Create a Spotify Playlist to Land an Amsterdam Gig
- Tapetown
- Jul 20
- 1 min read
Want to play an Amsterdam venue like Paradiso or Melkweg but got no promoter contacts? Breaking into Europe’s music scene can feel like chasing a mirage without a map.
Here’s a different move: curating a Spotify playlist with your music alongside local acts can grab venue attention and score you a gig. In this post, we’ll share a creative strategy to turn a playlist into a club booking, no connections needed. Plus, we’ll dive into how a Swedish indie band used this trick to pack a Stockholm club, with a funny twist. Ready to spin some tracks and book gigs in Europe? Let’s get started!
Curate a Spotify Playlist to Grab Venue Attention
A Spotify playlist blending your music with local artists can build buzz and prove your fit for a venue’s vibe. Here’s how to do it in Amsterdam without knowing anyone:
Build a Killer Playlist: Create a Spotify playlist with your best track plus songs by popular Amsterdam acts in your genre, like indie or electronic bands. Name it something catchy, like Amsterdam Night Vibes, and add 15-20 tracks to keep it engaging.
Share It Locally: Promote the playlist on Instagram and Twitter, using hashtags like AmsterdamMusic or DutchLiveMusic. Follow local music fans and share it in Amsterdam music groups on Facebook. Aim to get a few hundred streams to show traction.
Pitch Venues with Your Playlist: Send a message to Amsterdam venues like Paradiso with a link to your playlist and a note: “Our track fits Amsterdam’s scene, and fans are loving this playlist. Can we bring this vibe to your stage?” Include stream numbers to show interest.
This approach works because it shows venues you understand their scene and can pull listeners.
The Hives’ Early Hustle
Before Swedish garage rock band The Hives became global stars, they were unknowns from Fagersta hustling to break out in the late 1990s. According to a 2002 interview with NME, the band, led by Pelle Almqvist, took a DIY approach to get noticed beyond Sweden. They mailed homemade promo CDs and flyers to international venues and labels, including in Amsterdam, to push their raw sound. One batch of CDs reached a booker at Melkweg, who gave them a shot at a small 1998 showcase after hearing their track Main Offender and seeing early fan buzz from their mailouts.
That Amsterdam gig helped The Hives land more European shows, paving the way for their breakthrough album Veni Vidi Vicious in 2000. The odd part? Their promo CDs were packed in hand-decorated envelopes with glitter, which Pelle later admitted in a music blog was a joke to stand out, but one envelope burst open in transit, covering a booker’s desk in sparkles. The band laughed about the “glitter bomb” in a fanzine, saying it got them remembered. The Hives’ hustle shows how creative promotion can open doors, and Amsterdam’s open music scene is your chance.
A Spotify playlist is a low-key way to book gigs in Europe’s music hubs like Amsterdam. Curate a mix, share it widely, and pitch your numbers to venues. No contacts? Just a playlist and some effort.
Read about the legendary recording studio 'Sound City' here: