Clarity Indie 50 Call for Submissions
Independent artists don’t get enough credit. When I attended Berklee College of Music, I was shocked by the sheer volume of world-class emerging artists in my class, but even more surprised to find that many of their releases had fewer than a thousand streams, despite the music itself being of superb quality. After graduating and moving to Los Angeles, I thought things would change a little bit, and they did, but not as much as I’d hoped or imagined.
Releasing music as an independent artist feels like being a one-person label, and when it comes to playlists, there’s a lot of gatekeeping. I’ve pitched hundreds of songs over the several years I’ve worked in music marketing, and finding playlists that a) accept relevant tracks without a hefty price, and b) have real listeners behind their follower count, has been a humbling and time-consuming experience.
Playlists remain one of the most accessible ways for independent artists to gain streams, but what’s the point of getting on a playlist with 100,000 followers if they’re all fake, or if you have to sign away your masters just to be on it?
I created Clarity Playlists because I was fed up with the playlisting landscape, both as a marketer and an artist. When one of my best friends suggested starting a rotating playlist that features exclusively independent artists, I felt it was the perfect opportunity to shine the spotlight on the most slept-on musicians.
The Clarity Indie 50 will be an ad-supported playlist and blog countdown featuring fifty outstanding independent artists who deserve more recognition. The playlist will refresh quarterly every season, and submissions are and always will be free.
If you’re an independent artist who makes amazing music, or if you know someone who is, I invite you to submit a nomination to our very first playlist and countdown, which goes live in January 2026.