How to Get Your Music on a Spotify Playlist

Most of the population now uses Spotify to find new artists, songs and to stream playlists. So if you are an artist new to the music industry, getting your song on Spotify is almost vital to be noticed not only by listeners but also by big labels.

Check out Jony Studios blog How to Get Your Music on Spotify to learn more about the process of getting your song on Spotify.

However, the question: how will your potential fans find you, still remains answered. 

The answer: playlists on Spotify.

Spotify and big labels create playlists on Spotify that have millions of followers. These playlists have songs from various artists on them and getting your song on any one of these playlists can be a game-changer for your music career.

So how do you get your music on a Spotify playlist?

This blog will give you a few tips on how you can have your song featured on one of these playlists.

Go straight to Spotify

In order to get your music on a Spotify Playlist, you HAVE to have a Spotify for Artists account. 

Not only will getting a Spotify for Artists account help you pitch your song to a Spotify Playlist, but it also has numerous useful tools to monitor the success of your songs/albums. It has tools to analyse how your song is doing which can help you improve your marketing campaign. 

All you have to do is go to ‘Upcoming’ on your Spotify for Artist dashboard and submit a release to a playlist.

However, there are a few restrictions/rules you’ll need to follow:

• The track must be unreleased

• It has to be submitted 7 days prior to its release date but the sooner you submit the request, the chances of your song being selected increases

• You can only submit one track

• You need to submit specifications such as genre, mood, instrumentation and whether it's a cover or original.

Pitch to independent playlist owners

A lot of popular playlists aren’t owned by Spotify. They are made by big labels or individuals who have garnered a huge following.

You can search for playlists on Spotify that fit your song (genre, sound, mood, etc.), note down the owner of the playlist and Google them to find their contact or social media account.

It is a good practice to make an excel sheet of everyone you are thinking of contacting. You can use this template created by Jony Studios. 

While emailing your leads, make sure to be polite and provide as much information you can about your song with a link to your song.

SPOTIFY DISCOVER WEEKLY & RELEASE RADAR

Another form of playlist that exists on Spotify is Release Radar and Discover Weekly playlists.

These playlists are unique to every user. You might have seen one yourself if you have a Spotify account. 

They are created by Spotify’s algorithms and are based on people who follow you. 

Getting on one of these playlists is pretty easy. All you have to do is encourage your listeners and fans to follow your account on Spotify. Every time you release a new song, it appears on your followers’ Release Radar playlist. Release Radar has been known to generate more streams than any of Spotify’s self-curated playlists.

Discover Weekly playlists are a bit different.

This playlist is updated every week on Monday and is based on the listeners taste in music. Spotify listens to the kind of music you are listening to and creates a playlist based on the kind of songs you like but may not have heard before.

So how do you get on these playlists?

• Release music regularly as your chances of showing up on either one of the playlists increases with the increase in the number of songs you release.

• Promote your songs everywhere not just on Spotify. Don’t only focus on Spotify, keep doing live performances and releasing songs on other platforms. Your fans will find you on Spotify if they want to.

How to get your song on Discover Weekly?

•  Get your songs on other playlists so when listeners stumble across your song, it might just show up on their Discover Weekly playlist. This playlist uses data from everything a user does from which songs they are listening to, who they follow, which playlists they follow, user’s private and public playlists, etc.

• Build engagement around your music by producing songs with a high standard. It will do your song no good if listeners skip your song due to poor quality/music standard.

How to get your song on Release Radar?

• Get your fans to follow you on Spotify since Release Radar playlists are created using users’ followers.

• Make sure to direct your fans to Spotify whenever you release a new song so they can give you a follow.

Bonus Tips? Yes, please!

So. You got your song on a Spotify Playlist. Are you done?

Nope!

If you want the best possible chance to blow up on Spotify, here are a few tips you should follow:

Have everyone follow your account

The more followers you have, the more seriously Spotify will take you.

So every time you release a song/album or direct your fans to your Spotify, make sure to encourage them to give you a follow.

Have a complete profile

Make sure your Spotify for Artists account is completed and updated regularly by adding social media links,  bio, upcoming tour dates and more.

This makes you seem more legitimate on the platform which in turn gets curators to take you more seriously as an artist thus increasing your chances of being considered to be on a playlist.

DIRECT YOUR FANS TO SPOTIFY

Spotify’s ultimate goal like any other business is to get as many people on their app as possible.

So the more people you bring to Spotify from “off-platform”, the chances of you being featured on a playlist increase. Spotify’s algorithm recognises your contribution to bringing in more listeners and awards you by featuring your songs on their playlists.

