel like a long-winded recipe weblog publish and I actually simply got here right here to select an organization that received’t rip-off me, to not learn your life story,” then simply click on right here and also you’ll skip to the half the place I break down every firm and marketing campaign on this listing.

However if you wish to know my life story (and “life story” is simply code for “issues I’ve discovered from working 15 campaigns,” not essentially the whole lot that’s occurred to me since 1992), then thanks – and preserve studying.

Let’s begin with the numbers.

Spotify promotion providers by the numbers

First up, right here’s the info from every marketing campaign that I ran.

An vital be aware to bear in mind as you evaluation these numbers is that every promotion ran with a distinct music from a distinct artist. I’m not an information scientist or a physician, and this isn’t a tutorial examine the place the whole lot was completely managed – type of the alternative, truly. So don’t pay an excessive amount of thoughts to minor variances. My objective right here is to indicate the larger image, not essentially to say which firm is finest on the premise of 1 marketing campaign.

With that stated, you may scroll via the spreadsheet under to see the entire numbers.

(And sorry… I couldn’t discover a prettier technique to embed the Google Sheet. However if you wish to test it out for your self, right here’s the hyperlink to view it in a brand new tab.)

Semi-important: I’ve put collectively a glossary of phrases to be sure you take the correct which means from that spreadsheet.

Click on right here to learn it (worthwhile if you wish to dig into the info and really perceive what it means).

And when you’ve performed that, let’s paint a few footage with the info.

Admittedly, Playlist-Promotion’s 62,000-stream marketing campaign (which I don’t view fairly as favorably as you may assume) type of warps how the info seems; the primary gridline on the Y-axis is at 25,000 streams, and no different firm even got here near that mark. So despite the fact that Omari MC generated ten occasions as many streams as SoundCampaign (1,246 vs. 188), the 2 campaigns appear like they share the identical dot.

Let’s check out the identical graph with out the outlier of the Playlist-Promotion marketing campaign.

You may type of get a way for the campaigns that basically labored and those that basically didn’t, and you’ll actually see how they stack up when it comes to gross value.

Right here’s a view that’s possibly much more useful:

As I’ll get into shortly, even Price Per Stream doesn’t inform the complete story, as a result of that quantity doesn’t take into consideration how related the streams are. You might have an extremely low Price Per Stream, but when it’s because of bots, it might truly be a adverse factor.

However the chart does allow you to see which campaigns had been inefficient. I believe you may draw the road proper after Omari MC – the whole lot to the left of that was comparatively reasonably priced, and the whole lot on the correct of that most likely wasn’t definitely worth the spend (though as I’ll clarify under, I believe that due to the mannequin they use, Groover and SoundCampaign even have excessive a reasonably excessive upside).

All proper, you’ve seen the info. Subsequent up, right here’s my listing of the highest corporations.

The highest Spotify promotion corporations

Consider, once more, that this listing is subjective. My first-ranked firm will not be the only option for you; I’d advocate clicking via and figuring out for your self which possibility you assume suits your objectives. I clearly haven’t ranked these providers by some easy metric like Price Per Stream or Estimated Whole Streams. As a substitute, I’ve simply tried to go by how I felt issues went, accounting for the truth that every marketing campaign used a distinct music and that there are just a few completely different promotional fashions in play.

Perhaps a greater technique to clarify my methodology: The next listing critiques my general perspective on every firm, slightly than providing some tried rating of every one-off marketing campaign.

I’ve supplied a short on every firm, just a few professionals and cons, and a fast breakdown on how every marketing campaign went. I’ve additionally written standalone critiques of most of those providers, in case you’re fascinated with studying extra a couple of particular one.

Okay, sufficient stated. First up:

The temporary on the corporate: Ryan Waczek (the founding father of IMA) works actually exhausting to generate high-engagement playlist placements and preserve an above-average hair aesthetic. His exhausting work exhibits in his leads to each areas.

One factor I actually admire about Indie Music Academy is the corporate’s clear communication about their course of and philosophy. Click on via to lots of the different websites listed right here, and despite the fact that they could do good work, lots of them don’t talk very effectively about how they do it. Usually, it’s exhausting to find out what’s actual and what’s simply jargon. Ryan’s white paper on his firm’s method to playlisting, alternatively, is without doubt one of the finest examples of clear considering and transparency that I’ve seen on this area.

The mannequin they use: Carried out-for-you pitching to a closed community of Search engine optimisation-built playlists. (See a breakdown of the completely different Spotify promotion fashions right here.)

The temporary on my marketing campaign with Indie Music Academy: I trialed a $537 marketing campaign that generated 12,079 streams from three highly-engaged playlists for a Price Per Stream of $0.04. Exterior of credited placements, attribution is troublesome, however this was an artist that began from near-scratch and ended up with 31,000 actual streams within the month after the marketing campaign. I believe it’s doubtless that just about all of these resulted from IMA’s work.

You may learn my full evaluation of an Indie Music Academy marketing campaign right here.

Professionals of Indie Music Academy

• They place you on extremely engaged, wholesome playlists.
• They’re comparatively reasonably priced on a cost-per-stream foundation.
• They’re very clear and I like the best way they give thought to playlisting.
• They provide a assured variety of streams, so any cash you spend will certainly get outcomes. (They don’t promise particular placements, they simply provide a refund in the event that they don’t hit their marketing campaign goal.)

