Everybody struggles to get heard on Spotify, so here's our guide on how to get plays on Spotify.
Whether you're a large or small artist, it can get hard to boost your Spotify for artists' numbers...
No worries though!
In this guide, I will show you how to get more streams on Spotify and promote your music like a boss.
Want to get your music on active & relevant playlists that actually get results?
Get your music heard now 👇
You must get to the top Spotify playlists if you want to grow your streams.
Real talk: Spotify playlists are not going anywhere.
Those are independent Spotify playlist curators or Discovery Algorithm playlists are here to stay.
The bulk of your growth should come from independent playlist curators.
Spotify playlists are the single best method to increase your streams on Spotify and get you heard.
It's a more reliable method than buying Spotify plays... that end up fake.
Organic independent playlists will give you more streams and more monthly listeners for the lowest cost.
Once Spotify users hear your song in the Spotify playlist, you will get more Spotify plays via the algo.
This leads to your music getting on the Spotify algorithm playlist Discover Weekly and Release radar!
The more Spotify users hear your song the better for the algorithm as well.
You should also try to get your music featured in the playlist that your friends and family own.
It's an easy way to promote your music on Spotify.
Of course, these won't necessarily explode... But it does show up on Spotify for artists.
These benefits of having friends and family add you to their Spotify playlists are:
This can add s a bump to your Spotify profile ON TOP of the other promotional efforts you're putting toward your new music.
To really gain followers on your Spotify for artists account you should strive to get on an editorial playlist.
Editorials are the largest playlists on Spotify (aside from the ones owned by Major Labels.)
The only issue is that most artists don't even submit to them...
To get your music on Spotify editorial playlist for completely FREE you need to go through the correct process.
The Spotify editorial team is ready to get you on their prominent playlists!
Getting more streams through the editorial playlist will boost Spotify's algorithm for your track and get your music heard!
Just know you can only submit music to editorial lists directly if it has not been released yet.
TAP HERE for the full process to grow your Spotify followers through the editorial method!
You will get MOTE Spotify plays depending on HOW MANY songs you have out.
A good artist manager would tell you that music quality is everything.
Once your quality is up there... You got to get as many songs as you can into the market!
This gives the fans more opportunities to listen to their songs.
This is why artists from top record labels always put out deluxe 20 song albums.
While I don't recommend putting 20 song albums out...
It's important for many Spotify links to be distributed, and songs to be placed.
The more the merrier when generating streams on Spotify.
If you're consistently releasing great music then OF COURSE you're gonna get many Spotify listeners on the songs.
Fewer songs always mean fewer streams.
Imagine if Kanye West deleted 90% of his songs on Spotify.
Can you guess just how much Spotify account streams will drop?
Spotify users will like different songs of yours on different occasions.
Some of the songs will get more Spotify streams and others will get fewer streams.
You still have to give them the chance by publishing your stuff!
All new music you put out is increasing your total catalog.
The bigger the catalogue then the more streams you'll see in your Spotify for artists!
Supply creates demand.
If you don't have a constant supply of new music then there can't be any demand for it (or any Spotify streams to begin with!)
It's easier to get more Spotify plays on multiple songs than just one.
Example: let's say you have five songs out on Spotify and your goal is 1000 streams.
In this case, you just need to get 200 streams to every song and you'll reach your music career goals!
On the flip side, it's gonna be more of a struggle to get 1000 Spotify streams on just one song.
People prefer variety rather than repeating the same song over and over...
Make sure you cater to all the different tastes and preferences of your Fanbase to crush it and grow your Spotify, please!
Sometimes it can get hard for independent playlist curators to accept your track...
Especially if your track is alternative/experimental in mood or genre.
Thankfully, the music industry is large and you can grow your own playlists!
When you own your playlist with a decent following you can channel more Spotify plays to your song by placing a song at the top of these playlists!
This allows your new music to get a streaming boost.
For tips on how to create playlists that will rank within the music industry read our Free Ultimate Playlist Growth Guide here!
Not to mention...
If you own your independent playlists then you can also promote your friends' music completely free.
Once you're a curator you'll be eligible to do swaps on playlists.
This is where you put other artists into your playlists and in return they'll put your song into their playlists as well.
Playlist swaps add a bump in your Spotify for artists account - you'll see a change in your music through more streams.
The average artist gets desperate to generate more Spotify plays...
Some take it too far to the point where they risk their future in the music industry by buying fake Spotify.
Please...
I'm telling you right now that it's not worth it.
It will screw up your Spotify account, you can risk getting your Spotify profile getting taken down!
Since the Spotify platform pays artists depending on the Spotify plays they regenerate - they are unapologetic when it comes to stopping bottled Spotify streams.
This hurt's Spotify bottom line and they will not allow this by any means.
