Taking Advantage of the Evil Empire
It is quite an ego boost to have a bunch of monthly listeners and plays on the streaming services (Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, et al). Unfortunately, the most widely used and the only one that allows you to pitch your songs is Spotify. Hence, it is the one that requires the most attention. It’s easy to put music up on these services, but it’s another thing to have listeners find you. Thanks to Aaron Rizzo, I have found an effective and relatively inexpensive way to grow an audience. The key is playlist curators.
When I released my new album, I was the proud owner of 3 monthly listeners, probably my kids. In other words, my marketing acumen was not all it could be. I found that introducing my work to playlist curators is an effective way to gain listeners. So, how do you get to these curators? Well, there are services that will submit your music to these services for nominal fees. I use one called SubmitHub which deals mostly with Spotify playlists. Since starting this process in the middle of July, I have grown my monthly listeners from 3 to 260 in about a 2 weeks. I have also received some very positive blog reviews from some of the curators.
SubmitHub is a website that allows you to scroll through a list of curators with information about what they are looking for, how many monthly listeners they have, their percentage of acceptance and sample songs that are already on their lists. You will be turned down by some to which you submit; the digital equivalent of walking Music Row. You can’t take it personally. But, the playlisters who work with SubmitHub all agree to listen and offer critique even if they reject the song. Most of the rejections I have had offer good feedback in a positive way and usually involve a lack of commonality with their vibe. So, how do you know which playlists will be right for your music? When you enter the information for the song you submit, you are asked for genre(s) that apply and mood, plus you can give a brief description of the track. You can also rely on the SubmitHub algorithm, which will suggest certain categories for you after analyzing the song. The cool thing about this particular approach is that it narrows your options to those which are more likely to accept you.
Now comes the hard part; scrolling through the playlists and deciding which ones to choose. The playlists that have the larger audiences usually cost a bit more, but the costs are nominal. I have submitted to roughly 20 playlists and I have spent about $30. I have more acceptance than rejection, but it is definitely a gamble. It’s best to do a mix of lists that have a high percentage of acceptance and those that reject more often. You can imagine what kind of music is sent to them on a daily basis. The average acceptance rate is roughly 20% of what they receive. Once you’re accepted by a list, it’s always good to reach out and thank them and share their playlist on social media, announcing your addition. Sit back and watch the listeners come to you. Pretty cool.
I must add that all of this work does not manifest in dollars because…Spotify. But, it can gain you followers which might lead to gigs in places you never thought of. The two playlists that gave me the most glowing blog reviews were in Spain and Greece. Gigs in Greece? Yes, thanks! But really, it is quite satisfying to have your songs appreciated and accepted and be given a sense of validation. It’s also fun to watch your listener numbers go up!
Currently, it’s not easy to pitch to Apple or Amazon. Their playlists are curated by an in-house staff. If you create accounts at Apple Music for Artists and Amazon Music for Artists, I believe you might be able to pitch, but they rely on numbers of followers and plays, so you have to be established or work with an agency before they will consider you. At least, that’s my understanding.
So, you won’t make any money, but your ego will be stroked and you might make friends with some influential curators. You might end up in Ibiza with a supermodel. I’m planning on being People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive next year. That may be an overreach. Maybe I’ll just look a little better in my mirror. Seriously, if you find yourself lost in the sea of millions of albums and songs, this is a good start in breaking out of the pack. 260 people may not sound like much in the scheme of things, but considering 257 of them found me in the last 2 weeks, I think there is value in the exercise. Let’s all band together and tackle this virtual world and take on the Evil Empire, Spotify!
John Cable 2024
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