Today, wether you’re an artist, a band or a record label, growing your popularity on DSP’s (Digital Streaming Platforms)-Spotify among others- has become an necessary step to even consider a career in the Music Industry. Spotify proclaiming itself the land of opportunity for developing artists and yet still one of the best ways to showcase new music, many are eager for faster ways to get more streams and followers.
Unfortunatly “Rome wasn’t built in a day” ! And in bigger ventures it takes a whole team just to handle that simple task. Plus your fans as much as your future partners (incl. Spotify) will essentially focus on engagement : Better 100 streamers than 1000 inactive followers.
Long story short, there is no secret or shortcut to it as we happily share our little knowledge with these 10 must-do tips for increasing your fanbase and get more streams on Spotify.
👇10 tips to get more streams and followers on Spotify
1. Submit your music to playlist curators
Step One : Spotify For Artists.
Yes they will not respond, yes they will see your submission. Out of thousands of releases to review everyday you must stand out. You’re not featured in MINT on day one ? No worries, stay focused, the best way to catch their attention remains : Curator Playlists.
Today, a sufficient amount of popular curator playlists can break an artist or a song. It’s one of the keys to promote your music and have a stronger presence. To get your music featured on curator playlist, check out our 10 Spotify playlist curators you can submit for free to begin with.
Plus our curation team is always looking for new music to update our Spotify Playlists. If you have a track, a new release or an EP that’s perfect for one of them, please submit to your desired Playlist on our Submission page.
2. Create your own playlist
Do it yourself ! The simplest way to get more streams and gain followers is to start building your own playlists. Be active, creative and manage your own personal playlists around your releases. Most importantly, it allows you to trade your tracks with other curators, share your music and increase your presence : it’s a win-win situation.
3. Build your image
Have a strong “Brand” image is essential, on Spotify but especially on social media. It’s a showcase for your music and an effective way to build your identity. Get verified on Spotify as an Artist, and present your graphic charter/press pics for a slick looking profile.
4. Contact Music Blogs
Good thing you’re sharing : now we can’t all acknowledge 10 000 engaged friends willing to listen your music from day one. You might also want to reach out to new audiences and convert them as fans. Music blogs are a best way to do that, if your music covered on a blog, it’s guaranteed to be seen by people who already like the genre. On SubmitHub for example, prepare a good promo package, with a press release, press shots, your bio, and obviously your song.
5. Support artists and their work
Sharing is helping. Don’t hesitate to support and share other artists’ tracks/playlists: LET THEM KNOW. Also, following artists you like is an other way to help your fans discover the music you’re into.
6. Promote to Labels
Today, Record Labels often have playlists on Spotify. Contact them with their submission link, on socials or by email. On top of that, they can be interested in signing your next tracks, and it’s a good way to build up a relationship with them.
7. Use Emails
Your email list is an extremely valuable tool to promote your music. Progressively, your mailing list will grow, and you can build a strategy around it, offering something exclusive (a spotify pre-save, an alternate version of a song, or an anticipated announcement, for example).
8. Share your Spotify links... everywhere !
If you have a website, take the opportunity to get more streams : add embed players links, “Follow” buttons, QR Codes (Spotify Codes)… All related to Spotify ! For more infos, you can check the Spotify Developer. Also, you can find some promotion tools like Linkfire.
9. Ask your distributor for help
Often forgetten, in case you run a Record Label asking your distribution is always a good thing. The more involved they will be, the better the chance to see results, no matter the Streaming Platform. Among the huge amount of releases one distribution company delivers in a day, they’re very often consulted by Spotify on relevant ones to feature. This is actually one of the key assets to raise when picking a digital distributor.
10. Be patient !
Don’t worry, success isn’t easy and can’t be achieved overnight. It’s important to stay active, release great music, and engage with your audience. The rest will come naturally !