Cons of Indie Music Academy

• Search engine optimisation-based playlists are much less more likely to be high-fit when it comes to style.
• Whereas they do comparatively effectively at a cost-per-stream degree, they’re costly when it comes to complete value; their entry bundle begins at $297.

The underside line: In the event you’re seeking to construct streaming numbers by way of playlisting and wish to be sure you actually are getting natural numbers, Indie Music Academy is a high possibility, and Ryan’s a stable man.

Give Indie Music Academy a attempt right here.

The temporary on the corporate: Playlist Push has, in my expertise, the best ceiling of any of the Spotify curator submission platforms. The reason being that they pay curators greater than opponents like SubmitHub, in order that they’re capable of entice greater playlists – and, not like fashions that provide assured streams, they received’t cease pitching once they attain their promised threshold. I’ve run two campaigns with them which have generated actually zero placements, however when a marketing campaign does do effectively, it has the potential to do very effectively.

On a semi-related be aware, I’ve run a number of campaigns with this firm which have coincided with a rise algorithmic exercise. I believe it’s because, generally, Playlist Push does a reasonably good job of producing high-fit playlist placements.

The mannequin they use: Carried out-for-you pitching to an open community of Spotify curators. (See a breakdown of the completely different Spotify promotion fashions right here.)

The temporary on my marketing campaign with Playlist Push: My most up-to-date marketing campaign with these guys value $289 and drove 7,915 streams throughout 13 playlists for a Price Per Stream of $0.04. It was for an artist that already had some streaming traction, which makes it harder to find out attribution, however we did see some Uncover Weekly streams are available shortly after working the marketing campaign.

You may learn my full evaluation of an earlier Playlist Push marketing campaign right here.

Professionals of Playlist Push

• I believe they most likely have the best ceiling out of any firm on this listing.
• In my expertise, they have a tendency to get high-fit placements.
• I’ve seen a number of campaigns with this firm which have correlated to longer-term algorithmic progress.

Cons of Playlist Push

• They provide no assure. The nice aspect of that is that they don’t cap outcomes at a sure threshold, however the draw back is that you may spend $300 or extra and get actually nothing again.
• Whilst you can see suggestions, you may have restricted potential to work together with curators – not like on SubmitHub or SoundCampaign, you may’t chat with them, so it’s tougher to ascertain relationships.

The underside line: Playlist Push doesn’t assure any outcomes, however they simply might need the best ceiling out of any firm on this listing. In the event you’ve by no means tried playlisting earlier than, chances are you’ll wish to begin with a lower-stakes spend (like SubmitHub or a mannequin the place a return is assured). However should you’re extremely assured that your music will do effectively by way of playlisting, Playlist Push may give you a ton of bang to your buck.

To attempt a marketing campaign with Playlist Push, click on right here.

(And should you use the code CXUFDQ2 you’ll get 7.5% off your first marketing campaign.)

The temporary on the corporate: YouGrow’s type of a do-it-all company; along with their Spotify playlisting, additionally they provide TikTok promotion (which I’ve reviewed right here), YouTube promotion (which I’ve reviewed in short right here), and Instagram influencer promotion (which I’ve reviewed right here). I’d take into account all of their providers to be professional, however truthfully, their Spotify promotion is my favourite factor they provide.

They’re good at it.

I’ve run a number of Spotify campaigns with them and have seen persistently stable outcomes. Their playlists are engaged, and whereas they don’t particularly say that they aim Search engine optimisation-built playlists, the overwhelming majority of the placements I’ve gotten with them have proven effectively in Spotify search.

Additionally, I’ve talked to a bunch of individuals on the firm and so they’ve all been good. In order that’s a degree of their favor.

The mannequin they use: Carried out-for-you pitching to a closed community of playlists. (See a breakdown of the completely different Spotify promotion fashions right here.)

The temporary on my marketing campaign with YouGrow: I’ve run a bunch of campaigns with these guys, however my most up-to-date value $247 and generated 15,797 streams throughout two playlists at a Price Per Stream of $0.02. This artist had some streaming traction already, however the marketing campaign supplied a pleasant bump. A plus was that the playlists had been first rate suits for the style of the music.

You may learn my full evaluation of the YouGrow Promo marketing campaign right here.

Professionals of YouGrow

• YouGrow is without doubt one of the most reasonably priced choices on a cost-per-stream foundation and one of many extra reasonably priced choices when it comes to complete value; their packages begin at simply $77.
• Their playlist community appears to be wholesome and engaged – whereas they don’t declare to concentrate on Search engine optimisation-built playlists, all of the lists I’ve seen are performing effectively in Spotify search.
• They provide assured streams. (They don’t assure particular placements, however they’ll pitch your music till they get outcomes.)
• Apparently they plant bushes if you purchase from them. I like bushes.

Cons of YouGrow

• The highest location for the music we promoted ended up being Brazil. In the event you’re tremendous with worldwide streams, that’s not likely a con. However should you’re targeted on so-called “Tier 1” nations, it is likely to be.
• Their campaigns have resulted in streams-per-listener numbers which might be decrease than I’d ideally wish to see. It’s not at a worrisome degree, however it might be improved.

