r/MusicRecommendations rules, stats, and what to post

This community exists for one thing, asking other Redditors for music recommendations. The description says it is the place to request music that is similar to your recent favorites, or that fits a specific genre, theme, or mood. The rules make the shape of the place very clear: a post has to be a request, and recommendations only happen in the comments under someone's request. There are two exceptions the rules name, song lottery posts and music discovery posts, where music discovery covers tools and ways of finding new music. The people posting here are listeners hunting for something new to hear, and the people helping are other listeners answering those requests.

The rule that decides everything here is “Only posts ASKING for recommendations are allowed.”, which bans posts that recommend or promote music directly and limits recommendations to replies on request posts. “No self promotion” matters if you make music or run a music product, because it allows self promotion only when directly asked and points to the official self promo playlist thread as the one place you can promote. “No clickbait, uninformative posts” decides whether your request survives at all, since you must name the artist and song and describe the style instead of dropping a bare link. “Use an appropriate flair” is required on every post, and the rules explain which flair fits which kind of request. “All recommendations should be related to the OP's request” governs how you behave in comments, so any song you suggest has to actually answer what the poster asked for. “No spamming” and “No off-topic posts” close the remaining doors for anything that is not a genuine music request.

A good post here is a genuine, well described request for music. Name the artist and song you are starting from, describe the style in your own words, and add links to those songs so people can hear what you mean. Pick the flair that matches what you want, and if your request spans genres, use the theme/mood flair instead of forcing it into one genre. If you are unsure what to pick, the rules tell you to choose the other/many/unknown flair. If you make music or run a music tool, the honest play is to participate as a listener first, answer other people's requests with songs that truly fit what they asked for, and keep any self promotion out of your own posts entirely. The rules do name one official place for self promotion, the self promo playlist thread, and a music discovery post about a genuinely useful free tool is the other shape that fits the rules.

The fastest way to get removed is posting something that is not a request for music, because the rules say only posts asking for recommendations are allowed and off topic or spam posts get taken down. Do not post playlists, artist promos, or your own tracks as standalone posts, since direct promotion is banned and self promotion is only allowed when directly asked or in the official promo playlist thread. Do not drop a bare link with no description, because uninformative posts get removed. Do not skip the flair or pick a vague one when your request is specific. Do not ask people to identify a song or a genre, those belong elsewhere or under the unknown genres flair with a good description. And in comments, never spam random songs that ignore what the poster actually asked for, because repeated abuse of that can get you banned.

What stands out to me is how narrow the door is here: the only post that survives is a request, and the only self promotion allowed anywhere is one official playlist thread. That is strict, but it also tells you exactly how to earn goodwill, which is to ask for music honestly and give helpful answers to other people's requests. If your product helps people find music, the music discovery flair and that playlist thread are the two doors the rules actually leave open. I would treat every request post you make as a favor you are asking, not an ad you are dressing up.