Release Radar and Discover Weekly are Spotify's most powerful algorithmic playlists, delivering personalized recommendations to hundreds of millions of users weekly. While you can't directly pitch these playlists, you can optimize your music and promotion strategy to trigger algorithmic inclusion. This guide covers specific tactics to maximize your chances of reaching these coveted playlists.
TLDR: Release Radar surfaces new releases from artists users follow or have engaged with recently. Maximize it through pre-save campaigns, follower growth, and consistent release schedules. Discover Weekly surfaces music similar to user listening habits. Trigger it through high save rates, playlist placements on engaged playlists, and strong completion rates. Both playlists reward music that drives genuine engagement.
Understanding Release Radar
Release Radar is a personalized playlist updated every Friday featuring new releases from:
Artists the listener follows: All followers automatically receive your new releases in their Release Radar.
Artists the listener has engaged with: Users who have saved, streamed repeatedly, or added your previous tracks to playlists—even without following—receive your new releases.
Related artist recommendations: A small portion of Release Radar includes recommendations based on listening habits, not direct artist connection.
The goal: Maximize your follower count and engagement on previous releases to ensure your new music reaches existing fans automatically.
Maximizing Release Radar Reach
Pre-save campaigns: When fans pre-save your upcoming release, Spotify automatically adds the track to their Release Radar on release day. Pre-saves are the most direct path to Release Radar placement. Target 100-200 pre-saves for emerging artists; 500+ for established artists.
Follower growth: Every follower receives your new releases in Release Radar. Grow followers through playlist placements, social media promotion, and encouraging saves (which often convert to follows).
Consistent releases: The 90-day engagement window means listeners who engaged 3+ months ago may not receive your new music as prominently. Regular releases (quarterly at minimum) maintain active engagement windows.
Friday releases: Release Radar updates Fridays. Friday releases get immediate placement; midweek releases wait until the following Friday.
Understanding Discover Weekly
Discover Weekly is a personalized playlist updated every Monday featuring music recommendations based on:
Listening history: Spotify analyzes genres, artists, and audio characteristics of music users frequently stream.
Collaborative filtering: What do similar listeners enjoy? If users with similar taste profiles save your track, you may appear in Discover Weekly for others in that profile cluster.
Editorial and playlist signals: Placement on user-generated playlists with engaged audiences signals your music's appeal to specific listener segments.
The goal: Get your music saved and streamed on engaged playlists to enter listener taste profiles.
Triggering Discover Weekly Inclusion
High save rates: Save rate (saves divided by unique listeners) is the strongest signal. Tracks with 20%+ save rates are strongly correlated with Discover Weekly inclusion. Focus on quality music that genuinely resonates.
Playlist placement quality: Placements on playlists with high engagement (high save rates, low skip rates, real listeners) send stronger signals than placements on low-quality or bot-heavy playlists. Quality scores matter.
Completion rates: Tracks that listeners complete (not skip) signal quality. Tracks with high skip rates in the first 30 seconds receive negative algorithmic weight.
Clustering effect: Spotify groups listeners by taste. When your track gains traction in a specific taste cluster (say, fans of similar artists), it spreads through that cluster via Discover Weekly.
Pre-Save Campaign Tactics
Pre-saves are the most reliable path to Release Radar. Implement these tactics:
Use distributor pre-save links: DistroKid, TuneCore, and other distributors provide pre-save link generation. Use these for direct conversion.
Create urgency: Offer exclusive content (behind-the-scenes, early lyrics, artwork) for pre-savers. Limited-time incentives drive action.
Email list activation: Your email subscribers are most likely to pre-save. Send dedicated pre-save campaign emails 2 weeks before release.
Social media consistency: Post about pre-saves 2-3 times weekly leading up to release. Stories, posts, and short-form video content.
Collaborate for reach: If featuring another artist or producer, have them promote the pre-save to their audience too.