The underside line: I’d take into account YouGrow Promo to be an excellent possibility should you’re a playlisting beginner. They don’t have the ceiling of Playlist Push and their playlist community isn’t my absolute favourite, however their lists are wholesome and also you don’t need to spend all that a lot to get a pleasant return of assured outcomes.

You may attempt a YouGrow Promo Spotify marketing campaign right here.

The temporary on the corporate: I hadn’t heard of Partnered Initiatives till early 2023, when Andrew Southworth advised me that he was working with them to run advert campaigns in tandem with playlisting campaigns. I’ve received a excessive opinion of Andrew, so I bookmarked these guys to take a look at. I ended up working a reasonably profitable marketing campaign with them and having an excellent dialog with Dalton, the founding father of the corporate.

From what I perceive, the company is an offshoot of Members Media, a advertising group geared towards larger-scale artists (assume: main labels) slightly than indie acts. Dalton confirmed me a few of the greater campaigns they’re working, and truthfully, I got here away impressed. But in addition, the large campaigns are actually costly.

The Partnered Initiatives model is the group’s shot at making an providing that up-and-coming artists can afford.

The mannequin they use: Carried out-for-you pitching to a closed community of playlists. (See a breakdown of the completely different Spotify promotion fashions right here.)

The temporary on my marketing campaign with Partnered Initiatives: I received a free trial of a marketing campaign that will’ve value $189. It resulted in two playlist placements that generated 10,275 streams at a Price Per Stream of $0.02. It’s exhausting to inform, however I believe the true variety of streams this marketing campaign precipitated is far increased; the observe was at round 3,000 streams after being out for a yr, and after a month of playlisting, it reached 23,000 streams because of a bunch of non-credited playlist provides.

I’ll have a full evaluation of the Partnered Initiatives marketing campaign up quickly. For now, my general takeaway is that I used to be impressed with their work.

Professionals of Partnered Initiatives

• They’re reasonably priced at a cost-per-stream degree and when it comes to complete value; packages begin at round $50.
• You don’t pay till they’ve authorised your music. I’m an enormous fan of that method.
• They provide a minimal assured variety of streams. (They don’t promise particular lists, however they’ll pitch till they get sufficient placements.)

Cons of Partnered Initiatives

• They reject lots of songs. (They rejected the primary music I attempted to ship them.) This isn’t actually a con when it comes to outcomes, to be honest, as a result of it ensures they’re solely working with artists they might help. However it’s a con to your possibilities of working with them.
• I don’t wish to generalize this, as a result of issues range from marketing campaign to marketing campaign, however I do wish to be aware that the algorithmic traction from my trial marketing campaign has been decrease than I’d anticipated.

The underside line: In the event you get accepted by this firm, you’ll get to work with a workforce that has a ton of Spotify advertising expertise. These guys are legit.

You may take a look at Partnered Initiatives right here.

The temporary on the corporate: Moonstrive Media is without doubt one of the newer gamers within the Spotify promotion area (they’ve solely been providing their service beneath this brandname for a few years), however that truth belies their expertise. As Janik from the corporate advised me, the workforce at Moonstrive has truly been resold by different playlisting corporations for some time, because of the energy of their Search engine optimisation-based playlist community.

And that’s the important thing worth these guys provide: Moonstrive solely offers placements on Search engine optimisation-built playlists. Different corporations on this listing blur that Search engine optimisation line a bit, however in speaking with Janik, it’s clear that he genuinely believes within the worth of it as a playlisting method. I respect that – and I’ve seen it work.

The mannequin they use: Carried out-for-you pitching to a closed community of Search engine optimisation-built playlists. (See a breakdown of the completely different fashions right here.)

The temporary on my marketing campaign with Moonstrive Media: I received a free trial of a bundle that will’ve value $339. It resulted in 16,934 streams throughout 10 playlists for a Price Per Stream of $0.02. Whereas not the entire playlists had been as focused genre-wise as I might’ve preferred, they had been all wholesome and solidly engaged, and so they all ranked in Spotify search outcomes.

You may learn my full evaluation of the Moonstrive Media marketing campaign right here.

Professionals of Moonstrive Media

• Their Search engine optimisation-built lists are wholesome and extremely engaged.
• They’re reasonably priced on a cost-per-stream foundation and on a complete value foundation. (Packages begin at $134.)
• They assure you’ll get on playlists which have a sure complete variety of followers. (They don’t assure particular placements.)

Cons of Moonstrive Media

• Search engine optimisation-built playlists are typically less-targeted towards particular genres.
• They’re not the most effective at speaking about their work ha. Janik admitted that he thinks that is the largest problem they’re going through; he thinks their outcomes evaluate favorable to anybody, however stated that they’ve all the time struggled to market themselves successfully.

The underside line: I like that Janik and his workforce follow their weapons in concentrating on Search engine optimisation-built playlists. Whereas I believe the method has its drawbacks, I additionally assume it’s a great way to guarantee that playlists are wholesome. All in all, Moonstrive Media is a stable possibility.

