What happens when I submit music?

FAQ > Submit Music

In General

We only feature tracks/songs that bring the "heart" closer to God (Ephesians 5:19) and are a pleasure to listen to. We believe that the value of one’s musical praise to God is not determined by how well they are known. We treat all artists equally (from Indie to Mainstream). 

We do not add music to our database that has been released over 12 months ago unless the song is ranking in the Top 2000 of that genre (we have our own system to determine the ranking). Our playlists are classified as "Frontline" (75% of the music in a playlist is released less than 18 months ago). 

If the track is released less than a week ago, then please including the story behind the song (stories that bring the heart closer to God) really does help in case we need to prioritize posts. Readers like real-life/faith-promoting experiences... don't bore them with details about awards, which recording studio / sound engineer, etc..

We listen to the lyrics of each and every song that is submitted. We have zero-tolerance for tracks with explicit language in the title/lyrics, and with graphics that do not align with Christian beliefs. If a track is incorrectly flagged as being explicit, then please inform us when you submit the song and tell us what you think went wrong. 

Interesting article: A ChristianDance editor explains how he curates playlists that represent the ever-evolving sound of Christian music

The Workflow

1. Details from the Submission Form are sent to our editorial team for review.

2. Music is evaluated. There are two options:

   • Music is approved 

     1. By default, we add all approved tracks to our rotation database (this database is used for our weekly playlist refresh, Top 50/100/2000 charts, etc.). We also sniff around in the artist's overview on Spotify for more songs.

     2. Conditional: If the track is released less than a week ago (or if we feel prompted by the Spirit) our Editorial Team considers creating a post that will be published on our website and socials. We have committed to limiting the number of posts per day so that we do not end up spamming our readers with posts. As a result, we may delay a post to the next day, or even decide not to post if there is no story behind the song. Submissions that contain lyrics and a story that is attractive to our readers have a larger chance of being selected.

     3. Conditional: Add the track to a relevant playlist(s). Promoted tracks stay on the playlist for 2-weeks... these promoted tracks "survive" the weekly playlist refresh. A few things we consider... 

        • If the artist already has a "promoted track" on the playlist, the previously promoted track is removed and the new submission is added (and the 2-week counter is reset). 

        • Don't exaggerate track submissions (e.g. constantly sending tracks every few weeks, for the sake of keeping one of your songs in a playlist) or submit multiple tracks per week. We may make an exception for songs that are being released one by one and will be bundled in an  EP once the last song is published. If this is the case, then please inform us upfront, so we can discuss the possibilities with you.  

        • If "older" music is submitted, we may not add it. We try to keep playlists attractive with a healthy balance of new and popular music. If an artist is new to us (we didn't have this artist in our database), we may post a track from the latest release (up to 12 months ago)        

   • Music is rejected

     1. We will constructively explain why we rejected a track submission.

3. We always send a reply, usually within a few business days.