Most people mean listener-playlist owners when they say "Spotify playlist curators." They do not mean Spotify editors, and they definitely do not mean Spotify's recommendation systems. That distinction matters because each lane has a different route in. Spotify breaks playlists into editorial playlists, personalized playlists, and listener playlists. Editorial is pitched inside Spotify for Artists. Personalized pickup is earned through real listener intent. Listener curators are reached through submissions and outreach (overview: Spotify playlisting).

What follows: curator types, how to find them without buying a scraped list, how to vet playlists for fraud risk, and how to pitch without looking like spam.

What counts as a Spotify playlist curator (and what does not)

The fastest way to waste time is to treat all playlist adds like the same job. They are not.

Start with Spotify's model:

Spotify playlist type	Who "curates" it	How you get in	What you measure
Editorial playlists	Spotify editors	Pitch an unreleased song in Spotify for Artists (Pitching music to playlist editors)	Saves, follows, downstream sources
Personalized playlists	Spotify systems (some surfaces may be editor-influenced)	Earned via listener behavior and intent signals (Types of Spotify playlists)	Saves, follows, active source mix
Listener playlists	Listeners, independent curators, artists, labels, brands	Submissions, outreach, relationships	Quality of listeners, not just streams

A "curator" can mean a Spotify editor, a human running a listener playlist, or (incorrectly) the algorithm. Most scams live in the listener-playlist lane, so that is where vetting and policy discipline matter.

The 5 curator types teams run into in the real world

Spotify's three playlist buckets are accurate. In practice, teams run into five curator types.

1) Spotify editorial curators (Spotify staff)

These are Spotify employees programming editorial playlists. Spotify says the official path is pitching unreleased music in Spotify for Artists, and that once a song is live it is no longer eligible for editorial pitching (Pitching music to playlist editors).

If the ask is "How do we contact Spotify playlist curators?", the answer is usually: you do not. You deliver early enough to pitch in-app, and you route the pitch correctly.

2) Personalized playlist systems (not humans you can email)

Release Radar, Radio, Autoplay, mixes, and other personalized surfaces are driven by Spotify systems. Spotify calls these personalized playlists and ties them to listening behavior and patterns from similar listeners (Types of Spotify playlists).

This is where teams get tricked by vanity streams. Streams without saves, follows, and repeat listening usually do not create durable pickup.

3) Independent playlist curators (fan and community playlists)

This is what most people mean by "Spotify playlist curators." These are listeners who build a consistent lane: a micro-genre, a mood, a scene, an activity playlist, or a weekly new-music format. They pick based on fit first, then risk. A track that is "good" but off-lane is still a no.

4) Artist playlists (other artists as curators)

Many artists run public playlists and update them as a cultural signal or a discovery channel. These can be worth pitching because the lane is clear, the curator is a real person, and a relationship is possible.

Treat these like collaboration outreach, not "playlist marketing." If it feels spammy, it will land as spam.

5) Organization playlists (labels, media, brands)

Labels, blogs, radio brands, venues, festivals, and lifestyle brands often run listener playlists. These sit inside Spotify's "listener playlist" bucket, but the selection process can be stricter because placements are tied to brand positioning, internal politics, or sponsorship constraints.

The upside is legitimacy. The downside is that the playlist may be updated quickly and inconsistently. Make it easy.

How curators actually decide (the 20-second filter)

Most curator decisions are risk-adjusted shortcuts. Spotify editors have said the pitch form details help them find music that fits their playlists (Behind the playlists).

Independent curators use the same idea with fewer steps:

Fit: Does this track match the playlist's lane right now?
Friction: Can they listen immediately and add it cleanly?
Risk: Does anything about this submission feel like pay-for-placement or artificial streaming bait?

The best pitches remove friction and reduce risk. The worst pitches try to "sell" the song.

Where to find Spotify playlist curators (without buying a list)

If someone is selling a "Spotify playlist curators list" as a spreadsheet, assume it is scraped, outdated, and full of contacts who never asked to be emailed. It also pushes teams toward volume blasting, which burns reputations fast.

Build your list from playlists that already prove fit.

1) Start from real fit, not playlist size Pick 10 to 20 reference tracks that are genuinely close to your release. Search those tracks on Spotify and open the playlists they are already in.
2) Use Spotify as your seed database For each reference track, open the artist profile and click through the playlists they already show up in (including the public "Discovered On" row when it appears).
3) Capture the submission method On the playlist page, read the description. Many curators list an email, a submission form, or an Instagram handle. Log the exact method they request.
4) Tag every playlist by lane Tag playlists by intent like "new releases," "chill discovery," or "genre staples." Your pitch and timing should change by intent.
5) Vet before you pitch Run a quick legitimacy check so you do not introduce artificial streaming risk. Use the checklist below, or the full list version: Playlist vetting checklist.

Submission platforms can help with access, but they are not a strategy. If you use tools like SubmitHub or Groover, treat them as routing and workflow, not a placement guarantee.

Vetting: how to spot legit curators vs fake playlists

The playlist you should fear is not the small playlist. It is the playlist that creates a stream spike with zero intent signals and a weird source pattern you cannot explain.

