Gaining new fans on Spotify and hitting the big numbers can seem like an almost impossible task for independent artists. If you have had a song stuck at the dreaded ‘>1000 plays‘ or just can’t seem to find a significant fan base on Spotify, this post is for you.
In this post, we will look at the habits you need to form if you want to:
- Get your music featured on Spotify Playlists.
- Grow and cultivate your Spotify fan base.
- Become a ‘bigger’ artist on Spotify.
- Analyse your growth on Spotify and other streaming platforms.
There are no magic bullets in this article but our research has shown that following the steps in this article will help push you in the right direction.
Habit 1: Make Great ‘Spotify-Friendly’ Music
Now, I’m guessing the first question you have is: What is Spotify-Friendly music?’
In truth, there is no easy answer to this but research has shown some commonalities between tracks that perform the best on Spotify:
- The vast majority of tracks featured on official Spotify playlists are under 4.5minutes in duration.
- Tracks with vocals tend to perform better than instrumentals (unless you are focused on a particular niche such as sleep or meditation music).
But the most important thing is, of course, MAKE GREAT MUSIC.
Spend time to make sure the music you release is the best it can be, get it professionally mastered and take care over your artwork.
If you make longer, extended mixes, perhaps consider releasing slightly shorter versions for the streaming market.
Habit 2: Release Regularly
Take time to plan your release schedule. Most independent artists we have spoken to have suggested that they are having more success releasing singles on a regular basis (e.g monthly) than releasing bigger projects (albums or EP’s) less often.
While we would advise against flooding your fans with new music every day, consider if it might be possible for you to release a track each month. Keeping to a regular release schedule has many advantages:
- Fans know when to expect new music and can look out for it.
- Curators become more aware of your work.
- You have more opportunities to pitch your music to blogs, promo channels, and playlists.
- It keeps your fan base engaged and excited about your work.
- You are more likely to be featured in users ‘release radar or ‘discover weekly’ playlists.
Habit 3: Submit Music To Spotify Playlists
Getting your music to Spotify playlist curators has been a tough job in the past but this is getting easier all the time. You can submit music to over 100 independent Spotify playlists using our website.
CLICK HERE TO DISCOVER NEW PLAYLISTS AND TO SUBMIT MUSIC FOR SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS
Getting your music featured on Spotify playlists has many advantages including:
- Reaching new fans and being discovered by more influencers.
- Tracks featured on several independent playlists are more likely to be picked up by the Spotify algorithm and featured in official playlists such as ‘Discover Weekly’.
- Blogs, radio stations and other influencers will often discover new music to support on the playlists they follow.
IMPORTANT TIP: Only submit music to Spotify playlists that are relevant to your music. Annoying or harassing curators with your music that is clearly not a fit for their playlist will only harm your chances of being supported by them in future. Do not submit music to every playlist. Pick out the right playlists for your music!
Habit 4: Engage Your Social Media Fanbase
You have spent time building a fan base on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud etc.
Make use of these fans.
Actively ask your fans on social media to follow you on Spotify. Promote your new releases across all of your networks. Try out using different music hashtags and connecting with new audiences!
You may also want to make use of the new Spotify codes for extra social media engagement. If you are looking for some tools to help you grow and manage your social media profiles you may want to check out this list on MusicFibre.com
Habit 5: Monitor your growth and adapt for your fans.
The more you know about your audience, the happier you can make them. Use some music analytics tools and Spotify for artists to better understand your audience and adapt your marketing to suit their habits and tastes.
Habit 6: Become a Curator as well as a Creator
More and more artists are now running their own branded playlists on Spotify.
Creating your own playlists will allow you to share your music tastes and your inspirations with your fan base, as your playlist grows you may also be able to swap playlists spots with other friends and artists in your genre.
If you run a Spotify playlist and would like it featured on our website click here.
Habit 7: Spend Time on Marketing, Look The Part and Be Patient!
While marketing music for the Spotify audience is pretty different to pushing for more iTunes downloads or Soundcloud plays the same hard work is required. Don’t stop pitching your music to blogs, pushing for radio play or DJ support as all of this is just as important as it ever has been.
Don’t stop pitching your music to blogs, pushing for radio play or DJ support as all of this is just as important as it ever has been.
Make sure your music looks the part, great cover art still matters. Brand yourself as an artist and make sure your social media profiles and Spotify artist profile look great. People do judge books on their covers.
Growing a fan base on Spotify is not easy, it takes a lot of time and hard work. Be patient, stick to your release schedule and release great music and in time your Spotify numbers will shoot up!
We hope you have found this post useful. If you have please consider sharing it on social media.
Click here for more information on our Spotify playlist submission system.