Geographic playlist targeting focuses on playlists with regionally concentrated audiences. Instead of chasing global reach, local targeting builds concentrated fanbases in specific cities or countries—fans who can attend shows, support local venues, and form genuine communities around your music. This strategy is especially valuable for touring artists and those building grassroots followings.
TLDR: Geographic playlists have audiences concentrated in specific regions (Best of London, Texas Country, Sydney Indie). Target these to build local fanbases useful for touring and regional promotion. Use Spotify for Artists data to identify your existing geographic concentrations, then expand strategically. Local fans are more likely to attend concerts, buy merch, and become superfans than geographically dispersed listeners.
Why Geographic Targeting Matters
Global streaming sounds appealing but creates challenges:
Thin audiences everywhere: 10,000 listeners spread across 50 countries means ~200 listeners per country—not enough to fill any venue.
No touring leverage: Dispersed audiences can't attend shows. Geographic concentration enables live performance revenue.
Weaker community: Fans in the same city can meet, attend shows together, and form real community. Dispersed fans can't.
Local targeting solves this by concentrating your audience in regions where that concentration creates value.
Types Of Geographic Playlists
City-specific playlists: Playlists focused on artists from or popular in specific cities: Best of Nashville, London Underground, LA Indie. Curators often live in these cities and feature local talent.
Country/region playlists: Playlists for national audiences: Swedish Pop, Australian Hip Hop, German Electronic. Useful for building national fanbases before touring.
Language-specific playlists: Playlists curated in specific languages target those language communities. Spanish-language playlists reach Hispanic/Latino markets globally.
Local radio/media playlists: Radio stations and local media often maintain Spotify playlists. These have built-in local audiences.
Finding Geographic Playlists
Search by location keywords: Search Spotify for city names + genre: Seattle indie, Berlin techno, Nashville country. Browse results for playlists with geographic focus.
Check curator locations: Curators often mention their location in bios or playlist descriptions. European curators typically feature European artists more.
Use playlist descriptions: Geographic playlists often state their regional focus explicitly: Featuring the best new music from Atlanta or Made in the UK.
Analyze existing placements: Check playlists you're already on for geographic patterns. If a playlist delivers streams heavily from one region, it's effectively a geographic playlist.
Identifying Your Geographic Strengths
Use Spotify for Artists data to understand your current geographic distribution:
Top cities: Which cities have the most listeners? These are your existing strongholds to reinforce.
Listener countries: Which countries drive the most streams? Focus expansion in countries with existing traction.
Geographic trends: Is one region growing faster than others? Double down on momentum.
Your home region: Local artists often have natural advantages in their home cities. Leverage this for initial geographic concentration.
Strategic Geographic Expansion
Start with existing strengths: If you already have 500 listeners in London, target London playlists to build to 2,000. Concentration beats dispersal.
Expand to adjacent regions: If strong in one city, expand to nearby cities or the broader region. Austin success can expand to Texas-wide, then Southwest US.
Match language and culture: If your music has cultural specificity (language, genre, influences), target regions where that culture resonates.
Consider touring plans: If planning a UK tour, build UK streaming presence beforehand. Playlist placements in tour markets create pre-tour awareness.
Building Local Fanbases For Touring
Geographic streaming data enables smart touring:
Book shows where you have listeners: Spotify for Artists shows your top cities. Book shows there first—built-in audience.
Promote shows to streaming audience: Spotify surfaces local concerts to listeners in those cities. Streaming presence + concert listing = ticket sales.
Build before announcing: Build streaming presence in target cities before announcing shows. Arriving with zero listeners means zero ticket sales.
Post-show amplification: After shows, local attendees become superfans. Their saves and follows amplify your presence in that city.
Local Press And Media Strategy
Geographic concentration helps with local press:
Local blogs and publications: City-focused music blogs and publications feature artists gaining local traction. Streaming data provides proof.
Local radio: Regional radio stations prefer artists with demonstrated local audience. Your streaming numbers prove local relevance.
Local playlist curators: Many city-specific playlist curators have connections to local media. Playlist placement can lead to broader local coverage.
Case Study: Building A Regional Presence
Example approach for building presence in a target city:
Month 1: Research playlists with audience concentration in target city. Identify 10-15 relevant playlists.
Month 2: Pitch those playlists with personalized outreach. Secure 2-3 placements.
Month 3: Monitor Spotify for Artists. Confirm listener growth in target city. Engage with local fans on social media.
Month 4: Pitch local music blogs and radio using streaming data as proof of traction.
Month 5: Book a show in target city. Promote to your now-established local streaming audience.
Month 6: Perform show, capture emails, convert attendees to superfans. Rinse and repeat for next city.
Balancing Local And Global Reach
Geographic targeting doesn't mean ignoring global opportunities:
Prioritize, don't exclude: Focus resources on geographic targets while still accepting global playlist opportunities.
Build regional strongholds: Establish 3-5 cities with strong presence, then maintain while gradually expanding.
Some genres are global: If your genre is inherently global (EDM, lo-fi), geographic targeting may be less relevant. Prioritize genre communities over geography.
Long-term diversification: As you grow, geographic concentration matters less. Early-stage artists benefit most from local focus.
Frequently Asked Questions
Summary
Geographic playlist targeting builds concentrated local fanbases instead of thin global audiences. Target city-specific, regional, and language-specific playlists to concentrate listeners in markets where that concentration creates value—especially for touring. Use Spotify for Artists data to identify existing geographic strengths and expand strategically. Local fans are more likely to attend concerts, engage deeply, and form community around your music. Balance geographic focus with global opportunities, prioritizing concentration in early career stages for maximum leverage.