How to Promote Music on Spotify

If you’re a music lover, you’re likely familiar with Spotify. Since its founding in Sweden in 2006, this audio-streaming company has expanded to serve over 150 million paid subscribers worldwide. In 2024, the streaming service has over 615 million active users. That’s nearly double the number it had less than five years ago. That’s enough for the company to claim a 31.7% market share in the music streaming space. Even with these numbers, Spotify’s reach continues to grow.



Spotify offers paid and free (ad-supported) services for streaming music and podcasts. With a library of over 100 million songs and six million podcasts from record labels, media companies, and individual artists, there is a vast selection to explore. If you’re not using Spotify, you’re missing out on an incredible variety of music from some of the most talented emerging artists in the world.


If you’re a musician and your music isn’t streaming on Spotify, you’re missing out too—not just on royalties, but also on exposure. While Spotify is a way to earn money from streams of your songs, it’s also an invaluable platform to showcase your music to a global audience.


With your singles and albums available on Spotify, you can expand your fanbase through social media channels like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. Additionally, you can gain exposure by connecting with influencers through companies like SpaceLoud. Spaceloud pairs artists with influencers to create a symbiotic relationship that benefits both. We’ll dive deeper into influencer marketing in a minute, but first, let’s look at how Spotify works.

Spotify User Memberships

Spotify offers free and paid memberships to access its vast library of music.

Free Membership

The Free membership costs nothing, of course, but it comes with limitations. For instance, you’ll encounter advertisements and pop-up ads after every few songs. Music streams at a bitrate of 128kbp/s with the web player and 160kbit/s on desktop and mobile. Essentially, you get what you pay for. That said, you still get music recommendations based on your listening history. Switching to a Premium membership is easy and so is switching back to the free account. You won’t lose your music library in the process.

Premium Membership

A Premium account costs $10.99 per month, with discounted options available for students and groups. The Premium account eliminates ads (audio and banner ads too). The streaming bitrate increases to 320 kbps. You can also download songs for offline listening, however, access is cut off if and when you cancel your subscription. 


Premium users also get early access to songs and albums that are behind a paywall for two weeks after release. This provides fans with exclusive content while allowing artists to benefit from increased royalties and build up buzz. This is something to consider when you’re ready to release your singles and albums on Spotify.

The Pay-Per-Stream Dream

Spotify provides artists with access to millions of listeners, though not necessarily millions of dollars. While some artists criticize Spotify's pay-per-stream policy as insufficient, the platform's exposure often translates into higher ticket sales and merchandise revenue for artists. As an artist, it's crucial to take advantage of this service and promote your Spotify music both on and off the platform.


Spotify’s payment structure operates on royalties rather than a fixed rate per song or album. Essentially, they pay a percentage of the revenue generated from the use of your music. The amount you earn depends on how many times your music is streamed relative to the total number of streams on the platform. Spotify distributes the revenue from these royalties to record labels or other third parties who are then responsible for paying the artists their share.


Several factors determine how much Spotify pays artists. For instance, the type of user account (paid or free) and the listener's location impact the payment. Additionally, if the stream was ad-supported, it affects the amount paid. While it takes a significant number of streams to earn substantial money, it's important to leverage any opportunity to maximize exposure and revenue.  

Distributing Music on Spotify

There are several companies available to help you get your music on Spotify. These third-party entities handle licensing and distribution and pay royalties directly to you. They also provide access to Spotify for Artists, which offers additional benefits and tools for managing your music and audience on the platform.

5 Spotify Prefered Distributors

Here are five companies from Spotify’s list of preferred music distribution partners:


Symphonic

Symphonic Distribution offers a comprehensive range of services that blend the capabilities of a record label with the flexibility of a digital distribution company. Utilizing advanced technology, Symphonic provides marketing, playlist pitching, royalty collection, detailed analytics, and dedicated support to artists, labels, and creators worldwide.


DistroKid

DistroKid is the simplest solution for musicians to distribute their music on platforms like Spotify and beyond. Upload unlimited tracks and keep 100% of the royalties.


