If you’ve already uploaded a track to Yandex Music, congratulations! You’ve taken an important step. But now the main question: how do you ensure this track is actually heard? Not just tucked away somewhere in the depths of your profile, but actually starting to appear in recommendations, playlists, and “moods of the day.”
The good news is, it turns out it’s possible. Even if you don’t have a label, a manager, and aren’t targeting millions. The key is to understand how Yandex Music works.
What are “recommendations” on Yandex Music?
Yandex has a powerful personalized recommendation system. There are collections that are updated daily for a specific user. There are playlists like “new indie,” “Russian rap,” and “night chill,” and if you make it into one, you’ve reached a new wave of listeners.
There’s also “moods of the day”—automatic mixes that are based on user behavior. This is where the algorithms often suggest new music.
What influences your placement in recommendations?
Here are the main factors:
A well-designed release: sound, cover art, and accurate metadata.
Pre-promotion: pre-saves, links, and social media activity before release.
First wave of listens: if the first listeners don’t skip the track, listen to it to the end, or add it to their favorites, the algorithms will notice.
Appropriate genre and mood: Yandex classifies tracks by a ton of parameters—state them clearly when publishing.
Pitching is the key to editorial attention.
You can do nothing and hope the algorithms will notice you. But that’s like walking into the fog with a flashlight. It’s better to pitch. This is submitting your track to the Yandex Music editors.
Voque Audio offers this option: when you upload your release, you simply fill out a form, explaining what the track is about, who it might appeal to, and what its vibes are. Sometimes, even a few words about why you wrote it can make a difference.
Editors read these submissions. If your track resonates, they may include it in a selection or add it to manual rotation.
Don’t forget about the first day
The first day of a release is critical. It’s like a movie premiere: if reviews, discussions, and uploads start pouring in right away, success is almost guaranteed. Therefore, on release day:
Make stories with a direct link to Yandex Music
Ask your friends and followers to save the track
Use the preview: Voque Audio provides a link in advance, so you can make teasers and build interest
Checklist for getting featured!
Upload your track at least 18 days before release.
Specify the exact genre, language, and atmosphere.
Create a beautiful cover (it really does make a difference!)
Fill out the pitching form.
Share a link to a preview in advance.
Actively participate in promotion on release day (stories, posts, comments).
What to do after the release?
Monitor your statistics. If you see an increase in listens specifically from Yandex Music, it means you’ve started getting recommendations. In Voque Audio, you can track statistics by day, country, and playlist.
And if something isn’t right, analyze it. Sometimes a genre doesn’t work, or a track is too “out of the box,” and then you understand how to redesign your next release.
Important:
Don’t think that only hits get recommended. Sometimes, really intimate, lo-fi tracks work well. Algorithms select tracks based on energy and context. The main thing is that everything is carefully presented and that listeners respond.
Voque Audio, by the way, isn’t just an intermediary here. They have experience—they know what tells algorithms “this track is worth promoting.” Therefore, they help make a release “recommended,” which greatly increases its chances of being featured on playlists.
