Spotify’s Latest Updates and What They Mean For Artists
Earlier this month, Spotify held its Stream On event in LA and announced its latest updates for artists and listeners. With over half-a-billion users – that’s almost 20 times the population of Australia – Spotify is the world’s biggest streaming platform.
These new features were announced under three categories, including “Tools for Musicians“. But what are these latest tools and how do they help you connect with your listeners? Let’s breakdown the new ways you can build an audience with these Spotify updates.
COUNTDOWN PAGES
Countdown Pages finally add real value to pre-save campaigns on Spotify. Artists can use this space to build anticipation around their next release. Spotify says:
“On Countdown Pages, fans can watch exclusive video clips, pre-save the upcoming release, preview the track list, and watch the timer count down to the release moment. Plus, fans who pre-save an album release will receive a notification as soon as the release drops.”
According to their early tests, 80% of pre-savers streamed the new release within the first week. This is great for artists at all stages of their career, making it easier for their listeners to stay up to date with every release.
Spotify’s new Countdown Page (Source: Spotify)
ClipS
If you were wondering just how much TikTok has had an influence on the music industry, look no further than Spotify’s latest feature Clips. Inspiring “fandom and longterm success”, Clips are designed to help deepen the connection between an artist and their fans. The content options are endless, with artists using these Clips to build anticipation around a release, share behind-the-scenes videos or dive into the song’s message.
Spotify also claims that Clips puts “music at the centre of the experience”, something that other platforms have struggled to maintain. No more soundbites or trending mashups, Clips are your way of telling even more of the story.
marquee
If you’ve ever advertised your music on Spotify, then you know the results can be mixed at best. With new advertising placement Marquee, artists are creating campaigns that are 10 times more efficient at getting people to stream music than ads on social media platforms.
Marquee is a full-screen sponsored recommendation to fans of a particular artist, alerting them to their latest release. This recommendation is only targeted to listeners that have shown an interest in your music before. For a full campaign walkthrough, check out artist and music marketer Andrew Southworth’s review.
Early testing is promising but it does bring into question Spotify’s policy of an “ad-free music listening experience” for Premium users (who can receive Marquee recommendations).
Discovery Mode
“One-third of all new artist discoveries on Spotify happen thanks to personalised recommendations.”
Spotify makes finding new listeners easier than ever with their latest update for artists. Artists and labels can now identify priority songs which is recognised by Spotify’s algorithm thanks to Discovery Mode. This will shape personalised recommendations on Radio and Autoplay but does not guarantee it. This input from artists acts as one of the many signals used by the algorithm to make personalised recommendations.
Spotify’s algorithm makes recommendations based on these Signals. (Source: Spotify)
Using these latest updates to your advantage
All of these tools can help you grow your audience and connect with your fans on Spotify. While some of these might work better for established artists (such as Marquee), they all offer a variety of ways to ensure your listeners are aware of your latest release.
You’ve probably already planned to film a music video or content for social media. This content can be easily repurposed for Spotify’s Clips, Canvas or Countdown Pages. And to put the focus on these tracks that you’ve prioritised with content, Discovery Mode can improve your chances of getting these tracks in front of more listeners. Make sure to check out these tools when it’s time to release your next track and hopefully that’ll help to get your music in front of as many people as possible!
