In the ever-changing landscape of the music industry, Spotify has secured its place as a significant platform for artists looking to expand their audience and grow their careers. However, it’s preferable to view Spotify success as an indicator of overall career and audience growth, rather than being a primary focus of an artist’s growth strategy.
While Spotify offers valuable opportunities for exposure, it offers artists limited capacity to interact with their audience compared to social media platforms or in-person interactions. With all that in mind, let’s look at some key strategies for Spotify growth in 2024.
1. Pitching for Playlists
While it’s worth pitching for editorial playlists via the Spotify for Artists portal, it’s crucial to understand that artists are unlikely to be selected for playlist placements until they have grown their audience and developed significant career legitimacy. This legitimacy is demonstrated through audience engagement, online publicity, and general demonstrable career momentum. Therefore, artists should focus on building their audience and increasing engagement across various platforms before expecting playlist placements to drive substantial growth.
Other playlist pitching options are for user generated playlists and these can either be accessed directly by searching for the user contact details and contacting them directly, or engaging with reputable platforms that have already enlisted the curators of these playlists for direct pitching. Here artists will need to find genre-specific or mood based playlists that have reasonable listenership and would suit their music. It can be time consuming and results can sometimes be underwhelming, but this can be effective as part of a wider strategy.
2. Releasing Music Regularly
Releasing music regularly can fuel Spotify growth, but the quality of each release campaign needs to be considered for it to be effective. The assets, including the promotional materials and music itself, must be professional and of a high standard. Additionally, artists should actively engage with their audience and encourage reactions and responses for each release. This engagement is crucial for maintaining momentum and relevance in the eyes of both fans and industry professionals. Without incorporating these factors, releasing regularly won’t drive huge growth.
3. Spotify’s Campaign Kit
Spotify’s Campaign Kit offers valuable promotional tools for artists within the platform. However, these features can’t be unlocked until the artist achieves certain milestones, such as 1k followers and 5k streams. Additionally, some features, like Showcase and Marquee, are currently only available in select countries. Therefore, audience growth and location are prerequisites for accessing key features of the Campaign Kit. Artists should focus on building their audience and meeting the necessary requirements to leverage these tools effectively.
4. Organic Social Media Promotion
Organic promotion on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram can significantly impact Spotify growth. While influencers can play a role in boosting streams by recommending songs, these endorsements are not guaranteed. Therefore, artists should focus on building their audience on their own platforms, where they have more control over engagement and interaction. Best practices for organic promotion include creating engaging content, leveraging hashtags, collaborating with other artists, and actively engaging with fans.
5. Paid Social Media Advertising
Paid social media advertising is the most effective and strategic way to grow on Spotify in 2024. With the ability to laser-target specific demographics and interests, artists can reach the right kinds of fans who are likely to support and engage with their music beyond becoming a Spotify listener. By investing in targeted advertising campaigns, artists can maximise their Spotify growth and accelerate their music career trajectory. The added advantage of growing Spotify in this way is that the audience is also retained on the social platform where there’s greater capacity to continue nurturing and capitalising on the relationship.
In the dynamic world of music promotion, Spotify offers valuable opportunities for artists to expand their audience and grow their careers. However, it’s essential to approach Spotify growth as part of a broader strategy focused on building genuine audience connections and engagement. By implementing these strategies—pitching for playlists, releasing music regularly, utilising Spotify’s Campaign Kit, promoting organically on social media, and using paid advertising—artists can maximise their presence on Spotify and achieve sustainable growth in 2024 and beyond.
If you would like more information about paid social media advertising as a means to grow on Spotify, head over to mojobullet.com and book a free 30-minute consultation with Emily Holler.