If you release music as an independent band or solo artist today, there is little getting around playlists. The route to them often runs through submission platforms, and there are now quite a few of them, each with its own approach. PlaylistsForYou focuses on a clear yes or no, targeted pitching and open figures. Here is a look at how the model works.
By Artists, for Artists: The Story Behind PlaylistsForYou
It all began with a single musician who was not happy with his own pitching results. He switched sides and became a curator himself. After two years on various submission platforms, he also started accepting pitches directly. His playlists grew quickly, and over time he became friends with other large curators.
Initially, PlaylistsForYou was only used to pitch to his own playlists. For around three years now, befriended curators have been part of the network too, making it possible to reach far more Spotify curators. The motto has stayed the same: By artists, for artists.
A Dedicated Website Since 2025
PlaylistsForYou has only had its own website for music promotion since 2025. The reason: artists should be able to find out everything they need before starting a pitch. Before submitting, they can check:
- Whether their genre is covered: in the genre overview, including acceptance rates per genre. Of particular interest to our readers is the synthpop playlists page.
- Who the curators are: on the curators page.
- How other artists have experienced the service: in the reviews.
- Which success stories there are: in the testimonials.
- What an average pitch achieves: in the statistics overview.
The Idea: Back to the Core of Playlist Pitching
Many artists put a noticeable share of their budget into playlist pitching. PlaylistsForYou has chosen to focus on a single question: does the song fit the playlist or not? In the provider's view, detailed feedback on sound and production belongs elsewhere:
“If you want a deep, technical breakdown of your track, a professional mixing engineer is the better choice.”
PlaylistsForYou
This results in four features that shape the PlaylistsForYou model.
Four Features of PlaylistsForYou
1. A Clear Yes or No
The pitch is deliberately kept simple. Curators have exactly two options: they add the song to their playlist, or they don't. A written explanation is not part of the process.
The time that would otherwise go into writing is meant to go into listening instead: into the question of how the song sits within their playlists. It also leaves more energy for growing the playlists, and with that, more reach for the songs they add.
2. Targeted Pitching for Higher Acceptance Rates
Broadly speaking, two models have become established in the industry:
| Model | How it works |
|---|---|
| Drop-by-drop | Curators are selected individually, with a small budget per contact. This is the model Groover follows. |
| Full campaign | The artist books a campaign package and the platform selects a group of curators. A well-known example is PlaylistsForYou. |
Both approaches have their merits. Selecting curators yourself, however, takes time, because you first need to work out which playlists genuinely suit your sound. PlaylistsForYou takes this step off artists' hands: according to the provider, its in-house pitching expert has already reviewed more than 30,000 songs and has worked with most of the connected playlists for years. He therefore knows their direction very well. The result, according to PlaylistsForYou:
Most artists achieve an acceptance rate of 10 to 25 per cent.
Where exactly an artist lands within that range depends on three factors:
- Production quality
- Genre
- Vocal quality
3. In-House Playlists Plus External Curators
PlaylistsForYou combines its own playlists with a network of external curators. The aim is for every artist to be able to achieve good results, from newcomers to industry veterans. Depending on the genre and the size of the order, the pitch is split between both groups. This is meant to ensure that every song reaches the playlists that best suit its style and level.
4. The Release Takes Centre Stage
Feedback can be very valuable for artists, especially when it comes from curators with a lot of experience in producing or analysing songs. PlaylistsForYou has nevertheless made a conscious decision to focus elsewhere: most curators are primarily looking for good songs for their playlists, and that is exactly what the service is built around.
In the PFY Artist Dashboard, the (new) release therefore takes centre stage, together with the successes the pitch has earned. There, artists can see:
- every playlist that has added the song
- the song's position in each playlist
- the overall progress of the campaign
The Figures at a Glance
PlaylistsForYou publishes a number of key figures that can be checked on its website:
- 900,000+ playlist followers across the network
- 10 to 25 per cent acceptance rate for most artists
- 30,000+ songs reviewed by the pitching expert
- 200+ reviews with an average rating of 9.6 out of 10
- Testimonials from artists who reached 7,000 and 10,000 listeners with the help of the platform
The statistics page also shows the reach per major genre, details of the revenue split and a timeline of how PlaylistsForYou has developed to this point.
Transparency: What You Can Check for Yourself
When it comes to playlist pitching, it generally pays to look closely. Bot playlists and bought followers are a well-known problem across the whole industry. PlaylistsForYou therefore relies on information that can be verified:
Third-Party Reviews
The reviews page brings together ratings from several external platforms, compiled manually. According to PlaylistsForYou, it can neither influence nor change these reviews. Clicking on the respective logo leads to the original source, where every review can be verified.
The Curator Network
The curators page shows a sample of the network. Artists can cross-check the playlists there, for instance with the bot checker from artist.tools, to make sure they are legitimate and free of bot activity.
Curators' Share of Revenue
Another topic that matters to PlaylistsForYou: how much of the money paid actually reaches the curators? The provider has published its own comparison of various submission platforms, setting out the share of revenue each passes on to its curators.
According to its own analysis, PlaylistsForYou sees a share of 30 to 50 per cent at many platforms. The provider aims to offer its curators a higher share in order to strengthen their engagement.
Anyone wanting to put these figures into context should check the details of the individual platforms for themselves. The analysis was prompted by a discussion on Reddit (r/musicmarketing), in which a curator shares his perspective on various submission platforms.
Further Reading
A detailed analysis of PlaylistsForYou can be found at BetterAuds. It covers how the platform is positioned and how it can be worked sensibly into a promotion strategy.
Who Is PlaylistsForYou For?
The model is likely to appeal above all to artists who:
- prefer a quick, clear decision without a written review
- would rather leave the choice of suitable playlists to an expert
- want to know before pitching how active the platform is in their genre
- value verifiable curators and reviews
Anyone looking for detailed feedback on their mix, arrangement or vocals, on the other hand, is deliberately in the wrong place at PlaylistsForYou. The provider says so quite openly. And as with any pitching service, a placement is never guaranteed. How high the hit rate turns out to be ultimately depends above all on the song itself.
Contact
The PlaylistsForYou team answers questions directly at hello@playlistsforyou.com. Full details of the service are available at playlistsforyou.com.
Note on transparency
Advertisement / Sponsored Post: This article was produced in paid partnership with PlaylistsForYou. All figures and details about the service come from the provider itself.