Playlist Strategy For Algorithmic Triggers
Not all playlist placements trigger algorithmic recommendations equally:
High-engagement playlists: Placements on playlists where listeners save tracks at high rates (10%+ of listeners) generate stronger signals. Check quality scores before pitching.
Taste-aligned playlists: Playlists featuring artists in your sonic neighborhood create stronger collaborative filtering signals. If you're placed alongside artists you genuinely sound like, the algorithm learns correct associations.
Active listener playlists: Playlists with high completion rates (listeners play through multiple tracks) indicate engaged audiences who may save and return.
Avoid bot playlists: Fake playlists provide zero algorithmic value and may harm your profile. Bot plays don't convert to saves or follows.
Follower Growth Strategies
Followers are your guaranteed Release Radar audience. Grow them through:
Call-to-action in playlists: When promoted on social media after playlist placement, remind fans to follow your Spotify profile.
Link in bio optimization: Ensure your Spotify artist profile is linked prominently across all social platforms.
Concert/streaming events: Live performances (in-person or virtual) provide natural moments to encourage Spotify follows.
Save-to-follow conversion: Fans who save your music often follow with slight prompting. Include follow CTAs in your artist bio and social content.
Consistent releases: Fans follow artists they want to hear more from. Regular releases justify the follow commitment.
Content Strategies For Engagement
Beyond promotion, the music itself matters most:
Strong intros: Tracks with weak or slow intros get skipped. Capture attention in the first 10 seconds to improve completion rates.
Avoid excessive dead time: Long outros or instrumental sections can trigger skips. Keep engagement throughout the track.
Quality production: Professional mixing and mastering improves listener experience and reduces skips from audio quality issues.
Emotional resonance: Music that connects emotionally drives saves. Technical skill matters less than genuine artistic expression.
Timing Your Releases
Strategic timing affects algorithmic pickup:
Friday releases: Get immediate Release Radar placement. Most competitive but aligns with industry standard.
Thursday releases: Some labels release Thursday night to build pre-Friday momentum. Can work for established artists.
Consistency: Regular release schedule (every 6-8 weeks, or quarterly) maintains engagement windows and trains fans to expect new music.
Avoid major release days: If major label releases dominate a Friday, your track competes for attention. Check release calendars when possible.
Measuring Algorithmic Success
Track these metrics in Spotify for Artists:
Release Radar streams: Visible in your analytics. Shows how many fans received your track automatically.
Discover Weekly streams: Indicates algorithmic spread beyond existing fans. Look for growth week-over-week.
Save rate: Calculate saves ÷ unique listeners. Above 20% indicates strong engagement that triggers algorithms.
Follower growth: Net new followers during and after release. Indicates conversion from casual listener to fan.
Playlist algorithmic vs editorial vs user: Spotify for Artists breaks down playlist types. Algorithmic playlist growth indicates algorithm favor.
Common Mistakes That Hurt Algorithmic Reach
Ignoring pre-saves: Pre-saves are free Release Radar placement. Not running pre-save campaigns wastes opportunity.
Focusing on follower count over engagement: 1,000 engaged followers who save your music outperform 10,000 passive followers for algorithmic triggering.
Seeking any playlist placement: Low-quality bot playlists provide zero algorithmic value. Quality over quantity.
Infrequent releases: Long gaps between releases let engagement windows expire. Maintain momentum with regular content.
Weak intros: High skip rates in the first 30 seconds damage algorithmic standing. Front-load your tracks with engaging content.
Frequently Asked Questions
Summary
Release Radar and Discover Weekly are powerful algorithmic playlists you influence through engagement signals. For Release Radar: run pre-save campaigns, grow followers, and release consistently on Fridays. For Discover Weekly: prioritize high save rates, seek placements on engaged playlists, and create music that listeners complete without skipping. Both algorithms reward genuine engagement over artificial manipulation. Focus on quality music, strategic playlist targeting, and authentic audience building for long-term algorithmic favor.