The Biggest Mistakes Artists Make When Submitting to Playlists

So, you might be wondering: ‘Why do Spotify playlists reject songs—and what about Apple Music, Deezer, or YouTube Music?’ The answer usually comes down to a few fundamental issues: misunderstanding how playlist curation works, not knowing what curators actually look for, or failing to present your music in a professional way.

From incorrect metadata and inaccurate genre tagging to lacking an online presence and submitting unfinished or low-quality audio files, seemingly small errors often make the difference between a curator clicking “add” or “skip.”

By understanding and avoiding these common mistakes, you can dramatically increase your chances of landing a spot on a curator’s playlist, championing your music to thousands of new listeners.

One of the most overlooked playlist submission errors is underestimating the importance of accurate metadata. Metadata is essentially your song’s identity card — it includes your track title, artist name, songwriter and producer credits, release date, genre tags, instruments, and mood and style descriptors. If metadata is your music’s passport, then errors are like showing up with the wrong photo.

Submitting incomplete or wrong metadata can harm your submission in two major ways:

1. It signals a lack of professionalism. Typos in your song title or artist name, missing composer credits, or incorrect release details may send a message to curators that you haven’t taken the submission seriously, and thus don’t value the opportunity a playlist placement can provide for your music. As a result, curators may be less likely to trust your work.

2. It impacts proper attribution and discoverability. The comprehensive information you’re requested to provide in your pitch helps determine how your track is categorized and found. If the details are wrong, your song may never surface in the searches or filters curators use to find the right fit for their playlists.

It’s also important to recognize that, beyond technical accuracy, details like songwriter and producer credits or mood and energy tags can be powerful discovery tools. If you've collaborated with a producer who has previous playlist placements, that connection could open doors. Similarly, properly tagging prominent guest vocalists or musicians can help you tap into their existing fanbase and industry networks.

Likewise, mood and energy descriptors are essential: with Spotify editors alone reportedly receiving over 20,000 submissions daily, tags like “melancholic,” “dreamy,” “high-energy,” or "aggressive" can help them quickly find songs that fit their playlist’s vibe and their audience’s expectations.

Pro tip: Treat metadata as an essential part of your pitch (which it truly is), not just administrative work. Strong, complete, and accurate metadata makes it easier for curators to find and trust your music.

While genres and sub-genres are also part of your track’s metadata, we felt they deserve special attention because they’re one of the top reasons editorial playlist curators reject songs.

When choosing the genre and sub-genres in the submission form, artists often tend to do one of two things: either choose several sub-genres or styles that seem ‘similar’ to theirs in hopes of widening their chances, or mislabel their track under a different genre to try to reach a new audience.

Unfortunately, both approaches usually backfire. Playlist curation is highly specific, and an editor managing an "Indie Folk Favorites" playlist isn't looking for a mainstream country track, even if both genres feature acoustic guitars. Instead, they're aiming to create a very specific atmosphere and experience for their listeners.

The risk grows even more when it comes to sub-genres or niche genres. For instance, electronic music alone encompasses hundreds of micro-genres, from deep house to breakcore to ambient drone.

Tagging an uptempo tech house track as downtempo, drum and bass, or trance will not increase your chance of getting playlisted. In fact, on the contrary, it will almost certainly get your submission rejected. Curators know their space intimately, and a genre mismatch is often enough for them to stop listening within seconds.

Better approach: Strive to be accurate, not overly ambitious. Correctly labeling your genre and sub-genre doesn’t limit your reach — it actually increases your chances of landing on the right playlist, in front of the right audience.

Beyond metadata, one of the most common playlist submission errors is writing a weak or overly self-focused pitch. Whether you’re pitching your track directly through Spotify for Artists or via a professional pitching service, there’s always a section in the submission form where you can freely talk about yourself and your music. On Spotify, for example, the “Tell us about your song” field allows up to 500 characters and is a concise space meant to highlight the essence and story of your track.

Now, the character limit already suggests that editors are not asking for an essay. They don’t want your full biography, every award you’ve won, or bold claims like “this will be the next big hit.” At the same time, they’re not impressed by generic one-liners that say nothing about the track itself. Both extremes — uninspired pitches and self-promotional fluff — can signal a lack of effort and make it easy for curators to skip over your submission.

"An incomplete or poorly-crafted pitch of the release is one of the biggest mistakes an artist can make. Curators want to see effort, attention to detail, and a clear presentation of why your track deserves a spot on their playlist," emphasizes Samuel, the Editorial Playlist Pitching Manager at iMusician.

Remember that playlist curators review hundreds of pitches every day. If your description appears like a copy-and-paste template or lacks a personal touch, they’ll likely move on within seconds.

Better approach: Treat the description yield as a quick elevator pitch.

• Introduce yourself briefly (artist name + style).

• Share a specific detail about the track (its inspiration, mood, or story).

• Explain why it’s worth a playlist placement without overhyping it.

A well-crafted pitch doesn’t need to be flashy or show off—it needs to be authentic, clear, and relevant. That’s what makes curators stop, listen, and remember your submission.

This one might sound obvious, but it happens more often than you think: artists submit low-quality files, rough demos, poorly mixed songs, or tracks with unmastered audio — all of which signal amateur production values to curators.

While musical taste is subjective, audio quality standards for playlist inclusion are not. Poor audio quality is one of the fastest ways to guarantee immediate rejection, regardless of how compelling your songwriting might be.