Share your Spotify link as much as you can on as many platforms as you can!

SHARE the playlists you get featured on

Share any and every playlist big or small you get featured on, on your social media accounts.

This does two things: it generates more traffic on Spotify and shows listeners the high standard of your music for getting featured on a playlist.

You should also ensure to tag the playlist’s curator on your post as well. This shows to them you are thankful and builds a relationship with them.

Create playlists of your own

Discover Weekly algorithm takes every playlist into consideration. So if you make a playlist of your own, even if it has a few followers, featuring your songs, your chances of being featured in a Discover Weekly playlist increases.

Another way this could be beneficial is: you could build a playlist with a huge following on your own. This takes a lot of time but your playlist could potentially become a playlist, up and coming artists request to be on.

Conclusion

Spotify is an amazing platform for up and coming artists or artists new to the industry. Not oly does it give easy access to your fans but it could also help in garnering a huge fan base by being featured on playlists on Spotify.

I hope this blog helps you in your musical journey to success!

- By Neha Agarwala

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If you need further help creating your own music, we offer music production services that will help you elevate your sound and bring your song to life!

We look forward to being a part of your success.

Contact us here to get started.

6 Mistakes to Avoid as a Musician

Writing your own music can be daunting, as many different problems can arise. The entire process of writing, producing, and recording your own music can be frustrating, and great ideas can dwindle into nothing.

When you are in the process of creating your own music, there are a number of things to avoid in order to have the smoothest time possible. These tips can vary in importance from person to person, to make sure you know what you have the hardest time with.

Overthinking and Anxiety

One of the easiest things to destroy your creativity and ruin your songs is to overthink things too much. Make sure to not get too anxious when thinking of ideas, and also make sure to be very accepting of all the different things you come up with. You can always edit your ideas later, so don’t be troubled over any possible mistakes you might make.

Weak and Underdeveloped Ideas

Many artists can get frustrated when coming up with ideas, and end up just forming unfinished ideas together, creating an incohesive piece. Songwriting is supposed to be difficult and time consuming, so be sure to fully work through your ideas in order to create a fully realized, cohesive piece of music.

Bad Production Quality

Both overproducing and under-producing your song can lead it to ruins. You don’t want the quality of your music to be way too much, but you also don’t want the production to feel empty. Be sure to focus on the parts of the music you want to shine, and be subtle about the other things. You want to have music that connects well with the audience listening to it.

No Identity

In order to engage more with your audience, and create a truly great piece of music, you need to have a clear identity. A song without a clear identity or voice is easy to forget, and then is less relatable to your audience. Make sure to really put yourself into your work, so that you truly are relatable to your audience and engage even more people.

Weak Performances

While it is important to get the perfect techniques while recording, a song won’t be great unless it has passion and heart. In fact, a passionate performance is seen to be more desirable than a technically perfect one. Don’t be too focused on making mistakes, and be sure to give your performance a lot of character and heart.

Being Insecure

It’s extremely important for a performer of a musician to be very sure of themselves. Being insecure of your performance or music will look bad no matter how good or talented you really are. Being confident will bring the audience to your side, and can make you a better performer!

Conclusion

All of these are great things to take note of while in the process of creating your own music. It’s also important to remember to let your own ideas shine through your entire creative process, and to be true to your own brand of music.

If you need any help writing or recording your music, contact us here. We look forward to adding massive value to your brand.

Do you have any more ideas on what to avoid? Let us know!

- By Julianna Martinek

How To Title Your Book

Are you unsure of how you should be titling your book?

A book’s title is extremely crucial when it comes to the success of a book. The wrong book title can severely hamper your book sales and marketing strategies.

Writing a book takes a lot of time and creativity. To give it the best shot at success, make sure you give it the best possible title that creates intrigue as well as informs customers of what it is about.

Aspects of a Book Title

So before we dwell more into how to title a book, let’s understand the different aspects of a book title first. There are 4 important aspects you should keep in mind while creating a book title:

1. Intrigue 

Probably the most important factor of a book title is the intrigue it creates. Creating an intriguing book title makes a shopper stop in their track and do a double-take back to the book. 

Not only does it make them look at the book again, but if it’s intriguing enough they might even buy it just to know why it was titled the way it was.

2. SEO friendliness

Another aspect to keep in mind that is important regardless of the genre is the SEO friendliness of your title. By that, I mean ensuring your book will come upon a search result.

How to do that?

Make sure to include keywords in your book title that are searched often. You can use Publisher Rocket, a website that helps you find the keywords you need to use to end up in an Amazon search result.

