How Promos and Bundles Work with Spotify Playlists?

Spotify's Terms and Conditions strictly prohibit charging artists for playlist placement. On Musosoup, this means every playlist-focused bundle you send must include a free playlist placement option that matches the artist's genre.

However, you can offer paid marketing services that promote the playlist featuring the artist's track. These paid options, such as social media promotion, blog coverage, or advertising campaigns, must always be optional add-ons, never required for playlist access.

This guide explains how to structure compliant Spotify playlist offers, how to offer paid marketing options correctly, and what transparency requirements you must follow when managing ad spend on behalf of artists.

Every artist you contact must have a free pathway to playlist placement. This is non-negotiable and fundamental to staying compliant with Spotify's rules.

Once this free option is in place, you can then offer optional paid marketing services that promote the playlist and increase visibility for featured artists.

The difference between compliant and non-compliant offers often comes down to whether the free option genuinely matches the artist's genre and whether paid options are truly optional.

You discover a hip-hop artist and decide to send them an offer. Here's what a compliant structure looks like:

Why this works:

You find an indie rock band and send them an offer structured like this:

Why this violates the rules:

Once you've established a free playlist placement, you can offer paid services that promote the playlist and increase exposure for all featured artists.

Acceptable paid options include:

What you cannot charge for:

The key distinction is that paid options must enhance visibility through marketing, not provide access to playlists.

If you offer advertising packages as part of your bundles, you must maintain strict transparency about how the money is used and provide proof that ads are actually running.

You must:

Consequences of non-compliance:

You can retain up to 50% of the total ad revenue as compensation for the time it takes to manage, monitor, and optimise ad campaigns. This is a reasonable fee structure that acknowledges the work involved in running effective advertising.

However, this must be clearly disclosed:

Example of transparent disclosure:

"To remain transparent, 30% of the total amount is retained for my time managing, monitoring, and optimising the ads, while the remaining 70% is added to a monthly collective ad fund. This pooled budget is used to run ongoing campaigns that promote the playlist and all featured artists collectively, increasing reach and performance."

Many curators pool ad contributions into a monthly collective fund rather than running individual campaigns for each artist. This is acceptable and often more effective, but must be explained clearly to artists.

When using collective ad funds, explain:

This approach works well because larger ad budgets typically deliver better results than many small individual campaigns. Artists benefit from the collective promotion, but only if they understand how it works upfront.

Your promo descriptions must clearly explain what artists are paying for and how their money will be used. Transparency builds trust and ensures artists make informed decisions.

Your playlist placement promo description should focus on what makes the playlist valuable and include a transparency note if you offer paid ad options.

Example description:

"This Spotify playlist focuses on emerging indie folk and alternative acoustic artists. It has been growing steadily since 2023, supported by consistent monthly ad campaigns and organic discovery. The playlist is updated weekly with fresh releases and maintains an active listener base built through genuine promotion."

Add this transparency note if you offer ad promos:

"This playlist placement is free for all relevant artists. If an Ads Promo is also selected as part of a bundle, your track will remain within positions 5–20 on the playlist throughout the four-week marketing cycle, matching the ad campaign period."

This note ensures artists understand:

When creating an advertising promo, your description must explain exactly how the money is allocated and what proof you provide.

Example description:

"This Ads Promo is used to promote my Spotify playlist through Meta Ads across Instagram and Facebook. You can check out my examples section to see proof of playlist growth and evidence of ad spend. These show how I've been promoting the playlist and what results the ads have achieved.

To remain transparent, 30% of the total amount is retained for my time managing, monitoring, and optimising the ads, while the remaining 70% is added to a monthly collective ad fund. This pooled budget is used to run ongoing campaigns that promote the playlist and all featured artists collectively, increasing reach and performance. These ads are targeted specifically toward playlist growth and listener engagement."

This description works because it:

If paid ad options provide specific benefits, such as guaranteed playlist positions or extended placement duration, you must state these benefits clearly and honour them precisely.

Whatever you state in your promo description must be followed precisely in practice. If you promise positions 5–20 for four weeks, that's exactly what the artist must receive. Vague or conditional language creates confusion and erodes trust.

Before you send any offer or bundle to an artist, verify these critical points:

The rules for offering paid marketing with Spotify playlists are straightforward:

Following these rules protects both you and the artists you work with, ensures compliance with Spotify's Terms and Conditions, and builds trust that leads to better long-term relationships.

If you have questions about structuring your playlist offers correctly, need clarification on ad spend requirements, or would like a one-on-one review of your promos and bundles, the Musosoup team is here to help.

Contact us: curators@musosoup.com

We're always available to support curators in building compliant, transparent, and effective playlist promotions.