I’m sharing my insight as a curator of three Spotify playlists currently earning me extra income on Playlist Push. I’ll go into the requirements to qualify, how much I’ve earned in the first months and whether it’s been worth it in my personal opinion.
Photo: Stoners Rotation
How did I Become a Curator?
While building my brand, Stoners Rotation, I created a few playlists. The first was really for myself. At the time, I was editing all the photos for our online headshop. It was time consuming and tedious but important to do right so to maintain my sanity I created my first playlist: Trippy Instrumental Psychedelic Trip.
Today, it has more than 4,000 followers. Musicians started to reach out to me via email, asking us to check out their latest track, saying they felt it could be a good addition to my playlist. As more and more people reached out, I began to wonder, is there a way to monetize this? That’s when I discovered Playlist Push.
My Spotify Playlists
For reference, these are my Spotify playlists:
Trippy Instrumental Trip – More than 4,000+ followers with a Very Good active rate.
Wake and Bake Chill Out – Nearly 2,000 followers with a Good active rate.
Lofi Hip Hop Trippy Chillhop – Just above 1,000+ followers with a Very Good active rate.
Why did I Choose Playlist Push?
While I have not tried out other platforms personally, I used Trustpilot to compare options. Between Submithub, Groover and Playlist Push, Playlist Push had the most reviews above a 4.5. Independent artists seemed to like the platform and felt that the campaigns genuinely helped them grow their audience. My logic was that if artists are happy with it, curators probably would be too, so I applied.
What was the Application Process like?
Applying took about a minute, just added my basic contact information and the link to my biggest Spotify playlist. It took them about three weeks to review and send me an approval. However, I was able to see where my application was in their queue which helped to set my mind at ease.
How Does Playlist Push work?
Playlist Push serves as a bridge between independent artists and playlist curators like myself. Artists submit their tracks to curated playlists and curators like me review these submissions to decide whether they fit the vibe.
How Long Does it take to Review a Song?
I try to listen to the entire song, unless it really doesn’t fit the theme or the quality is subpar. In general, it takes me about 2-6 minutes to review a song. I jot notes as I’m listening so that I can provide more thorough feedback regarding the intro, transitions, vocals and instrumentals.
What Happens if you don’t add a Song?
You get paid for every song reviewed, whether you add it to your playlist or not. Before reviewing a song, Playlist Push provides the earning amount which ranges from $1.25-$15.00 per song. At the moment, my playlists earn $1.25-6.25 per song, depending on a few key factors: the playlist score, reputation score and playlist targeted.
Minimum Requirements to Qualify
At first, I wondered if my playlists would even qualify. Two of my three playlists qualified from the beginning. Now the third qualifies, having met the following criteria:
- Minimum 1,000 followers
- Minimum 30 Active Monthly Listeners
- Minimum 1% Active Monthly Listeners
Aside from that, the playlist followers must be 100% organic. In other words, no bots or fake followers. Also, some playlist types are not accepted. See here for full playlist requirements.
What is the Reputation Score?
The Reputation Score is the combined total of the Base Score + Playlist Score.
The base score has been a bit of a mystery to me until now because it’s based on the last 90 days of activity. The base score will be 0 until you pass the 90 day mark. If an artist thanks you for your Helpful Feedback, for instance, that goes towards your base score.
The playlist score is much more important though for overall earnings. The score is determined by the active monthly listeners multiplied by 10. Under the Reputation Activity, you can see if an artist gets discovered via your playlist. That also goes towards your Playlist Score, further increasing your Reputation Score.
However, it’s worth noting that points earned before a 90 day period will expire. You will see your score fluctuate, decreasing, if the number of active listeners has gone down or when points earned expire.
How Much Does Playlist Push Pay?
Ah, the burning question – the payout. Initially, it might seem underwhelming, like it did for me. I started out receiving a modest $1.25 per song, which cast doubts on whether this was even worth it at all.
However, my earnings increased surprisingly quickly over time, especially after determining the playlist’s active rates. The active rate, determined by the active monthly listeners, kept increasing thereby increasing my reputation score. For instance, my top playlist tends to increase by an average of 20-25 followers a day which helped me reach higher payout levels.
For the overall monthly earnings my article, How Much Money I Make on Playlist Push, details actual earnings and payout rates in full.
Why Do the Payouts Change?
The reputation score determines the max amount you can receive. Right now, the max I can earn is $6.25 per song. However, I still get songs at $1.25. Why?
It all depends on whether the artist is targeting one or more playlists. For instance, my Lofi Hip Hop playlist is new on Playlist Push, just having met the minimum requirements. It takes about one week for Playlist Push to calculate the active listener rate and playlist score. Since my score was technically 0 at the time, I received the minimum payout of $1.25 per song. Now that the playlist score surpasses the second threshold, I receive payouts of $2.50 per song.
If only that playlist is targeted, I receive $2.50. If my most popular playlist is targeted, I get $5.00 because my score reaches that payout level. However, if all my playlists are targeted, it combines the scores and I get paid $6.25 per song.
How Many Songs I Review Daily
At first, I received about 1-2 daily. Now, I review about 2-5 songs. Some days are more, others less. Most of the payouts are for $5.00 since artists tend to target my most popular playlist.
Is Playlist Push Worth It?
For me, the answer is yes mainly because my active listener rates are relatively high. While the payout may not seem substantial at first glance, the cumulative effect of active rates and increased playlist reputation makes a significant difference.
The higher the number of active listeners, the more likely an artist you add will get discovered. Every time an artist is discovered via your playlist, your reputation score goes up. What’s more, having multiple playlists proves advantageous, as artists targeting multiple playlists pay more, amplifying your earnings. I also feel that the additional exposure my playlist has been getting is helping it to grow more rapidly than before.
In conclusion, Playlist Push has been worthwhile for me as a curator. It helps me discover new artists while also earning money. The additional income goes towards our marketing expenses so we can experiment and try out new campaigns. It gives our brand more exposure. For me, it’s a win-win. I’m looking forward to seeing what earnings look like a year from now. Stay tuned.