3. Keep the genre in mind

Usually, authors try to get extremely creative with their titles and take it too far.

Sometimes in order to create an intriguing and creative title, authors alienate their genre. While you come up with a catchy title, make sure to write one that fits your book’s genre. It will only confuse consumers when you title your book as if it’s a sci-fi novel, when it’s actually a romance novel.

4. Informative

Make sure to make your title informative for potential readers.

When it comes to non-fiction, it is given that the title HAS to be informative on what the book is about. And if not the title, the subtitle most definitely should hint at what the book is about.

When it comes to non-fiction, however, you can get a bit creative but still, make sure to inform your readers of what they are reading.

Take The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger for example. Just with the 4 simple words, you know what the book is about. You know it is about fashion and a difficult person to be around.

Creating a title based on these aspects will help increase your book sales and help you create a more fascinating marketing campaign. The only thing you need to keep in mind is that different genres require different things. A non-fiction book that is more instructional in nature will probably have a straight-forward title, however, if it is a fiction, well then the sky is the limit.

The Steps to Choose the Right Title

1. Rough Ideas

A good way to begin is by jotting down ideas as they come but where do you start?

The following points will help you begin the process of creating the ultimate book title:

• Common Phrases:

Try to come up with common phrases that are often used that relate to your book. These can end up being what attracts readers to your books or it can be a great stepping stone to your ultimate title. 

An example of a common phrase used as a book title: Fault in Our Stars

• Your Book:

Use your book!

Use anything and everything you can from your book. Character names, places, events, situations, etc. etc. The options are endless…

• Your Genre:

Although making sure your title goes along with your book is an important aspect of creating a book title, it can also help in creating your title.

You can try using genre-specific keywords in your title or even use a genre-specific title generator website as well. 

• Create Hooks:

A hook is something intriguing or bizarre added to your title. It can be a twisted take on a common phrase or it could even attempt to give away the plot! This creates an interest in readers to discover why the author would do something like that with their book. 

But remember: you have to be clever when it comes to creating hooks. You cannot create a title with a fantastic hook but not have it correlate with your book at all. That will only end up disappointing your reader.

2. Title Generators

There are many title generators available to authors today. There are many different title generating websites, some of which are even genre-specific.

If you want to use a title generator website, make sure to check out Jony Studios blog, Best Non-Fiction Book Title Generators.

3. Add Trigger Words

Increase your book’s mood factor by including trigger words. Trigger words can be shocking, horrific or hilarious, whatever you wish it to be.

Using trigger words will again stop the reader in their tracks while browsing through books. It will create intrigue in the reader and make them pick up your book to read more about it.

4. Proof-read

Proof-reading titles don’t mean spell checks and grammar checks. When it comes to proof-reading titles, you need to ensure:

1. The title is not being used on an already popular book or is not copyrighted by someone else

2. International reception of certain words is different. If your book is being released on an international platform, either have different titles for the different countries or make sure to create a title that will be perceived the same everywhere.

3. Make sure it looks good on the book’s cover. If your title is too long or too short, it will look awkward on your cover. Other things to look into are images, illustrations, etc. and ensuring they are in relation to your book as well as the title.

5. Test It

You should also test your book title before finalizing on a title. This will help ensure your title is the best possible one for your book and that it will be perceived in a way that will be huge on your book sales.

There are a few different ways to do that:

1. You can either create a Facebook page/group for readers interested in your book’s genre and create a poll with different titles. Or you can find a Facebook group of people interested in your book’s genre and ask them what they prefer through a post or a poll.

2. You can also get a professional survey done for your book title. You can either get your publisher to help with this survey or you could use PickFu, a website that uploads your book title options and anonymously has people vote on one they like the most.

Conclusion

A book title can make or break your sales for the year. Choosing a book title is crucial as the title is what entices a reader to pick the book up.

Titles should also be chosen according to your book’s genre and intent. If your book is a self-help book or an instructional book, the title needs to be straightforward and easy to understand. However, when it comes to fiction, it is best to create intrigue through your title and get creative with it.

Another aspect to keep in mind is Amazon’s rules and requirements when it comes to a book’s title if you intend to sell it on Amazon. Some of them are:

• The title should match the cover of your book

• Should not reference other books, trademarks or authors

• Should not contain any advertisements

• Should not have any claims of discounts, ranks, reduced prices or bestseller

You can learn more about the rules here.

Did you find this helpful? Which title did you end up using?

- By Neha Agarwala

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If you need help turning your book into an audiobook, we offer audiobook production services that will help you reach a wider audience and increase your book sales. 

Learn more here and listen to some of our audiobook samples.