Musicians Deserve a Fair Deal

If you're an independent musician trying to get your music heard on Spotify, you already know how difficult the landscape is. Platforms like SubmitHub and DailyPlaylists were early pioneers in playlist pitching, and they deserve credit for creating the space. But over time, the economics have shifted heavily against the very artists these platforms were meant to serve.

On most platforms, artists pay $1 to $3 per individual submission. That means pitching to just 20 curators can cost $20 to $60 per month — an unsustainable expense for independent musicians who are already investing in recording, mixing, mastering, and distribution. For many artists, especially those just starting out, that kind of budget simply doesn't exist.

Meanwhile, playlist curators — the people doing the actual work of listening to music, maintaining high-quality playlists, and giving artists a genuine shot at exposure — often receive only a fraction of what artists pay. On some platforms, curators earn as little as $0.50 for reviewing while the platform keeps the rest. That's not a partnership — it's a tax on both sides.

We saw this imbalance and asked ourselves: what if there was a platform that actually put artists and curators first?

Playlist Panda was born from a simple belief: independent musicians shouldn't have to choose between promoting their music and paying their rent. And curators who take the time to listen, review, and place great music on their playlists should be rewarded for that effort.

We designed Playlist Panda to be the most affordable Spotify playlist pitching platform on the market — not by cutting corners, but by rethinking the model entirely. Instead of charging per submission, we offer a simple, flat-rate plan: $5 per month for 25 submissions. That's $0.20 per pitch — a fraction of what other platforms charge. And if you need more, additional credits are as low as $0.30 each.

We keep our margins lean because we believe the value should flow to the people who actually make the music ecosystem work: the artists creating it and the curators championing it.

If you're a Spotify playlist curator, you already put in serious work. You spend hours searching for the right tracks, organizing your playlists, and building a following. You're providing real value to the music ecosystem — and you should be compensated for it.

On Playlist Panda, curators get paid for reviewing submissions. We're finalizing our compensation rates and will share details once our curator network is established. Unlike other platforms, we won't take an outsized cut. We believe the curator's effort is what makes this model work, and our compensation will reflect that respect.

We're also currently in our free launch period for curators. The first 200 curators to join get free access to the platform — no subscription required. Once we reach that milestone, a small $3/month fee ensures the platform stays sustainable, but early adopters will have already built their presence and audience on the platform.

As a curator, you control everything: which genres you accept, your response time guarantee, and whether you're currently accepting submissions. You set the pace, and artists come to you.

The music industry has never been kind to the people who make it run. Labels take huge percentages. Streaming payouts are fractions of a cent. And playlist pitching platforms have followed that same extractive model — charging artists premium prices while paying curators the minimum.

We built Playlist Panda to break that cycle. Our pricing is transparent, our margins are intentionally low, and every decision we make starts with the same question: does this benefit the artists and curators who use our platform?

We don't inflate our curator numbers. We don't allow unverified playlists. We don't charge hidden fees. And we never will. This is a platform built by people who love music, for people who make and curate it.

Playlist Panda is still in its early days, and that's exactly why now is the best time to join. We're actively building our curator network, and we're offering free access to the first 200 curators who sign up. No credit card required, no strings attached.

If you're a curator with a playlist you're proud of, we'd love to have you be part of what we're building. Artist submissions are coming soon — once our curator network is established, we'll open the doors to artists too. Get in early and be part of the foundation.