Warning Spotify warns against third-party services that guarantee streams or playlist placement, and ties them to artificial streaming risk (Artificial streaming).

Fast vetting pass:

Check	What "good" looks like	What "bad" looks like
Lane coherence	One clear sound, mood, or format	Random genres, random eras, no theme
Curator identity	A real person or organization with a consistent presence	No identity, disposable accounts, no context
Submission language	"Submit for consideration" with clear instructions	"Guaranteed placement," "pay for add," "guaranteed streams"
Update behavior	Regular updates that make sense for the lane	Huge drops and sudden full rewrites that feel automated
Track roster	Mix of known and unknown artists that fits the theme	A roster that looks like a pile of paid submissions

Then do the most important thing: verify what happened after any placement.

Spotify for Artists lets you check where streams came from via Source of streams (Source of streams). If a playlist add produces a burst of plays but no saves, no follows, and no spillover into other sources, treat it as noise at best and a warning sign at worst.

Full checklist: Playlist vetting checklist: spot fake playlists.

How to pitch Spotify playlist curators (what to send, what to omit)

The pitch should read like a decision-support memo, not marketing copy.

The minimum pitch pack:

One primary listening link (Spotify is usually best) plus one backup link
Release date and time zone (if unreleased)
Clean metadata: artist name, track title, featured artists, explicit/clean
2 to 3 real comps ("RIYL") that match the playlist lane
One sentence of context that is actually useful to the curator

Omit: long biographies, giant attachments, and any claim you cannot back up.

Tip Pitch one track with one clear ask, and make it easy to add cleanly.

Templates (follow-ups and DM variants): Playlist curator outreach email templates.

If you are pitching Spotify editorial (Spotify staff), do not email. Use the in-app pitch form and write it like an internal brief. For the current constraints, see: How to write a Spotify playlist pitch.

Do Spotify playlist curators get paid?

Sometimes. What matters is the line between review and placement.

Some platforms operate as paid review marketplaces: the artist pays for routing and feedback, and curators are paid for reviewing submissions. That is different from paying a curator to add a track.

Spotify's policy language is blunt about outcomes. It warns against services that guarantee streams and links them to artificial streaming (Artificial streaming), and it flags stream guarantees as not legitimate (Third-party services that guarantee streams).

If a curator's pitch is "Pay us and we will add you," treat it as pay-for-placement. That is the lane where takedowns, catalog risk, and distributor headaches tend to show up. If you want the hardline decision memo, read: Paid playlist services and playlist payola.

What a "good" placement looks like in the data

A placement only matters if it converts exposure into listeners you can reach again next release.

Spotify provides reporting on where streams come from via Source of streams (Source of streams). Use it to tell the truth about a placement.

A placement worth repeating

You see playlist streams, then saves and follows move, and listening spreads into other sources over the next one to two weeks.

A placement to avoid

Streams show up from one source, then vanish. Saves and follows are flat, and nothing spreads beyond that playlist.

Mental model: follower and save growth are the asset. A one-day stream spike is not.

FAQ

How do I find Spotify playlist curators?

Start from playlists that already feature similar tracks. Use Spotify's playlist types to avoid chasing the wrong channel (Types of Spotify playlists). For listener curators, read the playlist description for the requested submission method, then vet the playlist before sending anything.

Can anyone be a Spotify playlist curator?

Any Spotify listener can create and share playlists, which is why the listener-playlist lane includes both real curators and scams. Spotify still classifies these as listener playlists, distinct from editorial and personalized playlists (Types of Spotify playlists).

How do I contact a playlist curator?

For Spotify editors, the official path is pitching unreleased music in Spotify for Artists (Pitching music to playlist editors). For listener curators, contact happens through whatever method the curator lists: a submission form, an email, or a social handle. Keep it one track, one ask, and clean metadata. Templates here: Playlist curator outreach email templates.

Do Spotify playlist curators get paid?

Some do, usually off-platform through review marketplaces or sponsorship deals. The key is avoiding pay-for-placement and guaranteed outcomes. Spotify warns against third-party services that guarantee streams and ties them to artificial streaming risk (Third-party services that guarantee streams).

What's the difference between editorial and independent curators?

Editorial curators are Spotify staff and the pitch route is Spotify for Artists. Independent curators sit inside the listener playlist network and are reached through submissions and relationships, not through the editorial pitch tool (Types of Spotify playlists).

How do I get my song to a playlist curator?

Match the route to the curator type. For Spotify editorial, pitch an unreleased song in Spotify for Artists and follow Spotify's timing guidance (Pitching music to playlist editors). For listener curators, target tight-fit playlists and send a minimal pitch pack with clean metadata and one clear ask. If you missed the editorial window and your track is already live, the strategy changes. Start here: Spotify pitch after release strategies.

Are playlist curators legitimate?

Some are, some are not. Legit curators have a coherent lane, a real identity, and a clear submission process. Fake playlists often sell guaranteed placement, show strange behavior, or are tied to artificial streaming. Spotify publishes the policy frame and warnings here: Artificial streaming.