06-07 Tools HypeAuditor BROUGHT TO YOU COURTESY OF 08-09 Campaigns Dolly Parton, Grimes, Trolls, Lego Duplo 10–14 Behind The Campaign- Darkoo ™ AMP IN ASSOCIATION WITH sandbox APRIL 15 2020 | Music marketing for the digital era ISSUE 250 UNDER-THE-RADAR LOVE The power of smaller playlists Songtrust has the world's largest and most accessible network of direct global publishing relationships. Our easy to use platform enables you, and our 300,000+ clients, to register and collect performance and mechanical royalties directly around the world, without giving up any rights or any other revenues. ACCESS WHAT YOU'RE DUE SPONSOR PAGE SPONSOR PAGE COVERFEATURE “Tracks on there [NMF] have a very high skip rate,” says Amelie Bonvalot, a freelance digital business executive. “It’s nice to get on there, it’s a nice ego thing: the editors at Spotify are showing their support. But I think New Music Friday really isn’t what is moving the needle. Featuring on other, smaller playlists is a good way to work your way up and find your audience, especially if you are a new artist. Some people don’t understand that it can work against you and it can be difficult to convince them.” With this in mind, Music Ally asked three playlist experts to point us in the direction of the best under-the-radar playlists that UNDER-THE-RADAR you should be pitching to in 2020. ➜ Chartmetric Chartmetric’s contribution comes in LOVE two parts: firstly, the Chartmetric team revealed what they see as the most interesting playlisting/curation “brands” at the moment; secondly, they used the new Chartmetric Playlist Journey tool to identify “small playlists which seem to have The power of smaller playlists an uncanny ability to add tracks prior to the tracks appearing on some of the largest Getting a track on the behemoth streaming playlists can get you in front of millions of potential listeners. Spotify playlists”. If they actually listen, however, is another matter entirely. Beyond the enormous playlist brands lie a “The Playlist Journey tool is looking for tracks that land on small playlists before multitude of small but powerful playlists – many of them from third-party creators or brands – that can really they are added to a large editorial playlist get things moving. They also operate as an early warning system for the big hitters on the DSPs. Rather than – and we specifically look at the number of jostle for attention from the biggest playlists, go niche. Here we explain why big is not always best. days before a track is added to the larger playlist,” says Chaz Jenkins, Chartmetric’s chief commercial officer. “So, 90% of n a world where the playlist is king, it is 8m people worldwide, including the vast that apparently happened to one global tracks currently on Baila Reggaeton were hardly surprising that getting on New majority of the Western music industry. star’s new song earlier this year on New previously added to New Reggaeton IMusic Friday (NMF) has become the be-all And yet perhaps it shouldn’t be. Getting Music Friday – and some marketers have Friday [2020] before they first appeared and end-all of music streaming marketing, your song to 8m people isn’t so great if they even started to warn managers and artists on Baila Reggaeton, in some instances an opportunity to get your track in front of immediately want to skip it – something off their NMF addiction. by as much as 87 days in advance. And 1 | sandbox ISSUE 250 15.04.2020 COVERFEATURE an impressive 337k followers. He also operates the more modest Ibiza Classics playlist, with 2,669 followers. You can only submit tracks to Field via his website – simonfield.no – which proudly proclaims: “Submission to Ibiza 2020 is not on Submithub, PlaylistPush or any other services.” To do so, you have to follow him on Spotify – which seems entirely logical – and he claims to listen to every submission he receives, even if he doesn’t give feedback. Songpickr ➜ LINK New Dance Music 2020 - New EDM 2020 Colors ➜ LINK electronica. It has 12.2m subscribers on - Electronica Now - Reddit EDM adds Biggest playlist: Colors - All Shows YouTube and over 5.4bn global views. On tracks as much as six months before they 171,489 followers Spotify, MrSuicideSheep operates nine first appear on Mint.” What it is: a “unique aesthetic music playlists at the time of writing, with the platform showcasing exceptional talent MrSuicideSheepFavourites being far and Chartmetric’s most interesting from all around the globe” best known for away the most popular. Users can submit playlisting/curation brands its hugely popular – 4.3m subscribers and their music and artwork via a dedicated Indiemono ➜ LINK 1bn total views – YouTube channel, where submission portal. MrSuicideSheep also Biggest playlist: Regeton [sic] 2020 Exitos artists perform in front of a background runs the label Seeking Blue Records, home del Verano 2020 of one distinct colour. Its Spotify presence to the likes of Jaron, Echos and Dead 381,905 followers mirrors this: its main playlist features all Battery, while the online MrSuicideSheep Biggest playlist: 2020Songpickr - Indie, What it is: An independent playlisting the recordings from its YouTube channel in store offers a tasteful range of Folk, Soul, Americana, Blues, Rock monster which works “to bring you the their exclusive glory, while Jade (smooth), merchandise. 