You may give Moonstrive Media a attempt right here.

The temporary on the corporate: Daimoon Media is an organization that doesn’t function the phrases “develop” or “playlist” or “promotion” of their identify, which, on this area, is a daring transfer. Don’t fear, although. Daimoon Media does provide playlist pitching (along with YouTube promotion and Soundcloud promotion). And, based mostly on my expertise, they do it effectively.

In my expertise, they’re finest at working with extra mainstream genres – assume pop, EDM, hip hop, or rock – and so they’re most likely the most effective match for artists who wish to construct a world viewers. But when these two qualifiers describe you, then they’re value trying out.

The mannequin they use: Carried out-for-you pitching to a closed community of playlists. (See a breakdown of the completely different fashions right here.)

The temporary on my marketing campaign with Daimoon Media: I’m truly in progress with my newest marketing campaign, and I’ll be updating this bit with extra precise stats when that’s completed. However a earlier marketing campaign generated about 30,000 streams over three months, all from wholesome playlists.

You may learn the evaluation of the earlier marketing campaign right here.

Professionals of Daimoon Media

• Whereas they don’t particularly goal Search engine optimisation-built lists, lots of their playlists do carry out effectively in Spotify search outcomes.
• Relatedly, all of the lists I’ve seen from them are wholesome and engaged.
• They’ve reasonably priced entry-level packages (the bottom begins at $57).

Cons of Daimoon Media

• As with different Search engine optimisation-focused corporations, they don’t all the time generate the highest-fit placements when it comes to style.
• They drive a excessive proportion of worldwide streams. (This isn’t a con should you’re constructing a world viewers, clearly.) They’re based mostly within the Netherlands, so it is sensible.
• I had a bizarre fee subject with them the place their system wouldn’t course of my bank card. I talked to Tom, the founder, and he stated that occurs to lower than 1% of shoppers as a result of system they use. Their workforce ended up taking fee by way of bill, so it labored out, however I figured I’d be aware it.

The underside line: Daimoon Media is one other firm that has a stable community of largely Search engine optimisation-built, wholesome lists. In the event you’re in a mainstream style and are fascinated with producing worldwide traction, they’re a stable possibility.

You may attempt a marketing campaign with Daimoon Media right here.

The temporary on the corporate: It’s possible you’ll be accustomed to Omari should you’ve ever used the web – the man is in every single place on-line, and it’s not an accident. Omari’s one of many playlisting OGs. Really, his was the primary Spotify promotion service I ever tried, again after I was satisfied I may rap and play the ukulele. (I’ve since found I can do neither.)

I’ve talked to Omari just a few occasions over Zoom, and I’ve all the time come away impressed by his wide selection of music advertising data. His workforce works on just about each advertising channel beneath the solar, and so they work with a powerful quantity of purchasers every month. There’s no denying that they know their stuff.

The mannequin they use: Carried out-for-you pitching to an open community of playlists. (See a breakdown of the completely different fashions right here.)

The temporary on my marketing campaign with Omari MC: My most up-to-date marketing campaign with Omari value $147 and resulted in 11 playlist placements and 1,246 streams for a Price Per Stream of $0.12. That’s on the upper finish of the spectrum, particularly for closed-network corporations that promise some degree of outcomes. Engagement charges had been slightly under common, too, however the playlists had been professional.

You may learn my evaluation of an earlier marketing campaign with Omari MC right here.

Professionals of Omari MC

• One of many OGs on this area. This firm has run a ton of campaigns; they know what they’re doing.
• I really feel like Omari just about coined the time period “natural streams” ha, and it’s honest to say that his playlists are wholesome and never constructed with bots.
• They’re comparatively reasonably priced to get began with; their entry-level bundle is $77.

Cons of Omari MC

• Outcomes will range, however my final three campaigns with Omari have generated comparably excessive prices per stream. None of them has crested 5,000 streams, both.
• They don’t settle for “express” songs. Truthfully, I don’t assume this can be a con (I respect that Omari sticks to what he believes) however should you’re making express music, it’s a con to your possibilities of working with the corporate.

The underside line: I don’t imply this in an offensive approach ha – I take into account Omari MC to be just like the Walmart of Spotify promotion. They’ve been round for some time, they’re not notably thrilling, they provide slightly little bit of the whole lot to lots of people, and the standard possibly isn’t what you’d get should you spent twice as a lot.

But in addition, you already know precisely what you’re going to get.

In the event you’re fascinated by attempting promotion for the primary time and wish one thing low-risk, these guys are an excellent possibility.

You may attempt a marketing campaign with Omari MC right here.

The temporary on the corporate: In the event you appeared on the graphics up there, you most likely seen that Playlist-Promotion drove an absurd quantity of streams (about 62,000, which was far and away probably the most from any marketing campaign). They focus primarily on Search engine optimisation-built lists and there’s no denying that they will get tremendous spectacular outcomes – but in addition, some context is important.

The mannequin they use: Carried out-for-you pitching to an open community of playlists. (See a breakdown of the completely different fashions right here.)

