The official Spotify for Artists pitching tool is strictly for unreleased music. Once a track goes live, the dedicated window for editorial consideration closes permanently. While the opportunity to reach major curated playlists through the official channel is gone, music promotion does not stop on release day. Many effective post-release methods exist to drive listeners, increase engagement, and gain traction on the platform.
Understanding the Spotify Pitching Deadline
The ability to submit music for editorial review is linked to the distribution process. A track must first be delivered to Spotify via a distributor and flagged as an upcoming, unreleased track. Once this metadata is processed, the song appears in the “Upcoming” section of the Spotify for Artists dashboard, activating the pitching tool.
Spotify recommends submitting the pitch at least seven days before the scheduled release date to allow editors sufficient time for review. This seven-day lead time is necessary for the platform’s curation process. Submitting within this timeframe guarantees the track will populate followers’ Release Radar playlists upon launch.
The pitching form is available from the moment the track appears in the dashboard until 12:00 AM local time on the release day. The moment the song becomes streamable, the pitching tool vanishes, and the submission window is permanently closed. This mechanism ensures editorial decisions are based on the song’s merit and pitch details, not early stream data.
Submitting a pitch through this official channel is the sole method for securing placement on major, genre-specific editorial playlists, such as New Music Friday. These playlists are manually curated by Spotify’s team and require the structured data and advance notice provided by the pitching tool.
Why the Official Pitching Tool Is Only for Unreleased Music
Spotify’s editorial team manages thousands of submissions daily across multiple genres and regions, necessitating a highly structured workflow. Editors require significant lead time to listen to submissions, categorize them, and plan curation schedules weeks in advance. This logistical requirement makes reviewing newly released music impractical for major curated playlists.
The system prioritizes efficiency by grouping all submissions into a single, pre-release pool for centralized review. This method allows curators to effectively allocate spots across various playlists globally without the distraction of constantly changing stream metrics. The editorial process is designed to be proactive rather than reactive to initial listening data.
The policy also helps maintain fairness within the submission process. Requiring the pitch before release prevents artists from attempting to game the system or leverage early stream data to influence an editorial decision. The focus remains on the quality and context of the music itself, as presented in the pitch metadata.
Strategies for Promoting a Song After Release
After the editorial window closes, artists must pivot their focus toward independent and third-party playlist curators. These curators manage popular playlists not officially run by Spotify, often focusing on niche genres or moods. Artists should research curators whose playlists show genuine engagement and align with their target audience.
Safe outreach involves finding publicly available contact information, such as email addresses or submission forms, and sending a concise, personalized message. The goal is to provide curators with a direct link and a brief explanation of why the track fits their specific playlist, avoiding mass emails or pay-for-placement schemes.
Utilizing public relations and media outreach is another post-release strategy to drive external traffic directly to the streaming platform. Securing coverage from music blogs, online magazines, or influential social media accounts creates valuable inbound links that Spotify’s metrics track. This external validation signals to the algorithm that the track has relevance beyond the platform.
Maximizing cross-platform promotion is important for driving immediate streams and engagement. Utilizing short-form video platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts can generate significant interest. The call-to-action should always be to “Listen on Spotify,” funneling new listeners directly to the track’s page to boost initial stream counts and saves.
Leveraging Algorithmic Playlists for Growth
Even without an editorial placement, Spotify’s proprietary algorithms continuously analyze listener behavior to determine a track’s organic reach. The platform relies on three major personalized playlists—Release Radar, Discover Weekly, and Radio—to connect music with the right audience. These automated playlists are constantly updated based on individual user activity.
The primary data points that feed these algorithms are listener engagement and retention metrics. When a user actively saves a track to their library, shares it, or adds it to a personal playlist, the algorithm interprets this as a strong positive signal, indicating the music has long-term value.
Metrics like repeat listens and low skip rates are equally important for triggering algorithmic placement. Listening to the track past the 30-second mark demonstrates quality and stickiness. High engagement data drives placement on Discover Weekly, expanding the track’s reach beyond the artist’s immediate follower base.
The Radio feature, which plays similar tracks after a song or playlist ends, offers significant post-release growth potential. When a song consistently performs well in terms of engagement, the algorithm features it more frequently in Radio sessions started by listeners of similar artists, expanding the track’s contextual reach.
Preparing Your Next Release for Maximum Impact
To ensure the editorial pitching window is never missed again, artists should establish a structured release plan well in advance of the target date. It is recommended to upload the track to a distributor four to six weeks before the intended release date. This substantial lead time provides a buffer for technical issues and guarantees the track appears in Spotify for Artists.
Once the track has been delivered and appears in the dashboard, artists must verify that the metadata is correct and the track is accurately listed as “unreleased.” This is the moment to start preparing the actual pitch, gathering all necessary information before the submission window opens.
The effectiveness of a pitch relies heavily on the detailed metadata provided, including the genre, subgenre, mood, and specific instrumentation. Curators use these details to filter submissions, so providing hyperspecific information—such as “Indie Pop” instead of just “Pop”—significantly increases the chances of matching the track to the appropriate editorial playlist.