128,772 followers most special stuff we find, those hidden Ruby (the Function), Amber (groove) and What it is: “Playlists curated with love. I little gems that still can get you all hyped Cream (rhymes & beats) playlists showcase Simon Field ➜ LINK try to find a warm, organic, timeless sound up and kept unnoticed all the time”. Indie/ different types of music. Colors has its own Biggest playlist: IBIZA 2020 in today’s music,” according to founder alternative music is its core, but its top submission platform. 336,656 followers Holger Christoph. His most popular playlist is a reggaeton hits round up, while What it is: Simon Field is a DJ/producer playlist (2020Songpickr - Indie, Folk, Soul, among its 160 Spotify playlists you will also MrSuicideSheep ➜ LINK from Norway. More interesting for our Americana, Blues, Rock) gives you a good find everything from melodic house to “sad Biggest playlist: purposes, however, is the fact that Field idea of what to expect. He also operates chill hop”. It also has a presence on Deezer, MrSuicideSheepFavourites launched what he claims was the first Ibiza Jazz Café; Americana & Alternative YouTube and Apple Music. Indiemono uses 315,749 followers playlist on Spotify, a playlist currently Country - Songpickr Guide; and SXSW its own free music submission tool, as well What it is: MrSuicideSheep is a popular operating under the SEO-friendly name 2020 What We Missed This Year on as a “quick submit” for those who support Canadian YouTube channel that covers of “IBIZA 2020 Deep House Mix, Ocean Spotify; and Best Songs 2020 - Songpickr it on Patreon. It also runs a digital label and new, mostly electronic, music with a Beach, Nassau Beach, Amnesia, Space Guide (Americana, Folk, Singer-Songwriter, curation service. penchant for elaborate artwork and wavy Ibiza, Ushuaia, Chill House”, which has Indie, Soul, Blues) on Apple Music. 2 | sandbox ISSUE 250 15.04.2020 COVERFEATURE “All Songpickr activities are 100% independent,” Christoph writes. “Music picks and featured artists reflect my personal taste (which is not for sale).” He recommends getting in touch via social media (Facebook/Instagram/Twitter) and submitting music via Submithub. His Submithub pages ask for English- language music exclusively, adding, “No commercial pop music, designed for the charts. No remixes, no live versions, no instrumentals. I prefer uplifting, positive songs vs sad songs.” La Belle Musique ➜ LINK Biggest playlist: La Belle Musique/ YouTube (Uploads Compilation) 51,465 followers crossover with some of Spotify’s largest What it is: A French YouTube channel, playlists. “Whether these playlists record label and occasional promoter influence Spotify playlists directly is almost that likes “discovering... young talented impossible to say – and the only person artists and new fresh music that we like”, playlist (9.9m followers) and 68% crossover who can answer that question is the editor principally in the realm of downtempo with ¡Viva Latino! (10.6m followers), which of the Spotify playlist in question!” says electronica. Their YouTube channel is makes it of significant interest for anyone Chartmetric’s Chaz Jenkins. massive, with 1.76m subscribers, 515m operating in those fields. “What is more interesting is whether lifetime views and a penchant for vertical Got Dembow is a US operation that these playlists: 1) indirectly influence lyrics videos and their biggest Spotify claims to be “the home of Reggaeton’s the Spotify playlist as part of wider playlist reflects the selection on YouTube, rising stars, unsigned hype and promotion; or 2) accurately predict what albeit with far fewer uploads. You can underground artists”. It operates a will land on a playlist, and thereby be submit music by Submithub or music YouTube channel with 145k subscribers, useful as an A&R trigger, or a source of promotion service Soundicate Promotion SoundCloud and website (gotdembow. investment insight.” Group. Other Spotify playlists include net) alongside its 22 Spotify playlists. Got Best Of The Week (15,942 follows) and What it is: Got Dembow wasn’t one of Dembow says you can submit music via its Rap Caviar Summer Memories (7,182) and they also the curation brands identified by the website contact page although that doesn’t 25% crossover: Fire Emoji: Daily Hot New operate an official SoundCloud account Chartmetric team. But the brand’s New appear to work. Its email (gotdembowyt@ Rap and Hip Hop ➜ LINK with 166k followers.