How to Choose Songs for a Spotify Playlist

Choose songs for a Spotify playlist by running each track through the same short set of tests, in the order that saves you the most time: does it fit what the playlist is, does the recording hold up, and will your regulars still want it on the tenth listen. Choosing tracks is the whole job of running a playlist, and everything else is admin. Here are the seven tests, then the two rules that keep the whole playlist balanced.

Test 1: does it fit your sentence?

Every playlist needs one line that describes it: the genre, the feeling, and who it's for.

Nordic indie folk, mostly unsigned, for slow weekend mornings.

Read the line, play the track, and decide. If you catch yourself building an argument for why it could work, you have your answer. A track that needs a case made for it will confuse the listener who followed you for that sentence.

This test alone clears most of what comes your way, in a few seconds per track.

Test 2: the first thirty seconds

Listen to the opening. Does the recording sound finished? Do the vocals sit properly in the mix? Does anything about it feel like a rough demo?

You're checking production, and you're checking it early, because a great track in a weak recording still makes people skip. Be tough here. It's the bar that protects every artist already on your playlist.

Test 3: would you be happy if this was heard first?

Plenty of listeners open a playlist and hit shuffle, so any track can be the first one somebody hears. Ask whether this one could carry that job.

It's a harder test than it sounds, and it's the one that keeps your weakest track good.

Test 4: play it twice

The tracks that wear a playlist down are the ones that sound great once and grate on the fourth listen. Anything built on a gimmick, a very distinctive hook, or an unusual vocal effect falls into this group.

Your regulars will hear it fifty times. Play it twice back to back and see whether you still want it.

Test 5: does it collide with what's already there?

Look at the tracks it would sit near. Two tracks with the same lead instrument, tempo, and vocal range make a playlist feel repetitive even when both are good.

Variety inside a consistent mood keeps a session going: the same feeling, in different textures.

Test 6: how long is it?

A six-minute track in a playlist of three-minute tracks is a decision, so make it on purpose. Long tracks work in focus and ambient playlists and stall commute and gym playlists.

Test 7: is the artist worth following?

You're choosing people as well as tracks. An artist who releases regularly and talks to their audience will share your playlist, come back with their next release, and be worth knowing in two years.

Check their profile for recent releases, a real presence somewhere outside Spotify, and a listener count that's growing.

Getting the balance right across the playlist

The track-by-track tests keep the quality up. Two rules keep the overall shape right:

• Roughly two unknown tracks for every familiar one. Familiar tracks tell a listener what the playlist sounds like. Unknown ones are the reason somebody follows you at all.
• About one track in five can push at the edges of your sentence. That's enough to keep the playlist surprising and few enough to keep it recognizable.

For the playlist as a whole, how to make a good Spotify playlist covers everything from the name to the cover to the update schedule.

Where the candidates come from

The tests only matter when there's something to test, and most curators spend far more time hunting for candidates than deciding on them. That hunting is what wears people down by month six.

The old way to get candidates is a submission platform: a queue of tracks, a few dollars per review, and most of what arrives sitting nowhere near your sentence, so you fail it at test 1 and move on. Being paid to consider tracks for your playlist isn't compliant with Spotify's rules either. On Soundmango you only see campaign opportunities for tracks in the genres your playlist covers, with your earnings shown up front. You run your tests, take on the campaigns you want, and get paid for each one. One campaign earns you more than an afternoon of per-review listening, and what goes on your playlist is always your call. See how curating on Soundmango works.

Frequently asked questions

How long should I listen before deciding?

Thirty seconds for the first cut. That's long enough to tell whether the production clears your bar and whether the track fits. A full listen is for tracks that survive those thirty seconds, and a second listen is for the ones you're close to adding.

Should I add tracks I like that don't fit the playlist?

No. Start another playlist for them. A track that breaks your sentence spends a little of the trust that made people follow you, and the cost stays invisible until enough of it has piled up.

Do I need to check whether a track is on other playlists?

Yes, it's worth a quick look. A track already on twenty big playlists brings your listeners nothing new, and a brilliant unknown one is what makes people follow you.

How many tracks should I listen to for every one I add?

Ten to twenty for most curators when the tracks come from open submissions. That ratio is the real cost of running a playlist, and it's why the tracks you start from matter more than how fast you decide.

Spend your time on the deciding

Your judgment is what people follow you for. Soundmango brings you tracks in your genre, pays you for the campaigns you take on, and pays out every month, while every decision about your playlist stays yours. Start curating on Soundmango.