It goes without saying that every artist or music producer’s dream is to succeed in the industry. This necessarily entails getting your tracks out there, building a large and engaged audience, and getting people to listen to what you’re offering. Spotify is one of many platforms out there that allow musicians to cultivate their artistic image, publish their songs, and monetize their music. It may prove difficult and challenging at first, but once you make a name for yourself and manage to attract more listeners to your page, the royalties will start flowing in.
Without further ado, here are 6 proven strategies to boost your streaming revenue on Spotify.
1. Set Realistic Goals
If you want to make it in the music industry, you should be able to quantify your growth and success. Especially for unsigned artists (independents without a label), it’s important to establish attainable goals on a given basis. For instance, you can aim for a certain number of streams per week, or how many followers you’d like to gain each month. Either way, keep up with your metrics; it will take a great deal of dedication, perseverance, and hard work to get recognized.
2. Publish Your Work
Unlike YouTube or SoundCloud, Spotify doesn’t allow users and artists to upload their tracks directly for free. As such, you’ll want to rely on a music distribution service for getting your song on streaming platforms and making your work available to the public. They’re a convenient all-in-one option to prepare, license, sell, and market your music online. With a bit of research, you’ll find a reputable service that will get your content on Spotify, Apple Music, and other popular platforms. Once that’s done, you can submit your music to playlist curators.
3. Verify Your Profile
Much like the way Twitter and Instagram operate, artists with verified profiles on Spotify get a major visibility boost. With that precious badge adorning your page, you’ll have the ability to communicate with your fan base and be highlighted on the platform. This has the potential to make you fetch a considerable number of new followers every week. All you need to do is fill the verification request form found on the official website, and wait for their approval.
4. Create Unique Playlists
Playlists are, by far, the greatest drivers of streams on Spotify. Before people decide to listen to your music, they need a gateway to your profile; that gateway can be you curating unique playlists. If they’re successful, you’ll gain more followers, and your chances of being featured will skyrocket. Follow these tips to make playlists that will attract and engage listeners:
- Select your favorite tracks and add your own as well.
- Have at least 10 public playlists on your profile and update them regularly.
- Share and pin your playlists.
- Add value with catchy titles and illustrations.
5. Exploit the Platform’s Marketing Potential
Spotify is actually a superb tool for self-promotion. In order to grow your audience and boost your revenues, you must treat the platform as a networking tool to interact with your audience, promote your tracks, and let your fans know about your musical habits and updates. To that end, follow artists, bands, and DJs you like, engage with your subscribers via messaging, and add the Spotify ‘follow button’ directly to your personal website or blog.
6. Promote Yourself on Social Media
In a similar vein, you can expand your musical horizons on Spotify by promoting your work on other social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, SoundCloud, Pinterest, and more. By adding embedded links and Spotify QR codes to your various profiles, you maximize your chances of attracting listeners and generating a massive amount of streams, which ultimately earns you more revenue. Encourage your friends and followers to share your profile, single tracks, and playlists as well.
Bonus — Network
Remember that success can rarely be achieved individually. To that end, reach out to fellow artists and musicians, and invite them to collaborate. This is an excellent opportunity to share the expertise, drive traffic, and build a stellar reputation for yourself.
At the end of the day, making a genuine, long-lasting impact on the industry via Spotify requires more than simply great musical taste and excellent production skills. If you want to increase your followers base and generate streaming revenue, you must be consistent, provide novelty and value, and master the art of self-promotion. With patience and efforts, you’ll be able to make a name for yourself and earn serious money down the road, that could potentially mean signing with a renowned music label!
