How to build a music promotion contact list that people answer
Build a music promotion list around one release and one audience: playlists that already carry that genre, radio shows that play it, and writers who cover it. Use published contact routes, verify what you can, and write one specific line about their output before you mention your track.
Relevance beats size
A hundred curators in your genre will do more than five thousand addresses in every genre. The first filter is what they already play or write about, not how many followers they have.
Read the last three things they published. If none of them could plausibly include your track, skip them.
Use the route they published
Many curators and stations publish a submission route: a form, an inbox, a one-line instruction. Use it. A direct message to a personal account when a submission form exists is the fastest way to be ignored.
Where only a general inbox is published, address the genre or show, not a guessed personal name.
Write for a stranger with a queue
The person reading has forty submissions and ten minutes. One line about their show, one about your track, one link. No attachments unless the route asks for one.
If you have a previous placement in a similar context, name it in one clause. Otherwise describe the track plainly.
What to track after sending
Track replies by route and by outlet type, not by play counts. A reply from a small show that plays your genre is worth more than a silent add to a large playlist.
Keep a note of who asked for future releases. Those contacts are the beginning of your own list, and they are more valuable than any purchased one.
The mistake that ends a promo campaign
Sending the same generic message to every route is the mistake. Forms, inboxes and writers each expect a different shape, and a message that ignores that reads as bulk mail.
Tailor the first line and the ask. Keep the rest short enough that nobody has to scroll.
How to keep the list alive between releases
Add every person who replied to a shortlist, with the date and what they asked for. When the next release is ready, that shortlist is your first send.
Check the list before each release. Shows close, writers change desks, and a bounce on a fresh release costs you more than it did on the last one.
This is the only part of promotion that compounds, so it is worth ten minutes a month.
What to send when someone replies
One link, the context they asked for, and a date. If they ask for a clean version or a shorter edit, send it the same day; that responsiveness is rare and remembered.
Log what they asked for so the next release arrives already shaped for them.
What good looks like after a month
A shortlist of people who replied, a note of what they asked for, and a list you can reuse for the next release without starting over.
The campaign stops being a one-off blast and becomes a habit that compounds.
The line between promotion and spam
Promotion is writing to someone whose published work makes your release relevant, using the route they published. Spam is writing to everyone in the genre because the addresses were convenient.
The distinction is not the tool. It is whether you can explain, in one sentence, why this person is on the list.
Contact route, what to send, what to expect
| Route | What to send | Realistic expectation |
|---|---|---|
| Curator submission form | One link, genre, mood | Often no reply |
| Radio show inbox | Track, duration, clean version | Sometimes a reply |
| Journalist email | Story angle, not the track alone | Reply if it fits |
| Playlist pitch | One sentence of fit | Seldom personal |
No route guarantees placement, airplay, streams or coverage.
Release-ready list
- One genre or audience
- Last three outputs read
- Published route used
- Clean and explicit versions ready
- One link per message
- Track described in one line
- Sent from a domain you control
A worked example, hypothetical
An artist promoting a mid-tempo afrobeat single builds a list of 60 shows and 25 writers who covered similar releases in the past quarter, using only published routes.
Forty messages produce six replies, two playlist adds and one interview request. The artist's earlier blast to 900 addresses produced a single reply and one complaint.
- 1.Choose the audience
- 2.Read their recent work
- 3.Use the published route
- 4.Send 40
- 5.Log replies
What this will not do
- Placement is never guaranteed by an email.
- Some curators do not accept unsolicited submissions.
- Streams and listeners depend on the audience, not the pitch list.
Questions people ask about this
Should I send a private SoundCloud link or a streaming link?
Whichever the route asks for. A private link is better for unreleased material; a public link is faster for someone deciding in ten seconds.
How many contacts should a release list have?
Enough relevant ones to cover the genre properly, judged by their output rather than by a target number.
Can I use this list for the next release?
Yes, but re-check it. Shows close, writers move, and a list that was relevant last year may not be now.
How many follow-ups should a promo send?
One, after a week or so. Curators and writers receive a lot of mail; a second follow-up rarely helps and can get you filtered.
Do I need a press kit?
A short link with a bio, photo and track is useful. An attachment on first contact is usually ignored.