There are many cases where and an artist just wakes up and their Spotify profile is wiped.
Just slow down...
Increase your Spotify streams organically but slowly rather than risking getting your entire Spotify profile wiped off the face of the earth.
Want to get your music on active & relevant playlists that actually get results?
Get your music heard now 👇
There is another reason why you should never buy Spotify plays...
Those fake streams are not going to translate into any real dollars.
The cost to generate fake streams is already higher than any compensation you'll get within the streaming world.
You're operating at a loss if you treat the streams on Spotify as a primary monetization factor.
Since none of the Spotify listeners for your music is real...
You won't be able to get them off of the streaming platforms. This means that even if you release great music...
None of your fake followers, when you buy Spotify plays, are going to:
There are so many avenues to promote your music on Spotify it's just one.
If you really care about creating a real career and having a legitimate Spotify profile then ditch the bots.
So the main incentive to buy Spotify plays (fake) is the social proof aspect.
The idea is if you have more streams on your songs than listeners - fans it will take you more seriously.
You may think that the fan will give you a chance to actually hear your music rather than skipping past your artist's account...
The problem is: that if all your monthly listeners are bots, nobody will even check your artist's account.
You aren't feeding any real data to your new music, so you're not gonna get any kind of discoverability within the algorithm.
At that point, you're just gonna get an ego boost on your Spotify profile.
You'll have to keep paying for more and more fake promo to keep your Spotify for artists numbers up.
Then the whole social proof scheme it will backfire and you'll look like a fraud.
Just promote your music organically and if you feel you can do it yourself get the help of an agency.
A question that all artists ask is... Does it even matter if I get more plays?
It's not as if those more plays are going to translate into much income.
In the music business, royalties are only the smallest aspect of monetizing your music.
I would say it's important to grow within streaming platforms still.
Not for the reasons you may be thinking...
Important to treat all the Spotify plays as real humans checking out your music, and see it as tokens to make money off directly.
If you have a Facebook page & Instagram profile then you can grow your plays!
Finding an independent playlist to get on is not the only method!
Other direct marketing strategies involve using social media to get a real push.
So long as you have Spotify links to your track - you can realistically promote it ANYWHERE on social media.
There are more people on social media than there are using the Spotify app.
As you can run ads and get on prominent playlists then you'll be able to get more streams and improve your music business.
Remember to get a Spotify code as well - you can blast it all over social media to get exposure.
Ideally, promote your music on Instagram stories & Facebook Stories daily to build a buzz.
Do this BEFORE release day and then finally promote it HEAVILY when your song is in the streaming world!
This will give you a small boost on your streams on Spotify.
Aside from social media, you should check out music blogs as well.
One of the coolest things about Spotify is that you can advertise your own music through Spotify ad studio.
The ad studio is a platform developed by the Spotify team!
Here you can run audio ads through Spotify for artists.
You'll be able to not only create Spotify codes but also put together a budget that will help you get more Spotify plays!
If you have any experience with using Facebook or Instagram ads then Spotify ad studio will be a breeze for you to learn.
The reason I recommend Spotify add Studio is because it's built into the platform!
You don't need to use five different services to grow your streams...
Just type into Spotify Ad Studio and you're good to go.
To get started with Spotify Ad Studio just TAP HERE!
CD sales don't matter anymore.
Major labels want more streams so they can monetize.
Just note that streaming services are built primarily to help record labels.
The case for all streaming services:
(Think of how Kanye West can have to Apple Music Livestreams for his album and yet you can't even have one?)
Since CD and cassette sales don't matter anymore, the streaming platforms as well as record labels have invested in everything and making sure that the Spotify app can be as big as possible!
You should be happy that the case... This benefits you a lot! 😉
This means that the Spotify app is going to have all the fans in one place.
You no longer have to hand out flyers or mixtapes out of your car trunk to reach new fans.
If you can release great music then you'll be able to attract these fans as well!
Just note that: when trying to get more Spotify streams you should think of it and ask any more fans rather than more money.
You to create better monetization strategies in the future that don't rely on you chasing more Spotify streams.
Tap below to land on the best Spotify playlists for independent artists! 👇
Spotify promo is essential for all artists.
There's no other way to gain more fans and gain followers for your new release outside of Spotify.
There are millions of users ready to discover their next favorite new release!
Run promotion on Spotify just so you can get new listeners to check out your own songs and then transfer them onto your other platforms:
By tapping into new fans through different Spotify playlists and promo methods - you'll be able to systematically get your music featured in front of brand-new people!
You can find other ways to make money off your music directly, then throw more streams.
Never been an easier time in history to grow a fan base than right now.
Artist play has made it simple so make sure you use your artist's account fully.
I hope you now know how to get plays on Spotify!
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