Different genres have different curator cultures, pitch expectations, and evaluation criteria. A pitch that works for lo-fi curators may fail with hip-hop curators. This guide breaks down genre-specific strategies for indie, electronic, hip-hop, pop, rock, lo-fi, and R&B—covering what curators prioritize, how to frame your pitch, and common mistakes to avoid.
TLDR: Indie curators value authenticity and artistic vision. Electronic curators want BPM, subgenre precision, and energy level. Hip-hop curators weight existing traction and professionalism. Pop curators seek radio-ready production. Lo-fi curators prioritize community engagement. Tailor your pitch language, highlighted attributes, and approach to match genre-specific expectations.
Why Genre-Specific Pitching Matters
Curators develop genre expertise. An indie curator understands indie rock nuances differently than a casual listener. When you pitch using genre-appropriate language and highlighting relevant attributes, you demonstrate credibility.
Different genres have different values. Hip-hop values bars and flow. Indie values authenticity. Electronic values production quality. Pop values hooks. Emphasizing the wrong attribute for your genre signals you don't understand the space.
Curator cultures vary. Lo-fi has a collaborative, community-driven culture. Pop is more competitive and commercial. Matching the culture in your communication style improves reception.
Indie & Alternative Pitching
What indie curators look for: Authentic artistic voice, quality songwriting, emotional resonance, interesting production choices (but not overproduced). They value artists with clear creative vision over those chasing trends.
Pitch emphasis: Lead with your artistic story. What's the song about? What inspired it? Indie curators appreciate context and meaning. Mention any notable press, blog coverage, or previous indie playlist placements.
Language to use: Authentic, heartfelt, introspective, atmospheric, dreamy, raw. Avoid commercial language like banger or radio-ready.
Common mistakes: Overselling commercial potential. Indie curators often actively avoid music that sounds too polished or mainstream. Don't pitch indie playlists with pop-focused language.
Best tracks to reference: Identify the most emotionally resonant or sonically interesting track on their playlist and explain how your track shares those qualities.
Electronic & Dance Pitching
What electronic curators look for: Production quality, appropriate energy level for the playlist's vibe, genre/subgenre accuracy, mixability (tracks that flow well with others).
Pitch emphasis: Include technical details: BPM, key, subgenre (house, techno, trance, dubstep, ambient). Electronic curators organize by these attributes. Your pitch should help them immediately categorize your track.
Language to use: Driving, melodic, atmospheric, deep, groovy, energetic, minimal. Use subgenre terminology correctly—calling melodic house techno signals you don't understand the difference.
Common mistakes: Vague genre labels. Electronic is too broad. Specify your subgenre precisely. Also avoid calling everything a banger—curators for chill electronic playlists don't want bangers.
Best tracks to reference: Cite tracks with similar BPM and energy level. Example: Similar vibe to the Bicep track you recently added—melodic house around 124 BPM.
Hip-Hop & Rap Pitching
What hip-hop curators look for: Lyrical skill, flow, production quality, authenticity. Many also weight existing traction—streams, social following, press coverage.
Pitch emphasis: If you have streaming numbers or social proof, lead with it. Hip-hop is competitive; curators often use traction as a filter. If you're emerging, emphasize unique style and any notable features or production credits.
Language to use: Bars, flow, bounce, hard-hitting, lyrical, smooth. Use terminology that shows you understand hip-hop culture.
Common mistakes: Ignoring subgenre differences. Boom bap curators don't want trap. Conscious hip-hop curators don't want party rap. Be precise about which hip-hop niche you fit.
Best tracks to reference: Cite artists with similar flow or production style currently on their playlist. Show you understand where you fit in their curation.
Pop Pitching
What pop curators look for: Hooks, radio-ready production, professional polish, vocal quality, commercial potential. Pop is about accessibility and broad appeal.
Pitch emphasis: Highlight any radio play, sync placements, or professional credits. If your track was produced by someone with credits, mention it. Pop curators value commercial markers.
Language to use: Catchy, infectious, anthem, hook-driven, radio-ready. Pop embraces commercial language that other genres avoid.
Common mistakes: Pitching to pop playlists with indie or underground positioning. Pop curators want polish; don't apologize for being commercial or mention how you're different from mainstream.
Best tracks to reference: Cite the most commercially successful tracks on their playlist and explain the sonic similarity.
Lo-Fi & Chill Pitching
What lo-fi curators look for: Appropriate aesthetic, genuine appreciation for the genre, quality within lo-fi's intentionally imperfect style, community engagement.
Pitch emphasis: Lo-fi is community-driven. Mention if you've engaged with the curator's content, shared their playlists, or participated in lo-fi communities. Authentic community involvement matters here more than other genres.
Language to use: Chill, vibes, study beats, mellow, nostalgic, relaxing. Lo-fi has its own vocabulary; use it naturally.
Common mistakes: Treating lo-fi as a generic label for anything calm. Lo-fi has specific aesthetic markers (vinyl crackle, jazz samples, tape saturation). If your track doesn't fit the aesthetic, don't pitch lo-fi playlists.
Best tracks to reference: Reference the overall mood rather than specific tracks. Lo-fi playlists are about consistent vibe, so explain how your track maintains the playlist's flow.
R&B & Soul Pitching
What R&B curators look for: Vocal quality, emotional depth, smooth production, genre authenticity. Modern R&B curators also value unique production approaches that push the genre forward.
Pitch emphasis: Highlight vocal performances and emotional content. R&B is about feeling. If you have any notable collaborators or production credits, mention them.
Language to use: Smooth, soulful, velvety, emotional, groovy, sensual. R&B language emphasizes texture and feeling.
Common mistakes: Pitching generic pop ballads to R&B playlists. R&B has specific rhythmic and harmonic conventions; make sure your track actually fits the genre.
Best tracks to reference: Cite R&B artists on the playlist whose vocal approach or production style matches yours.
Rock & Alternative Rock Pitching
What rock curators look for: Energy appropriate to subgenre, instrumental skill, authentic rock sound (not rock-influenced pop), guitar-driven arrangements.
Pitch emphasis: Lead with energy and instrumentation. Rock curators want to know if your track has the guitars, drums, and energy their playlist requires. Mention live performance background if relevant—rock values real musicianship.
Language to use: Driving, heavy, anthemic, raw, gritty, powerful. Rock language emphasizes intensity and authenticity.
Common mistakes: Mislabeling subgenres. Indie rock is different from alternative is different from hard rock is different from metal. Know exactly which subgenre you fit.
Best tracks to reference: Cite tracks with similar intensity levels and instrumentation. A loud post-punk track doesn't compare to an acoustic singer-songwriter just because both are on an indie rock playlist.
Cross-Genre Pitching
If your music spans genres, identify your primary genre for targeting. Pitch to playlists in your strongest genre first, then expand.
For genuinely cross-genre music, find playlists that explicitly blend genres (eclectic, vibes-based playlists). These curators appreciate genre-fluid music.
Don't pitch a track as fitting everywhere. This signals you don't understand your own music. Identify 2-3 specific genres where you genuinely fit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Summary
Genre-specific pitching requires understanding what each genre's curators value. Indie values authenticity. Electronic values technical precision. Hip-hop values lyrical skill and traction. Pop values commercial polish. Lo-fi values community engagement. Rock values instrumental skill and energy. Adjust your pitch language, attribute emphasis, and cultural approach to match each genre. Generic pitches that ignore genre context get ignored. Targeted pitches that demonstrate genre understanding get considered.