The temporary on my marketing campaign with Playlist-Promotion: The corporate provided me a free trial of their “100K follower attain” bundle, which might usually have value $350. The marketing campaign resulted in 23 playlist placements that drove 62,939 streams at a Price Per Stream of $0.01. Once more, this was by far probably the most reasonably priced marketing campaign on a per-stream degree, and it was additionally by far probably the most streams I noticed from any marketing campaign.

So yeah… it labored.

However I’m additionally fairly satisfied that the outcomes my marketing campaign acquired aren’t consultant of what artists ought to count on, on common, from this firm.

Right here’s why: The bundle I trialed guarantees 3-10 playlist placements with an estimated supply of 8,000 to twenty,000 streams – but our music was positioned on 23 playlists totaling 1.5M followers. Usually, the companies that work on this mannequin cap a marketing campaign when it reaches the correct variety of playlists, however these guys supplied an unimaginable surplus on anticipated supply. And I believe it’s as a result of the corporate knew I’d be writing a evaluation of the expertise. I don’t blame them for proving their chops, however I’m additionally uncertain that my expertise was regular.

Make of it what you’ll. One factor you may’t deny is that these guys have large playlists that may drive a powerful quantity of streams.

You may learn my full evaluation of the Playlist-Promotion marketing campaign right here.

Professionals of Playlist-Promotion

• As I stated, there’s no denying these guys have very energetic playlists. All of the lists appeared wholesome, too.
• On a associated be aware, this firm supplied probably the most streams I’ve ever straight acquired from a playlisting marketing campaign. Respect.

Cons of Playlist-Promotion

• As talked about a number of occasions on this publish, large Search engine optimisation-based playlists have a tendency to not be the tightest style suits.
• Perhaps this shouldn’t be a con, however the marketing campaign was virtually too good. Whereas these guys actually have the aptitude to ship, I wish to be aware that you simply most likely shouldn’t count on the identical outcomes that I acquired.

The underside line: Whereas I don’t assume my unimaginable outcomes from Playlist-Promotion are typical, there’s no denying that these guys have the aptitude to supply excessive numbers of streams from wholesome playlists. With campaigns beginning at $250, they’re on the higher-priced aspect of the spectrum, however they actually have the firepower to again that up.

You may attempt a marketing campaign with Playlist-Promotion right here.

9. SubmitHub

The temporary on the corporate: I’ve received SubmitHub down right here at quantity 9, however they’re primary in my coronary heart. In the event you’re simply getting began with Spotify playlisting, that is most likely the primary firm I’d attempt.

That stated, these guys are far more than a Spotify promotion firm; they’re what I consider as a “music submission platform.” You pay for credit that assure curators will hearken to your music, permitting you to get weblog write-ups, influencer placements, and a bunch of different stuff. (Relatedly, as of 2023, I take into account SubmitHub the gold customary for indie press campaigns.)

On the Spotify aspect of issues, particularly, they boast a big community of about 800 curators, most of whom run extremely focused playlists slightly than large, Search engine optimisation-built lists. That’s by design – Jason Grishkoff, the founder, believes that the purpose of playlisting must be to coach Spotify’s algorithm with reasonable numbers of focused listens, slightly than to generate large spikes in streams from a broader viewers and threat muddying your knowledge.

The mannequin they use: Do-it-yourself pitching to an open community of Spotify curators – though Jason needs me to inform you that you could additionally hit a button to make it extra of a done-for-you expertise. (See a breakdown of the completely different fashions right here.)

The temporary on my marketing campaign with SubmitHub: I’ve run a ton of campaigns on SubmitHub; some have labored rather well and a few have generated subsequent to nothing. However the marketing campaign I’ve listed on the spreadsheet above value $120 and resulted in 9 playlist placements and 1,130 streams for a Price Per Stream of $0.11.

And since I received to hand-select every curator and playlist that I pitched, every of these 9 placements was a really related style match.

You may learn our full evaluation of SubmitHub right here.

Professionals of SubmitHub

• I believe this platform might be the one finest technique to goal high-genre-match playlist placements.
• It’s actually reasonably priced to get began with SubmitHub. Jason recommends attempting a small pattern of curators to check whether or not your music will resonate earlier than leaping into an even bigger spend, which implies that, for like $20, you can begin to see outcomes.
• I believe that is most likely probably the most clear playlist pitching platform on this planet. Every little thing you’d care to see a couple of curator is on show.

Cons of SubmitHub

• The most important knock towards SubmitHub is that the curators with the largest playlists are inclined to gravitate towards different platforms, as a result of SubmitHub doesn’t pay as a lot per evaluation as a few of the different networks on this listing. Which means it’s very uncommon to see a marketing campaign that leads to tens of hundreds of streams.
• It’s slightly extra time-consuming to pitch on SubmitHub than it’s to pay a done-for-you pitching service. (However should you care about genre-fit, it’s definitely worth the little bit of additional effort.)

The underside line: That is most likely the most effective firm to get began with should you’ve by no means performed playlist pitching earlier than. It’s additionally most likely the most effective playlist pitching platform for coaching Spotify on the style of your music.

That’s as a result of campaigns begin at super-affordable prices, and you’ll select to focus on solely the lists on which you wish to be included. Ethical of the story: In the event you can stand to listen to some tone-deaf suggestions from curators, there’s actually no purpose to not give SubmitHub a shot.

