Are smaller playlists actually better for building a real audience?

[Robguitaruk]

I’ve been submitting my tracks to playlists and noticed something interesting. A few smaller independent playlists brought fewer streams than the big ones, but I got more saves and even some followers from them.

It made me think that maybe smaller, niche playlists have more engaged listeners, while bigger playlists sometimes lead to passive plays. Has anyone else had this experience? I’m trying to decide where to focus my efforts going forward.

[MetalPlayer]

I’ve definitely seen that happen. Smaller playlists often have a specific theme or community around them, so listeners are there because they actually like that style of music.