Editorial playlists are the ones Spotify's own team curates: RapCaviar and thousands of siblings. One placement can multiply an artist's listeners overnight, which makes editorial the biggest single exposure event available to most musicians.
The only official road: submit one unreleased track through Spotify for Artists, at least a week before release, with complete metadata (genre, mood, instruments, story).
Curators read the pitch AND the artist's live numbers: existing play counts, follower trend, save rates on past releases. Early momentum is the argument, which is why the pre-save machine and the release-day push matter to the pitch itself.
Sellers promising guaranteed placement on big playlists live outside Spotify's rules: playlists caught selling slots get deleted, and tracks can lose their streams in cleanups.
The graveyard of bought-exposure companies shows how those stories end. Legitimate playlist promotion exists (pitching real curators), but nobody legitimate GUARANTEES placement they don't control.
Pitch one unreleased track via Spotify for Artists at least a week early, with full metadata. There's no fee and no other official route.
Low for everyone: thousands pitch daily. Momentum improves odds: growing monthly listeners, strong saves, and an audience that shows up on release day.
Paid slots on third-party playlists violate Spotify's rules; enforcement deletes playlists and can strip streams. Distinguish that from legitimate pitching services that submit to real curators without guarantees.
Related terms
Every definition lives in the full glossary, and the services behind the vocabulary are on the services page.