How many songs should I have in my playlist
Don’t create a playlist that contains a lot of songs.
Some curators keep adding songs to their playlist without removing old songs, and they end up with a Playlist with over 1000 songs in it. The worst about this is that they add new songs to the end of the playlist (because that's the default behavior in Spotify).
This means that all the first songs in your playlist will always be the same, and the newest songs in your playlist won't be heard by anyone unless they go through 999 tracks first. Result: your followers won’t hear new music, and you will lose them.
Keep your playlist updated with fresh tracks, and generally don’t create playlists with more than 300 tracks because that’s about 24 hours of music, which is already a lot.
It’s also noteworthy to say that small lists with for example 20 songs will not be that interesting too, people might skip through a few songs that they don’t like, which means you can get through your list very quick. Unless you completely change those 20 songs every couple of days, your followers will get bored really soon and drop off.
Shuffle
Some people will argue that there is the shuffle mode so having a lot of tracks in a playlist would be better. But remember that shuffle is only available for paying subscribers, which is only 25% of all Spotify users, and of those people that have shuffle available not everyone uses it.
Official Spotify Playlists
If you don't take our word for it, just look at all official Spotify curated playlists, they all contain between 50 and 150 tracks.
Common Questions:
How does the number of songs in a playlist impact its discoverability on Spotify?
A well-curated playlist with a focused number of songs can improve discoverability on Spotify. Playlists that are too long may be less engaging, while those that are too short might not hold the listener's attention long enough. Balancing the number of songs can help maintain listener interest and potentially increase the chances of the playlist being shared or featured.
How often should songs be rotated in and out of a playlist?
Regularly updating your playlist by adding new songs and removing older ones can keep it fresh and engaging for listeners. The frequency of updates can depend on your audience and the type of playlist but doing so at least bi-weekly or monthly is a good practice.
Does the genre of music influence the ideal number of songs in a playlist?
The ideal number of songs might vary slightly based on the genre, as some genres, like classical music, have longer tracks, while genres like pop or hip-hop might have shorter ones. However, the general principle of not exceeding 300 tracks and keeping the playlist engaging should apply across all genres.
