Playlisting is a great way to reach out to fans or to be discovered by new listeners. Over the 90-day period between April 27th and August 27th, 2022, Ipublicise Africa projects were featured in more than 1,210 editorial playlists on Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer combined, which generated more the 609 Million streams (3% of our total audio streams).
What Are The Differences In Playlists?
Editorial Playlists
These are manually handpicked by editorial experts at the DSPs. This team of experts at each DSP is who will decide which releases to support on the platform. You can find different types of playlists that focus on a range of criteria, such as new releases, mood, genre, activity, decades, etc.
Examples of existing editorial playlists: “New Music Friday”, “Up Next”, “Feelin’ Good”, “Rap Caviar”, “Electro Chill”, “Alt”, “Essentials”, “(Re)Discover”
Algorithmic Playlists
These playlists are automatically created for each user by the platforms’ own algorithms. Using this software, DSPs monitor each user’s listening habits and use this information to produce personalized playlists
Examples of existing algorithmic playlists: “Daily Mix”, “Discover Weekly’, “On Repeat”, “Release Radar”, “Rewind”, “Time Capsule”, “Your Top Songs”
Personalized or Edito-Algo Playlists
These playlists are a hybrid between editorial and algorithmic playlists. They are essentially “personalized editorial playlists” that have different tracks for different listeners, based on their listening habits, but are still curated and influenced by the DSPs’ editors.
Examples of edito-algo/personalized playlists: “Deep Study”, “Electronic Circus”, “Chilled Dance Hits”
3rd Party Playlists
These are human-curated playlists, compiled by influencers, music labels, media, or other organizations outside of Spotify.
User Made Playlists
These come from listeners saving and creating their own collections within the platforms, and include any personal playlists that a user creates, as well as music from within the “Liked Songs” section of their library.
What Makes Editorial Playlists Important?
Editorial playlists are highlighted on platforms, they tend to be followed and listened to by many users and can generate a high level of additional streams for your included tracks. They are also a great way for your music to be discovered by new users, who might then become fans and engage further with your catalogue.
How Do I Get Included?
For your track(s) to have a chance to be included in editorial playlists, they need to be pitched directly to the DSPs by your label or distributor, via their backend platforms (such as Spotify for Artists, Apple Music for Artists or Deezer for Creators) and/or via a specific process implemented by the platform.
At Ipublicise Africa, we have a dedicated team called the Editorial & Marketing Partnerships team, who do their best to get the most out of these editorial playlists for your projects. The team is in direct contact with representatives at each of the DSPs, and negotiate playlist inclusions and on-store visibility for our artists on a weekly basis.
Make sure you share your release’s information as early as possible, and with as much detail as possible, with your label or project manager at Ipublicise Africa. This gives the Editorial & Marketing Partnerships Team the best chance to include you in their pitch and get visibility for you at the right moment.
Things to Remember
Playlists are key when dealing with release strategy. In addition to streams, being playlisted can bring much added value, such as fan engagement and algorithmic optimization. Outside of DSPs, it is crucial to build your brand and work on your storytelling. Playlists remain the appetizer for potential fans to become part of your established fan base.
Checklist – Make Sure Your Project Gets Pitched
*Our teams need your release information ahead of time to maximise promotion on streaming platforms. Follow these steps to get the best possible visibility for your release:
*Anticipate your release as soon as you can, keep your account manager up to date about your release plans, even if they are not definitive.
*Make sure release information is shared a minimum of 4 weeks before the release date. Aside from editorial playlist inclusions, some other types of visibility that we could obtain from DSPs for your releases takes time to organize, such as on-store placements and marketing activations. The sooner the better!
*Share the following information over email with our Playlist team, in detail: promotion, marketing plan, influence marketing (if any), tour, merch, and all other relevant information around your release strategy.
*Upload your audio release to to your Profile on the website as soon as you have the assets (ISRC, release date, UPC). For futher more information Email our Playlist team: Playlist@ipubliciseafrica.com
