Sending music to blogs and online publications can still help independent artists reach relevant listeners.

But emailing fifty websites without tracking the results is not a particularly good strategy.

You need to know:

Who did you contact?

What music do they cover?

When did you pitch?

Did anyone respond?

Was the campaign worth the effort?

A simple music blog submission tracker solves that problem.

Why use a tracker?

Music PR is a relationship-building activity.

A good tracker helps avoid:

• Sending duplicate pitches
• Contacting the wrong editor
• Missing deadlines
• Following up too often
• Forgetting previous conversations
• Losing useful coverage links

It also helps artists evaluate which publications are worth contacting again.

Build your spreadsheet

Start with these columns:

Field	What to record
Publication	Blog or website name
Website	Publication URL
Contact	Editor or relevant writer
Email	Verified contact information
Genre	Styles regularly covered
Territory	Primary audience location
Submission status	Open, closed or uncertain
Last checked	Date contact information was verified
Pitch date	When you sent the music
Follow-up date	Any planned follow-up
Response	Accepted, declined or no reply
Coverage	Article or review URL
Notes	Useful context

This is enough for most independent artists.

Find relevant publications

Don’t start with the largest possible list.

Start with publications that actually cover your genre.

Look at their recent articles.

Ask:

Have they covered similar artists?

Are they active?

Do they review independent releases?

Do they publish premieres or interviews?

Do they provide submission instructions?

Relevance matters more than the number of contacts.

Verify the information

Music blogs can change ownership, editors or submission policies.

Before adding a publication to your tracker, confirm that the contact information is current.

A directory published last year may still contain useful names.

But individual contacts should be checked before sending anything.

Score the opportunities

Use a simple one-to-five score.

You might evaluate:

Genre fit.

Audience relevance.

Editorial activity.

Ease of contact.

Likelihood of coverage.

A small specialist blog with an engaged audience may be more valuable than an enormous general-interest site that never features your style of music.

Personalise the pitch

Avoid sending the same generic message to everyone.

Explain why the music fits the publication.

Keep the message brief.

Include:

• Artist
• Track
• Release date
• Short description
• Listening link
• Press assets

Do not attach enormous files without being asked.

Track responses

After sending a pitch, update the spreadsheet.

Possible statuses include:

Not contacted.

Pitch sent.

Follow-up sent.

Interested.

Accepted.

Declined.

No response.

Coverage published.

This allows you to see the campaign clearly.

Follow up carefully

One polite follow-up can be appropriate.

But a journalist not responding does not mean they need repeated reminders.

Respect submission policies.

If the publication asks artists not to follow up, follow that instruction.

Measure results

Coverage is not only about collecting article links.

Look at:

• Referral traffic
• New followers
• Smart-link clicks
• Fan signups
• Streaming activity
• Useful industry relationships

Attribution will not always be precise.

But the data helps you understand what the campaign achieved.

Keep the list alive

After each campaign, update the tracker.

Remove inactive publications.

Correct outdated contacts.

Mark editors who changed roles.

Record which writers liked your music.

Over time, the tracker becomes more valuable than a static directory.

Final thoughts

Music PR works best when artists contact the right people with relevant music.

A tracker makes the process organised and repeatable.

Start with a small number of genuinely suitable publications, personalise the outreach and keep accurate records.

Twenty good contacts can be more useful than two hundred random emails.