If you wish to give SubmitHub a shot your self, click on right here (the place you’ll get a ten%-off coupon on us).

10. Orion Promotion

The temporary on the corporate: Orion Promotion is without doubt one of the corporations I attempted for the primary time in early 2023 as a part of this experiment. They function equally to Playlist Push and SoundCampaign through the use of an open community of Spotify curators, the place you’ll see suggestions in your music because it’s pitched. In contrast to on SoundCampaign, you may’t reply to curators straight.

I’ve had no private interplay with the folks at this firm, however my expertise as a buyer was fairly easy and satisfying – placements got here in shortly, the portal was simple to make use of, and the outcomes had been stable.

The mannequin they use: Carried out-for-you pitching to an open community of Spotify curators. (See a breakdown of the completely different fashions right here.)

The temporary on my marketing campaign with Orion Promotion: I spent $209 with this firm and acquired seven playlist placements that introduced in a complete of three,031 streams for a Price Per Stream of $0.07. The playlists appeared to be constructed with US listeners and so they had been within the broad vary of the music’s style.

You may learn my full evaluation of the marketing campaign with Orion Promotion right here.

Professionals of Orion Promotion

• They’re comparatively reasonably priced when it comes to complete value; my marketing campaign was a “premier” promotion and solely value $209 (which wouldn’t get you within the door at Playlist Push).
• The streams and playlists appear professional. Every of the 9 playlists had a wholesome progress curve and gave the impression to be bot-free.

Cons of Orion Promotion

• Their playlists are targeted predominately towards mainstream music. Their setup wizard requires that you choose certainly one of 5 mainstream genres; not like on SubmitHub and even Playlist Push, there’s little room for nuance.

The underside line: Orion Promotion is a good possibility should you’re in search of an open curator community however don’t wish to spend as a lot as you’d be required to on Playlist Push. You’ll get a broad-level style match, particularly should you’re making mainstream music, and as on different open networks, you’re unlikely to be capped at a preset variety of placements, so the potential for a homerun is increased.

You may attempt a marketing campaign with Orion Promotion right here.

11. SoundCampaign

The temporary on the corporate: SoundCampaign is an up-and-coming playlist pitching firm constructed on the open community idea.

I hadn’t heard of them earlier than 2022, however I’ve heard a good bit of hype on them extra not too long ago, so I made a decision to provide them a spin as a part of my experiment. Nadav, the founding father of the corporate, has reached out to me a few occasions, however we haven’t been capable of join but. From what I’ve seen from the skin and as a buyer, although, I like their method.

Whereas I don’t have them within the high half of the listing for the time being, this can be a firm I believe might be value watching over the following few years.

The mannequin they use: Carried out-for-you pitching to an open community of Spotify curators. (See a breakdown of the completely different fashions right here.)

The temporary on my marketing campaign with SoundCampaign: I spent $188 on SoundCampaign to focus on an estimated 21 curators. That yielded two playlist placements that drove 188 streams for a Price Per Stream of $0.82 (which was the best Price Per Stream out of the entire corporations I attempted).

The outcomes had been mediocre, however I believe this firm has potential as a result of their mannequin is powerful. You may see my full evaluation of the SoundCampaign expertise right here.

Professionals of SoundCampaign

• Their playlists seem like legit – wholesome and constructed with actual listeners.
• There’s the potential to hit a homerun with this playlisting mannequin.
• I like that you could reply to curator suggestions on this platform. It’s a pleasant step towards extra significant relationships.

Cons of SoundCampaign

• I don’t assume my mediocre outcomes must be taken as some overarching verdict on the platform, as a result of issues range wildly from music to music – however nonetheless, my outcomes had been fairly mediocre, in order that’s received to be a con.

The underside line: As with different open-network platforms, SoundCampaign gives the possibility to hit a homerun with a playlisting marketing campaign, since they (ostensibly) received’t cap your pitches when you hit a sure variety of placements. As a result of my very own marketing campaign outcomes had been mediocre, I’ve a tough time rating them alongside trade heavyweights like Playlist Push. However nonetheless, I like this firm, and I believe they’re value keeping track of.

You may attempt a SoundCampaign promotion for your self by clicking right here.

12. SubmitLink

The temporary on the corporate: If SoundCampaign and Orion Promotion are challengers to Playlist Push, then SubmitLink is a challenger to SubmitHub. Consider it as SubmitHub Lite, however geared particularly towards Spotify playlist curators. As on SubmitHub, you pay for credit and get to handpick which curators you wish to ship your music to, with the assure that they’ll pay attention and reply.

Whereas it’s not an enormous participant within the area but, I’m a fan of SubmitLink, partly as a result of I’ve talked to Aaron, the founder on the firm, and admire his ethos. Like Jason at SubmitHub, it’s clear that Aaron is engaged on this as a labor of affection. He’s consistently making enhancements and soliciting suggestions, and it exhibits within the progress of the platform over the previous a number of years.

The mannequin they use: Do-it-yourself pitching to an open community of Spotify curators. (See a breakdown of the completely different fashions right here.)

