Not long ago, a placement on Spotify’s RapCaviar or Apple Music’s Today’s Hits playlists could ignite a single’s streaming numbers overnight. “Today’s Top Hits used to be the holy grail,” says one manager of several major-label acts. “Or even Pop Rising — it was like, ‘If a song got on Pop Rising, it’s going to get to Today’s Top Hits and do 5 million streams a week.’ ” But in 2022, the manager continues, “it doesn’t feel like that’s the case.”
