Knowledge Base & Help
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about finding Spotify curator contacts, pitching etiquette, safety, pricing, and getting placed on active playlists.
How PlaylistScout Works
Understanding our search engine, public API access, and contact extraction logic.
- Where do the curator emails and Instagram handles come from?
- All contact details come directly from the public playlist description on Spotify. When independent curators create playlists and invite submissions, they frequently write their submission email or Instagram handle directly in the playlist bio (e.g. 'Submissions: demos@domain.com' or 'IG: @curatorname'). PlaylistScout reads these descriptions in real time so you don't have to manually inspect thousands of playlists.
- How does PlaylistScout handle obfuscated emails (like 'name [at] gmail [dot] com')?
- Many curators intentionally disguise their email address to deter dumb web scrapers and spam bots—using formats like 'artist [at] gmail [dot] com', 'submissions(at)label.com', or 'contact [dot] me'. PlaylistScout uses proprietary regex and text normalization algorithms that detect and decode these obfuscations, resolving them into valid, sendable email addresses.
- How many playlists are scanned per search?
- When you enter a search term (such as 'indie folk' or 'chill lofi'), PlaylistScout executes up to 8 intelligent query variations against Spotify's public Web API. This allows a single search to scan up to 1,000 relevant playlists in about 10–15 seconds, extracting dozens to hundreds of active curator contacts.
- What is the difference between the Web app and the Chrome extension?
- The Chrome extension was our original tool for scanning individual Spotify pages in your browser. The PlaylistScout Web app runs on high-performance cloud servers, searches up to 1,000 playlists concurrently, stores your leads in a permanent cloud database, provides analytics and featured artist detection, offers CSV/Excel export, and includes an outreach pitch writer.
- Do I need a Spotify account or Spotify Developer credentials to use PlaylistScout?
- No. You do not need to log into Spotify, connect your Spotify account, or register for Spotify Developer keys. PlaylistScout handles all communication with the public Spotify Web API on our servers.
Pitching & Outreach Best Practices
How to approach independent curators respectfully and get your music placed.
- What kind of response rate can I expect from cold curator pitching?
- Industry average cold outreach response rates for independent music range between 5% and 15%. Because PlaylistScout specifically targets curators who explicitly included their contact details for submissions, your response rate is typically significantly higher than blasting generic promotion lists, provided your music genuinely matches the playlist's sonic aesthetic.
- Should I pitch curators via email or Instagram DM?
- If a curator lists an email address, always prioritize email—it is cleaner, allows you to provide organized links, and is less intrusive. If the curator only provides an Instagram handle (or notes 'DMs only'), send a short, polite message (under 50 words) referencing their specific playlist and asking where they prefer listening to new releases.
- What should I include in my pitch email?
- Keep it under 100 words. A winning pitch contains: (1) A personalized greeting and mention of their specific playlist name, (2) A one-sentence description of your sound and notable comparable artists, (3) A streaming link (Spotify track link or private SoundCloud link—never attach MP3 files), and (4) A polite thank-you for their time. PlaylistScout's built-in Outreach Writer generates custom templates based on the specific playlist you're pitching.
- Should I attach audio files (MP3s or WAVs) to my pitch email?
- Never attach audio files to cold pitches. Heavy attachments will trigger email spam filters and clog curators' inboxes. Always send a clickable Spotify track link or private SoundCloud/Dropbox streaming link.
- How often should I follow up if a curator doesn't reply?
- Send at most one polite follow-up 5 to 7 days after your initial email. If they don't reply, move on. Never badger curators or follow up multiple times for the same song. You can pitch them again when you release your next track.
Pricing, Plans & Cancellation
Honest, transparent pricing built around the indie release cycle.
- How much does PlaylistScout cost?
- We offer a Free plan so you can run real searches and test the extraction engine. Our Pro plan is $6.99 per month with unlimited searches, unlimited contact reveals, lead exports, and outreach tools. For artists and labels who release music year-round, our Agency plan is just $29 per year.
- Why is PlaylistScout priced at $6.99/month instead of $30–$50?
- Most independent artists only actively promote music for the 3 to 4 weeks surrounding a single release. Competitors lock artists into $25–$50 monthly subscriptions or sell metered 'credits'. We believe indie artists should only pay for the time they actually need. At $6.99 for one month, you can find your contacts, export your lists, pitch your campaign, and cancel.
- How do I cancel my subscription?
- Cancellation takes two clicks: navigate to Billing in your dashboard and click 'Cancel plan'. There are no hidden fees, retention questionnaires, customer support hurdles, or phone calls. You retain full Pro access until the end of your prepaid billing period.
- Are there any limits on contacts or searches on the Pro plan?
- No. The Pro plan gives you unlimited search runs, unlimited revealed contacts, unlimited lead saves, and unlimited CSV/Excel exports.
- What payment methods do you accept?
- All payments are processed securely through Stripe. We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) and Apple Pay.
Spotify Compliance, Rules & Safety
Staying 100% compliant with Spotify policies and anti-spam laws.
- Is using PlaylistScout allowed under Spotify's Terms of Service?
- Yes. PlaylistScout accesses publicly available metadata via Spotify's official Web API. Curators choose to place their contact info in their public playlist descriptions specifically to invite submissions. We never access private user data, compromise passwords, or scrape behind authenticated walls.
- Does PlaylistScout facilitate pay-for-placement (pay-to-play)?
- No. Paying curators for placement on Spotify playlists is a violation of Spotify's User Guidelines and can result in track removal or artist penalties. PlaylistScout is a discovery tool for direct, organic artist-to-curator pitching. If any curator asks you for money in exchange for a playlist add, we strongly advise declining and reporting them.
- Can my Spotify artist account get banned for pitching curators?
- No. Pitching independent curators via email or social media is standard music industry practice and completely separate from your Spotify account. As long as you pitch politely and never buy fake streams or pay for placement on botted playlists, your artist profile is 100% safe.
- How does PlaylistScout help me avoid bot playlists?
- PlaylistScout displays the top artists already featured in each playlist and the follower count. If a playlist has 50,000 followers but features unrecognizable random tracks or shows disconnected genres, that is an immediate red flag. Pitching real curators with legitimate track curation protects your algorithmic profile (Release Radar and Discover Weekly).
Data, Export & Technical Features
Exporting data, lead organization, and CRM functionality.
- Can I export my curator leads to spreadsheets?
- Yes. With one click, you can export your saved leads to CSV or XLSX (Microsoft Excel) format. The export includes playlist title, curator name, contact email or Instagram, follower count, playlist URL, and discovered date, ready to import into your favorite email software or CRM.
- How fresh is the playlist data?
- Every search queries Spotify's public index in real time. We do not sell stale, pre-packaged email lists that are months or years old. You receive the exact description and contact info live on Spotify at the moment of your search.
- What music genres does PlaylistScout work best for?
- PlaylistScout works for every musical genre on Spotify. It is especially effective for high-curation genres like indie rock, bedroom pop, lofi hip hop, melodic techno, electronic, synthwave, R&B, Christian/gospel, metal, ambient, jazz, and folk.
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