Holiday Playlists: How to Pitch Your Christmas Song

To pitch a Christmas song playlist, submit your track through your distributor’s pitching tool before it goes live — we recommend doing this about a week ahead — tag it under the Holiday/Christmas genre, and write a short, honest pitch note describing the song’s mood and instrumentation. Submitting early, keeping metadata accurate, and choosing the right release date all improve your odds of playlist placement.

How do you pitch a Christmas song playlist on Spotify?

You pitch a Christmas song playlist by submitting your unreleased track through Spotify for Artists before it goes live. Playlist pitching is the process of sending a distributor or streaming platform details about an upcoming release, such as genre, mood and instrumentation, so an editorial team can consider it for curated playlists. You fill out a short form rather than contacting editors directly.

According to Spotify’s own guidance, you should submit your pitch at least seven days before release so the editorial team has time to review it; see Spotify for Artists’ pitching guide for the current process. Once a track is live, the pitching window closes, so timing matters more than almost anything else.

When you fill out the form, be specific about why the song fits holiday playlists. Mention if it’s an original Christmas song or a cover, note any distinctive instrumentation like sleigh bells or choir vocals, and describe the overall mood in a sentence or two.

What is playlist pitching and why does it matter for holiday music?

Playlist pitching matters for holiday music because Christmas songs have a short seasonal listening window compared to most other genres. Editorial playlists give new or lesser-known holiday tracks a chance to reach listeners who are actively searching for seasonal music, rather than relying only on organic discovery. Without a pitch, your song depends entirely on algorithmic recommendations and listener searches.

Holiday playlists also tend to get refreshed and re-promoted every year, so a track added to one in its first season can keep earning placements in future years if it performs well. This makes the pitch you submit now potentially valuable for several holiday seasons, not just the current one.

Because so many artists release Christmas music around the same time each year, competition for playlist slots tends to be high. We recommend preparing a clear, well-timed pitch so your release stands out among the many other submissions editors review during the holiday season.

When should you submit your Christmas song for playlist consideration?

You should submit your Christmas song for playlist consideration as early as possible, well before the holiday listening season begins. We recommend releasing your Christmas music well before the holiday season — many independent artists aim for early fall — so there’s enough time for moderation, pitching and playlist review before listeners start searching for seasonal music. Waiting until December often means missing the main wave of holiday playlist updates.

Our related guide on when to upload a holiday song so it goes live in time walks through how release timing, distributor processing and pitching deadlines fit together. A good rule of thumb is to plan your release date first, then count backward to make sure you can pitch at least a week ahead of it.

Here’s a simple sequence to follow when planning a Christmas release:

1. Finalize your master and cover artwork well ahead of your target release date.
2. Upload your release through your distributor, allowing time for moderation.
3. Submit your playlist pitch as soon as the release is scheduled but not yet live.
4. Promote the release yourself once it’s out, since pitching only works before launch.

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What makes a strong pitch note for a holiday track?

A strong pitch note is short, specific and honest about what makes your song fit a holiday playlist. Editors read many submissions quickly, so a vague or generic description is easy to skip. Instead, describe the instrumentation, tempo, and emotional tone in plain language.

Avoid overselling your track or comparing it directly to famous holiday songs, since editors tend to notice exaggerated claims. Focus instead on concrete details: is it an upbeat party song, a quiet acoustic ballad, or a cover with a fresh arrangement? Mention anything unusual, like a duet, a children’s choir, or an instrumental-only version.

We recommend keeping your pitch note to two or three sentences. A longer note doesn’t necessarily help your chances, and a clear, confident description often reads better than a long list of adjectives. If your song is a cover, it’s also worth noting that in the pitch, since some holiday playlists specifically curate cover versions of classic songs alongside originals.

Do you need a license to release a Christmas cover song?

Yes, you generally need a mechanical license to release a cover of a Christmas song that isn’t in the public domain. A mechanical license is permission to reproduce and distribute a copyrighted composition, which most classic holiday covers require since the underlying songs are still under copyright protection. You can read more about how copyright protection works at the U.S. Copyright Office.

Globex Music handles cover song licensing for the artist as part of its cover song distribution service, so you don’t need to track down publishers or negotiate licenses yourself. Releases start at $1 per release, with no annual subscription, and your music stays online once it’s live.

If your Christmas song is an original composition rather than a cover, licensing is simpler since you already hold the rights to the underlying song. Either way, it’s worth confirming your song’s status before pitching it, since playlist editors and platforms expect releases to be properly cleared.

How does metadata affect playlist placement?

Metadata affects playlist placement because it’s how editors and algorithms categorize your song before anyone even listens to it. Metadata is the set of details attached to a release, including title, artist name, genre, mood tags, and the ISRC, a unique code that identifies a specific recording. You can learn more about how ISRCs work at isrc.ifpi.org.

Tagging your Christmas song under the correct genre and mood categories helps it surface in holiday-specific searches and automated playlist systems, separate from the editorial pitch process. Inconsistent spelling of your artist name, missing featured artist credits, or an incorrect release date can all cause delays or mismatches in how platforms display your release.

We recommend double-checking your metadata before submitting your pitch, since corrections after release can take time to process and may not be reflected across every platform right away. Clean, consistent metadata also makes it easier for fans to find your other releases once they discover your Christmas song.

What other holiday playlists should you target besides official platform playlists?

Besides official platform playlists, you should also target independently curated holiday playlists made by fans, bloggers, and small curators across streaming services and social platforms. These user-generated playlists often have loyal followings and can be easier to reach through direct outreach or by building a following that naturally adds your music to their own collections. They don’t require a formal pitch, just visibility and promotion.

Seasonal content creators on social media sometimes feature new holiday songs in year-end roundups or gift guides, which can drive additional streams outside the pitching system entirely. Reaching out directly, sharing your release with a short note about the song, can work well here since there’s no formal submission process.

Holiday releases also benefit from thinking about the full calendar, not just Christmas. If you release seasonal covers year-round, our guide on timing New Year’s Eve cover songs for maximum streams covers similar timing principles that apply across different holidays, from pitching windows to release-date planning.

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