The temporary on my marketing campaign with SubmitLink: This was my least expensive marketing campaign when it comes to complete value; I paid $27 and acquired two playlist placements that introduced in 467 streams at a Price Per Stream of $0.06. We received a good bump in algorithmic traction after the marketing campaign, too.

I’ll have a full evaluation of my marketing campaign with SubmitLink posted right here quickly.

Professionals of SubmitLink

• Like with SubmitHub, you may handpick which curators you pitch, so you may make sure you get high-genre-match placements.
• It’s tremendous reasonably priced to get began – my marketing campaign value $27.
• This can be a very clear platform; you get lots of element on the curators and playlists.

Cons of SubmitLink

• The most important con is that SubmitLink’s curator community simply isn’t that large but. You may solely pitch so many individuals right here, and there aren’t as many area of interest style suits as there are on SubmitHub. However the platform is rising, so that is changing into much less of a weak spot over time.

The underside line: That is one other nice possibility should you’re getting began with playlisting, since you don’t need to pay a lot and also you get to handpick the curators to which you’re pitched, so the chance of dangerous knowledge is low. Think about using this as a complement to a SubmitHub marketing campaign; spend $20 on each platforms and also you’ll nonetheless come out under what you’d spend with most different corporations on this listing.

You may click on right here to attempt a SubmitLink marketing campaign for your self.

13. Groover

The temporary on the corporate: Groover is one other music submission platform the place you should purchase credit to submit your music to blogs, playlist curators, and music trade professionals. Two Euros will get you two credit, that are good for one submission. The corporate was based in 2018, and so they’ve grown quickly since then, with an particularly spectacular presence in Europe.

As with SubmitHub, I used to be initially hesitant to qualify Groover as a service, seeing as they function on an analogous credit-based mannequin. However, as earlier than, I’ve determined to screw the semantics.

The mannequin they use: Do-it-yourself pitching to an open community of Spotify curators – though you can too use pre-sets that make it extra of a done-for-you expertise. (See a breakdown of the completely different fashions right here.)

The temporary on my marketing campaign with Groover: I’ve run a number of campaigns with Groover, however my most up-to-date marketing campaign value $273.59 and resulted in 18 playlist placements and 460 streams for a Price Per Stream of $0.59.

You may learn my full evaluation of a earlier Groover marketing campaign right here.

One be aware on the expertise: Within the aftermath of the marketing campaign, the music received auto-added to a playlist by WAVR.AI that seems to be constructed with bots. This isn’t Groover’s fault; the 2 corporations aren’t affiliated in any approach. For what it’s value, WAVR appears to be an organization that scrapes different playlists to be a focus for artists by boosting their streams.

Once more, not Groover’s duty – I’ve seen DistroKid artists who haven’t used Groover get added to WAVR lists, too – however it’s a quirk value noting. Right here’s hoping Spotify takes WAVR down quickly.

Professionals of Groover

• Their submission course of is admittedly streamlined. In the event you’re the type of one that finds SubmitHub’s filter complicated, chances are you’ll like Groover’s course of higher. The management is rather less granular, however it’s a really fast and clear setup.
• There are good curators on the platform – and there are lots of curators on the platform. (I’m not fully certain, however in talking with lots of the corporations on this listing, I believe that when it comes to the sheer variety of curators Groover is probably going the biggest submission platform on this planet.)

Cons of Groover

• As I famous with SubmitHub, these platforms don’t pay curators as a lot per evaluation, so greater curators usually go elsewhere.
• You don’t have lots of potential to filter by the style of your music. Whilst you can nonetheless comb via for good playlist suits, this makes it slightly tougher.
• The curator community leans European, which, after all, shouldn’t technically be a con, however must be meals for thought should you’re in search of progress in different geographies.

The underside line: I’d use Groover should you’re a European-based artist in search of focused placements or should you’re seeking to complement a SubmitHub marketing campaign and attain different curators. Whereas this isn’t my high possibility for a excessive variety of streams, this can be a rising platform that has all kinds of curators, and you will get began with a small spend and little threat.

In the event you’re fascinated with giving Groover a shot, you are able to do that right here.

(And you should utilize the code TWOSTORYMELODYVIP to get a ten% low cost.)

Okay, full disclosure – that is my firm’s providing, so it’s admittedly biased. I run an company known as Two Story Media the place we provide Spotify promotion, and I believe we do it fairly effectively.

Our main providing is completely different from those described above in that, as a substitute of specializing in playlist pitching, we’re working focused advert campaigns on Instagram and Fb. The upside of this method is that we’re capable of generate engaged streams from individuals who have demonstrated an energetic curiosity in your music.

Advertisements aren’t essentially for everybody; playlisting tends to be extra cost-efficient. However I additionally assume it’s inherently extra dangerous (and I break why each of these issues are true on the gross sales web page for our service).

You may click on right here to see the way it works and apply to run a marketing campaign.

Double Bonus: Two Free Playlisting Platforms

Let’s finish with a few free choices, in case you’re not able to put down cash (which is comprehensible). Word: Whereas you will get placements with the providers under, I’ve been advised that lots of the lists on free providers get few if any streams; I believe that it’s most likely as a result of, for curators, the incentives for constructing wholesome lists aren’t as sturdy (and a few curators could even be attempting to make use of these platforms as stepping stones to paid networks).

