Your inbox is full of playlist promises, and most of them are scams. Guaranteed streams, thousands of playlist placements, instant virality: the playlist payola industry preys on desperate artists with offers that sound like marketing and function like fraud. Learn to spot the scams before they cost you money and your catalog.
The red flags are consistent. Anyone guaranteeing specific stream numbers is lying, because nobody can guarantee listener behavior. Playlists with huge follower counts but no engagement are botted. Services that will not name their playlists are hiding something. And prices that seem too good for massive exposure always are.
Test before you trust. Check a playlist’s followers against its engagement: real playlists have listeners who save and share. Look at the other artists on it and see if their numbers look organic. Ask for specifics about the curator and the audience. Legitimate curators are transparent. Scammers hide behind vague promises.
Never pay for guaranteed streams, only for legitimate promotional services with clear deliverables like pitching, advertising, or PR. Real playlist adds come from real curators who choose your song. Everything else is renting numbers that evaporate. Protect your music, your money, and your account. The real playlists are worth the wait.
Build your own playlist network honestly. Curate playlists in your niche, grow them with real listeners, and trade placements with genuine curators. An honest playlist with engaged followers beats a botted giant every time. Your own curation becomes an asset that promotes your music and others’. Play the long game.
About the Author – Ruben Burgos: Ruben Burgos brings over 25 years of music expertise and more than 15 years of model guidance to the table. He is the indie major pinnacle to retaining credits for musicians and helping them navigate this wicked industry without the fuckery.