Music streaming has become increasingly popular over the years with services such as Spotify, Pandora, and iTunes dominating the market. Music playlist sites are also becoming more popular, offering users the ability to create and share their playlists with others in the community. As an emerging artist, it's important to be aware of all the opportunities available when it comes to showcasing your music to new audiences.
Music playlist sites not only help you find new music you'll enjoy, but also give you the chance to gain new fans through a more creative type of platform. Songza and 8tracks, two of the leading music playlist sites, both offer independent musicians the ability to share their music through their platforms. Here, we take a look at what each site offers, how they differ, and how to get your music on their services.
When you visit 8tracks, you're greeted by a box with various music genre or descriptive moods and the occasional activity. This combination of selecting music leaves a ton of room to discover new music every time. Users can create their own playlists with their original music or other artists', and upload a title, cover art, tags, and share with friends. Finding music is easy, along with referring back to playlists you love by favoriting them. If you just want to stream music, that works too! 8tracks has thousands of playlists for every mood and occasion along with any genre you can think of.
Endless playlist options, creative control, introduction to new artists, sharing your music through their playlists and on your social media platforms.
When creating a playlist, you'll be able to add your own music along with any other artists you fancy. You'll also be able to use tags so other 8tracks users will find the playlist. The 8tracks community allows you to follow other users, and it's likely they'll follow you back and see your playlist. It's a very simple process, and once you've created the playlist, you can share it on social media.
The sleek design of Songza is inviting, and finding playlists is beyond simple. Songza starts by picking your current activity suggested by the time of day. Six playlists will appear, and users can choose between them. While listening, you can "thumbs up" the track if you're really into it or "thumbs down" if it's not your cup of tea, and the music will adapt to your taste. Songza focuses more on mainstream music, though there are sure to be artists you've yet to discover and definitely some more obscure playlists in the mix as well. While users can create playlists, there's not much creative control as most playlists are created by Songza's music experts.
Recognizable songs, readily available playlists, parties, sharing music through their playlists directly on your social media platforms.
In the past year, Songza has updated to generally only allow professional music curator-created playlists. That said, users can head here and get advice on creating a playlist for editorial consideration. You'll have the option of including your own music in the playlist, which is fantastic. For more intimate playlists, Songza gives you the option to create playlists to share directly to your friends, fans, and social media platforms.
The main difference between Songza and 8tracks is that Songza provides playlists curated by its music experts, while 8tracks relies much more heavily on its community. Songza is a fantastic choice if you're hosting a party or event and want to set your playlist and carry on with your conversations, because there will be a mix of songs everyone will know and enjoy. 8tracks is generally better suited for listening on your own when you have time to search through all the creative playlists, though it would suit a party just fine if you're in the mood for the unknown.
When it comes to which is better for showcasing your own music, 8tracks takes the cake due to the fact the whole site is built around creative playlists and discovering new artists. While Songza still offers independent artists the ability to share their music, because the website is moderated by Songza's music experts, the chance of users hearing your music on their own isn't as high as through 8tracks. That being said, both apps are incredibly easy to use, completely free, and offer great music!
What other music playlist sites do you enjoy using or hosting your music on? Let us know in the comments below!
Kathleen Parrish is a singer and songwriter from Seattle, WA. While she specializes in lyrics, she enjoys writing short stories, poetry, and journalism. For more information, please visit www.kathleenparrish.com.