Price being conscious of, however doesn’t imply submission isn’t value it.

Soundplate

With Soundplate, you submit your tracks to playlists and watch for the playlist curators to provide the large thumbs up or down. It’s value mentioning that your tracks aren’t assured to land on the playlists to which you submit. In the event you take the bulk-approach and undergo a bunch of viable playlists, likelihood is your tracks will safely arrive on at the least just a few well-trafficked playlists.

However be warned: this service is free, and for just a few good causes. Soundplate doesn’t provide any steerage, assist, or session should you resolve to make use of their platform. The submission course of can also be recognized to be clunky at occasions. However should you like free stuff, it’s value an excellent ole’ school attempt.

Every day Playlists

Every day Playlists, like Soundplate, is free. Merely add your music’s Spotify URL, manually choose the a number of playlists you wish to undergo, and comply with these playlists to finalize your submissions.

It’s free, painless, and could end in extra performs, followers, and all-around publicity. Or not.

However once more, it’s free.

Firms You Ought to Most likely Keep away from

As we wrap up our listing of really helpful providers, I wish to shut with a phrase of warning: The unhappy reality is that there are some complete scams on the market. As you most likely know, a subsection of promo corporations depend on bots and click on farms to drive streams; in early 2021, these providers doubtless contributed to a bunch of songs being de-listed from Spotify. Watch out. Even worse, there are some pages arrange that may take your cash and ship nothing.

Right here’s a fast suggestion: Don’t pay for a service till you’ve had communication with that service. Ensure you hear again from an individual earlier than you ship them your cash. (This isn’t all the time attainable, however in my view, it’s the perfect.) And with that in thoughts, I wish to provide just a few extra particular warnings.

These are Spotify promotion corporations you need to keep away from:

Music Diffusion

This firm was one of many 15 I attempted initially of 2023. Sadly, they had been by far the obvious rip-off out of any marketing campaign I’ve seen up to now.

I’ve received a full evaluation of the expertise up right here, however right here’s the abstract: The music I examined was positioned on 5 playlists. All the lists had been owned by Music Diffusion, and so they all confirmed indicators of bot exercise. Worst of all, the streaming knowledge that our placements generated in Spotify for Artists appeared completely faux.

We ended up cancelling the marketing campaign a couple of week after we began it to attempt to decrease the harm. I’d advocate you cancel yours proper now, earlier than you begin.

Musicvertising

This firm was additionally one of many 15 I attempted – and so they had been by far probably the most complicated.

Lengthy-story-short, the marketing campaign we ran with them resulted in super-suspicious spikes in Spotify followers. For a interval of a couple of week, followers jumped up by the very same quantity every day. Just a few weeks later, they spiked again down suddenly.

In case you’re questioning, that’s not how regular progress occurs.

The streaming knowledge wasn’t as clearly faux as Music Diffusion’s outcomes, although, so I truly went backwards and forwards with them slightly bit to attempt to determine what was happening. The rep from the corporate insinuated that they use Taboola adverts to drive visitors to Spotify. I’m undecided, however my guess is that they’re working these adverts on the broadest geographic goal, in order that impressions get funneled to nations the place the clicks are the most cost effective – and often the place the clicks are the most cost effective, there are bot farms.

So, though they declare that they’re utilizing a legit type of promoting (and I suppose it’s attainable that they may not be working botted Spotify accounts themselves), the result is principally the identical.

My suggestion: Avoid them.

SpotiPromo

We initially had SpotiPromo within the sixth spot, based mostly on analysis we had been capable of do on the time. In the event you click on over to their website, you’ll see why – they appear slick, they provide geo-targeting, and so they have a wealth of seemingly-real critiques. However I’ve since gotten just a few emails just like the one under:

I purchased a bundle from them 3 weeks in the past, however it appears to be a faux as nonetheless no outcomes and so they haven’t replied to my 6 emails to all their emails, fb and insta web page.

So, with that stated, please be cautious about working with this service.

Artist Push

An earlier model of this text additionally listed Artist Push, however I’ve gotten a number of feedback suggesting that they’ve didn’t ship on campaigns (see under within the feedback ha). I haven’t had private expertise with this firm, however based mostly on what I’ve heard, I’d say proceed with warning – most likely get in contact with somebody earlier than paying, at the least.

Artist Sounds

I’ve solely gotten one e mail criticizing Artist Sounds, however that’s nonetheless an excessive amount of for me to advocate them as a service. In the event you’ve had an analogous (or a distinct and extra constructive) expertise with this firm, attain out and let me know.

The several types of Spotify promotion

In the event you’ve learn this far, congratulations – you’re both extremely devoted to your craft or you may have an excessive amount of time in your arms. Perhaps each. Regardless, I admire you.

1. Spotify’s Promoting Instruments

The most secure technique to construct a presence on Spotify is to make use of the instruments that the platform itself offers for artists. This consists of stuff like:

• Marquee (pay to indicate a brand new launch to your personal followers once they open the app)
• Discovery Mode (give Spotify a fee

2. Off-Platform Promoting

3. Spotify Playlisting