If you’re an independent artist seeking to boost your Spotify engagement, it’s essential to understand and utilize effective strategies. In the vast digital music landscape, Spotify is a key platform for artists to grow their fanbase.
By understanding the complexities of Spotify and implementing targeted tactics, artists can increase their online presence, earn a loyal audience, and potentially enhance their royalty revenues.
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Thursday, September 7th
Here, we share ten tips and tricks to boost engagement and get the most out of the most popular music streaming service.
1. Take advantage of playlists
Playlists are a crucial tool for music discovery across various streaming services, providing artists with a significant visibility boost. Music enthusiasts frequently use playlists on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and others to discover new songs. Whether users have a paid subscription or use the free version, playlists are a primary means of music consumption. For artists, featuring a song on a popular playlist can instantly increase their streams. Once a listener has enjoyed your track on a playlist, they can easily access the rest of your music.
To get your song featured on playlists, you can:
- Submit directly to Spotify’s editorial playlists using your Spotify for Artists account. Before your track is released, submit it along with a pitch to the editorial team, making sure to accurately describe its genre, mood, and instrumentation.
- Send your track to playlist curators on platforms like Groover. You can choose a curator and get a guaranteed response within 7 days for a small fee. This is a reliable way to receive feedback and increase your visibility.
- Find relevant playlists by looking at similar artists in your genre. Check their Spotify profiles to see which playlists they’ve been featured on, then find the curator’s contact info and pitch your track. This requires some research and networking, but it can be a very effective strategy.
2. Engage with the community
Boosting engagement on Spotify involves not only sharing your own music but also actively engaging with the community. Following profiles of music industry professionals such as playlist curators, record labels, radio stations, DJs, and even other artists can help familiarize you with the platform and its users. Remember, Spotify is a social network as much as it is a music streaming site.
By interacting with others and using features like ‘share my listening activity on Spotify’ and ‘See what your friends are playing,’ you can stay updated with new releases, discover new music, and identify potential listeners for your tracks.
3. Keep your Artist profile Updated
Regularly update your Spotify for Artists profile to captivate potential followers and build a fanbase. This includes updating your biography, refreshing your profile and banner photos, promoting new releases through ‘Artist Pick,’ linking your social media profiles, and including your Spotify link in descriptions on other platforms like YouTube and SoundCloud.
4. Display your live shows on your Spotify profile using Songkick
You can highlight upcoming live shows or tours on your Spotify profile. To have these dates appear in the ‘On tour’ section, list them on partner sites like Ticketmaster, DICE, or Songkick. We suggest creating a free account on Songkick Tourbox to post your live shows and automatically link them to your Spotify page.
5. Sync your song lyrics to Spotify using Musixmatch
To increase engagement on Spotify, synchronize your song lyrics with your tracks. Musixmatch, a partner platform, can sync your
6. Enhance your tracks with Canvas videos
You can enrich your Spotify tracks by synchronizing short video loops using the Canvas feature in Spotify for Artists. The main criteria for uploading a Canvas are a 9:16 aspect ratio, MP4 format (or JPEG for static images), and a video length of 3 to 8 seconds. Canvas can be a powerful tool to tell a story and amplify your music.
7. Leverage Spotify’s Algorithm
The first 30 seconds are crucial. Spotify’s algorithm promotes tracks based on streaming frequency, playlist inclusion, and shares. The first 30 seconds of a song are critical, as skipping before this time doesn’t count as a play. High play frequency within a short period creates a snowball effect, leading the algorithm to suggest your track to similar listeners, placing it in algorithmic playlists like ‘Discover Weekly’ or the ‘Fans also like’ section.
8. Regularly upload songs!
Embrace the waterfall strategy. Spotify favors profiles with regular activity, encouraging artists to frequently upload songs. This strategy, known as the waterfall strategy, drives listeners to visit your profile often, thus increasing platform engagement. More artists are adopting this approach, releasing singles successively every few weeks or months.”
9. Cross-promote your Spotify profile
Promoting your Spotify profile across different social media channels like Instagram or TikTok is crucial. Encourage your followers to subscribe to your Spotify profile by sharing links in your posts or stories. When announcing new shows or music, remind your community to subscribe to your Spotify artist page to stay updated and automatically receive new tracks in their Release Radar playlists.
10. Collaborate with other artists
One effective way of boosting engagement on Spotify is by collaborating with other artists. Such collaborations can expose you to new audiences and broaden your reach. Consider joint releases, remixes, or featuring each other’s tracks. Reach out to fellow indie artists for potential collaborations; a joint track will appear on both artists’ music catalogs, giving both fanbases new music to explore.
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This article is based on “SPOTIFY HACKS FOR ARTISTS: 10 TIPS & TRICKS TO BOOST ENGAGEMENT,” published on groover.co
