Music promotion guide for independent artists
Music promotion is getting your release in front of the people who decide what others hear: playlist curators, blog writers, radio presenters, journalists and labels. These guides cover each route, step by step, without promised results or invented numbers.
Guides
Where to submit music in 2026
Where to submit your music in 2026 — playlists, blogs, radio, labels and press — what each one needs, when to send, and how to pick the right targets.
Spotify playlist submission: editorial and independent
How Spotify playlist submission works in 2026: pitching editorial through Spotify for Artists, finding independent curators, and avoiding paid-placement scams.
Spotify playlist curators: who they are and how to reach them
Find independent Spotify playlist curators who fit your genre, check if their playlists are real, and pitch them the way curators actually prefer.
Music blogs to submit to — and how to get a reply
Find music blogs that accept submissions in your genre, from hip-hop to EDM and indie, and pitch them in a way that gets read. Updated for 2026.
How to submit music to radio stations
How independent artists submit music to radio in 2026: community, college and online radio, BBC Introducing, specialist shows and when you need a plugger.
How to send a demo to record labels
How to submit a demo to record labels in 2026: which labels to pick, what A&R checks first, how to format the email and what to do after you send it.
Free music promotion: what actually works in 2026
Free music promotion that works in 2026: Spotify editorial pitching, independent curators, blogs, community radio, short-form video and your own audience.
Music PR: what a music publicist does, and how to do it yourself
What music PR is, what a music publicist actually does, what PR campaigns usually include, how to choose a publicist, and how to run your own press campaign.
TikTok music promotion: TikTok for Artists, sounds and creators
How to promote music on TikTok in 2026: getting your song into the sound library, using TikTok for Artists, working with creators, Spark Ads and disclosure rules.
Music grants for independent artists (UK, US, Canada, Australia, Germany)
Music grants and funds independent artists can apply for in 2026 — PRS Foundation, Help Musicians, Arts Council England, New Music USA, FACTOR, Creative Australia and more.
How to promote your music in 2026
A practical music promotion plan for independent artists: release timeline, playlists, press, radio, social content and how to measure what works.
Find who to pitch
Questions
What is music promotion?
Music promotion is pitching a release to the curators, blogs, radio presenters, journalists and labels whose audiences fit it, plus building your own audience through content and shows. Good promotion is targeted: the right twenty people beat the wrong two hundred.
Where should independent artists start with music promotion?
Plan the release six to eight weeks out, pitch Spotify editorial through Spotify for Artists at least seven days before release, then pitch matched blogs, independent curators and radio one to three weeks before release.