Welcome [back] to another week of your weekly dose 🎶

Every Tuesday, I’ll be sharing tips, updates, and must-know music marketing insights to help you get your music heard!

By Finch Bergling 🙂

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Opportunity For Musicians

Sponsored by Winamp.
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$15,000 to fund your music project - yes, this is real.

Most musicians have the talent but zero budget for the things that actually matter - professional studio time, marketing, team support.

That's exactly why Winamp created their Creators Program.
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They're selecting just 3 artists globally and giving each one $15,000 over 5 months to make their music dreams actually happen.
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Here's what you get:

→ $3,000 monthly for 5 months

→ Professional studio recording sessions

→ Marketing support and strategic mentorship

→ Real exposure across Winamp's channels

→ Access to their monetization tools

→ A whole team backing you up
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Whether you're releasing an album, going on tour, or building your fanbase - this covers it all.

The process is straightforward: You apply with your project, industry professionals listen to your music and review everything, then they select the 3 winners. No gatekeepers, just your music and ambition.
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But here's the thing - applications close October 31st. That's less than 25 days away.

If you're serious about taking your music to the next level, this could be your shot.

APPLY NOW

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Your Weekly Reel Idea

Sometimes the best way to promote your music is to let someone else tell the story for you.

📝 Content Summary: This video shows a girl overhearing the music her roommate is making. She opens the door mid-production session and experiences the full song for the first time.

🎦 How to create a similar Reel:

1. Ask a friend or roommate to “play the role” - their reaction should feel natural, not scripted.
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2. Film from their perspective: them hearing the song through a door, walking in, or catching you mid-creation.
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3. Add a caption that builds curiosity: “Just walked in on my friend making this…” for example
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4. Keep the focus on the reaction and your song - no talking needed.
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🤔 Why does it work so well?

1. It feels authentic - like someone caught a real moment.
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2. The third-person angle removes self-promotion - it’s not you bragging, it’s someone else showing appreciation.
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3. It creates curiosity - viewers want to hear what’s behind the door.
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4. It boosts watch time and engagement - people stay to see (and hear) the reveal.

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Your Weekly Tip

Imagine this: you ever wake up tomorrow to see your streams suddenly skyrocket overnight - from a few dozen to hundreds or even thousands - and it feels good. I know it feels good.
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But if you haven’t been running ads, posting content, or pitching your song, you start feeling like it's a bit... suspicious 👀

Most artists experience this at some point - a random spike that seems too good to be true.
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And often, it is.
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Here’s what’s actually happening behind the scenes:

1. A playlist owner creates a playlist full of fake listeners
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These fake listeners are bots - automated accounts designed to simulate streams.

2. They use tools to randomly add small artists for a short time
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You might be on the playlist for a few hours or a few days, just long enough to notice a sudden jump in your stats.

3. The artist sees the spike and checks where it came from
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You open your Spotify for Artists dashboard, see thousands of new streams, and find a random playlist name that looks “official.”

4. You think it’s legit - and that’s the trap
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Some artists will message the curator or even pay to stay on it longer, thinking it’ll help their song blow up.

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The truth?
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​These playlists are scams.​
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The goal is simple: trick artists into paying for fake streams.

Now, I want to put a strong emphasis on this:

Fake listeners = no real fans.

Those numbers might look impressive, but they don’t help your music career.
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They don’t convert to followers, saves, or people who’ll ever come to your show.
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Worse - Spotify can detect these fake streams.

When that happens, they can:

• Remove your music from the platform
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• Freeze your stats
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• Or, in the worst cases, ban your account permanently

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How to avoid it?

Unfortunately, you can’t stop fake playlists from adding your music.
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Spotify doesn’t allow artists to block them, and they’re not doing enough to prevent it either.

But here’s what you can do:

✓ Monitor your analytics regularly.
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If you notice a sudden spike from countries where you don’t have fans, it’s probably fake.

✓ Check the playlist.
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If it has random genres, unrelated songs, or no engagement (few saves, followers, or playlist interactions) - it’s likely a fake one.

✓ Report it immediately.
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Use Spotify for Artists support to flag suspicious activity. Provide the playlist name and link.

✓ Never pay for placements (only for feedback).
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Real fans come from genuine marketing, not bots. Stay away from anyone selling “guaranteed streams.”

✓ If you use Distrokid, contact them via Twitter

They answer there in seconds, and they are super helpful!

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If your music gets added to a fake playlist, don’t panic - it’s more common than you think.
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But do take it seriously. Protect your account, report the playlist, and focus your energy on building real fans who care about your music.

So please help spread awareness.
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Share this with other artists, save it for later, and let’s stop supporting fake playlists together. 🙏

Hope this helps!

Finch

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Let's work together 🤝

• ​Submit your music to my Spotify Playlists. [2nd option - Submit via SubmitHub].
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• Join Your First Hit Song 2026 Waitlist (Coming Out November 3rd)
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• ​Get immediate and professional feedback on your content​
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• ​Book a 1-1 intensive meeting.
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• ​Hire me to run ads for you.​
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• ​Learn how to become a professional playlist curator and make a living from your Spotify playlists.

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Discounts & Links 🔗

• Get 10% off on SubmitHub​
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• Get ​7.5% off your first campaign on Playlist Push - use code finch
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• Get 40% off your first month on PlaylistSupply - use code finch40
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• Get 40% off your first month on Booking-Agent.io - use code finch40
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• Get 40% off your first month on RadioPromo.io - use code finch40​
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• Get 7% off on DistroKid​
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• Get 7-day free pro on Hypeddit​

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That’s it for this week! Hope today’s email gave you something useful to work with.

Until next week, Finch 🎶

P.S. Newsletters aren’t social media - I can’t see what you’re enjoying unless you tell me. Hit reply and let me know what you liked (or didn’t) - I’d love to hear from you! 😊

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