Many platforms now require high-quality audio files, such as lossless formats like WAV and FLAC, but the issue extends beyond file format. Your track needs to sound cohesive when played alongside professionally produced songs. This means achieving proper frequency balance, an appropriate dynamic range, and mastering that translates well across different playback systems—from earbuds to car speakers to high-end headphones.

Streaming platforms like Spotify apply loudness normalization, which means over-compressed, brick-walled tracks can actually sound quieter and less impactful compared to well-mastered tracks. Understanding basic mastering concepts like LUFS (Loudness Units Full Scale) measurements, dynamic range, and genre-appropriate intensity is essential for serious playlist consideration.

Better approach: Never pitch demos or unfinished mixes. Submit only fully polished tracks with professional mixing, mastering, and artwork. This signals to curators that you respect their standards and aim to provide listeners with the best experience.

We’ve already discussed this in our article on how to get on Spotify editorial playlists, but it’s important to emphasize that submitting through an official form is only part of your playlist pitch. The other, unwritten part lies in how you present yourself on the digital landscape.

Even if a curator likes your track, they will most likely check your artist profile on the respective platform, along with your social media accounts and website, to get a sense of your identity and momentum. If your branding is inconsistent, vague, or worse, nonexistent, it may indicate that you’re not taking your career seriously.

Editors also look for signs that you’re actively promoting the release you’ve pitched, trying to engage with your listeners, build a loyal fan base, and reach a new audience. If there’s no campaign around your song — that means no posts, no engagement, and no clear strategy — it suggests you’re relying solely on a playlist placement to “make it happen.”

That’s a red flag for playlist curators. Getting featured on an editorial playlist might boost your momentum and the effectiveness of all your other marketing efforts — but it can’t create it from scratch.

Pro tip: Build a strong foundation before pitching.

• Optimize your profiles across platforms with quality photos, bio, and artwork.

• Maintain a consistent online presence on platforms that work for you, such as Instagram, TikTok, Bandcamp, or your own website.

• Show curators that you’re already promoting your track and reaching listeners on your own.

“A well-planned, clearly executed promotional campaign is essential. Curators are looking for acts that make a huge effort to promote their tracks. Anything from social media promotion, influencer support, interviews, radio play, live shows, and a budget allocated for these activities shows dedication and professionalism. It tells curators that the artist is serious about their music and ready to maximize the track’s reach,” adds our Editorial Playlist Pitching Manager, Samuel.

Every playlist platform and pitching service has its own submission rules—and curators expect you to follow them. These guidelines may cover audio format specifications, metadata requirements, and, most importantly, submission deadlines.

Timing, in particular, is a common pitfall in playlist pitching. It isn't just about when you send your pitch—it's about understanding the complex system of release schedules and platforms’ internal review processes.

The most common timing mistake is submitting too close to your release date. This leaves curators with no time to review and schedule your track. Each major streaming platform has its own minimum lead time. For instance, Spotify requires editorial submissions at least 7 days in advance, Apple Music around 10 days, and Amazon Music and Deezer 2 weeks before release.

If you’re using a professional pitching service through a distributor or a label, you’ll need even more lead time. For example, with iMusician’s Editorial Playlist Pitching, tracks must be uploaded at least 20 days before release so our team has enough time to review and pitch effectively. However, even that timeline might not work for some platforms — for example, Beatport requires tracks to be pitched at least 3 weeks in advance.

While you can always shift your release date during the upload process, ignoring the timing guidelines of individual platforms and the pitching service you’re using can still greatly reduce your track's impact. Last-minute changes to your release date can throw off your marketing, cost you extra time and money, and weaken your overall rollout.

Navigating the maze of submission rules, deadlines, and platform-specific quirks can be overwhelming. That’s why many artists turn to professional playlist pitching services to avoid common mistakes and maximize their chances.

Of course, it’s important to be realistic: even with expert help, there’s no guarantee of landing on an editorial playlist. Curators still make final decisions based on taste, timing, and the playlist’s direction. What a pitching service can do, however, is dramatically improve the quality and professionalism of your submission.

A professional pitching team — like iMusician’s — knows the exact submission windows, technical requirements, and best practices that curators expect. Their expertise in the playlisting field, combined with established relationships across various platforms, helps them refine your submission and ensure that your release is pitched in the best possible light.

Another advantage is cross-platform pitching. Instead of managing multiple submissions on your own, one upload can be pitched to editors at Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Beatport, Deezer, and more. This not only saves time but also maximizes your chance of getting playlisted across the entire streaming landscape.

Editorial playlists are powerful — but they are also highly competitive. That’s why it’s crucial to make every aspect of your submission count and steer clear of common but preventable mistakes. By submitting polished tracks, crafting compelling pitches, tagging genres correctly, maintaining a consistent online presence, and following platform guidelines, you increase your chances of standing out from the flood of daily submissions.

Sometimes, however, even if you do everything right, your track still doesn’t get picked. Playlists are curated based on mood, flow, timing, and the editor’s vision — factors largely outside your control.

Try not to get discouraged if your song isn’t picked the first time. It doesn’t reflect the quality of your music — it simply means it wasn’t the right fit for that playlist at that moment. Each submission is a learning opportunity, and with persistence, preparation, and strategic pitching, your next track may very well land the playlist placement you’ve been aiming for.