How does Spotify actually discover new artists? After years of releasing music independently and eventually having one of my own songs discovered without an editorial pitch, I started looking more closely at how Spotify editorial playlists, recommendations and real listener behavior work together.

I thought Spotify editorial consideration ended on release day until my song was added to an editorial playlist without ever being pitched. Here's what I learned about how Spotify editors can discover music after it's already released.

What genre is your music when it doesn’t fit neatly into one category? I’ve spent years struggling to define my sound, from choosing genres for Spotify pitches to realizing that being genreless might actually be part of my identity as an artist.

I've been reading about Spotify editorial playlists since I was fifteen. I never once imagined the song that would finally land on one would be the one I didn't pitch at all.