CD Baby

CD Baby is a highly regarded distributor of independent music, serving over 1 million artists globally. They offer comprehensive services to distribute, monetize, and promote your music worldwide. Artists are paid weekly with no annual fees, making it a preferred choice for independent musicians seeking reliable support.https://www.amuse.io/en/


Amuse

Amuse empowers artists to take control of their careers by providing music distribution and label services worldwide. They facilitate quick distribution to major music services and social platforms, allowing artists to manage their releases, earnings, and data independently.


SoundOn

SoundOn empowers artists and labels by offering global music distribution on all major streaming services and social platforms while ensuring 100% ownership of their music.


You can view the complete list of partners who handle Spotify’s licensing and distribution here.

Verify Your Artist Profile

Once your music is delivered to Spotify through a distributor, you can apply for artist verification directly within your artist account. Achieving verification unlocks a range of benefits, offering you enhanced visibility and access to tools that can elevate your presence on the platform.


A verified Spotify profile allows you to.

  • Update your artist bio.
  • View analytics on individual songs and albums.
  • Share playlists with your fans.
  • Customize your profile image.

Promoting Spotify Music

Artists promote their music both on and off the Spotify platform, leveraging social media as a primary route to gain traction for new releases. You can directly share Spotify tracks on Instagram and create engaging Facebook stories around your release. Additionally, promoting yourself on platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, and Triller can expand your reach.


Other ways to promote Spotify music include:

  • Embedding a “follow” button on your website.
  • Sharing Spotify promo cards and codes online.
  • Promoting your music with a Spotify playlist.

Spotify Playlists

If you're aiming to significantly increase your exposure and music streams, Spotify playlists are a powerful avenue to pursue. After your distributor has your songs in their system, you can pitch unreleased tracks for potential inclusion on playlists. This strategy can greatly enhance your visibility and reach on the platform.


After the release of your first suggested track, you can submit another unreleased track for consideration. Importantly, submitting music to playlists through Spotify's system is free of charge—there's no paid option available. This approach ensures fairness and accessibility for all artists seeking playlist placement.


When you provide information to Spotify about your songs it gives them data to match it to the appropriate playlist. This information should include:

  • Genre
  • Mood
  • Featured instruments
  • Cover song or original


Managing promotion and social media posts requires considerable time and effort. While most emerging artists are willing to put in the effort, it’s often the lack of time that poses a challenge. In addition to seeking exposure for their music, they are deeply involved in writing, recording, and organizing live shows and tours. This is why many artists find value in partnering with established influencers who have substantial followings of their own.


That’s where a company like SpaceLoud comes in.

What is SpaceLoud?

Promotion is essential for getting your music heard, but many musicians lack the time or inclination to handle it themselves. They prefer to focus their energy on creating new music instead.


SpaceLoud recognizes that many musicians prefer to concentrate on creating music rather than handling promotion. They also understand the opportunity for artists to connect with influencers who are eager to share new music with their followers. 


SpaceLoud facilitates these connections, fostering mutually beneficial relationships that help artists and influencers expand their followings and boost their exposure. This transparent process empowers both artists and influencers in their respective fields.

How SpaceLoud Works

In today's digital landscape, where nearly thousands of songs are released daily, standing out on platforms like Spotify can be challenging.


SpaceLoud acts as that crucial connection, linking artists with influencers who have cultivated substantial followings over years of social media engagement. These influencers possess the power to amplify an artist's reach and potentially propel them to viral success. 


By partnering with influencers through SpaceLoud, artists can increase their streams and attract new fans effectively. Simply sign up for an account, create your campaigns, and start maximizing your exposure.

Promoting Music on Spotify with SpaceLoud

Getting started with an influencer campaign on SpaceLoud is simple. First, create a SpaceLoud account. You only pay upon the completion of an order, and you have the flexibility to set the value based on your budget and goals. This approach ensures you have control over your campaign expenses while maximizing the impact of your promotional efforts.


As mentioned, SpaceLoud facilitates connections between artists and influencers through two primary methods. Firstly, artists can directly book influencers from their profile pages on the platform. Alternatively, artists can create a campaign and allow interested influencers to submit proposals. You have full control over the process—you can accept or decline proposals based on your preferences and campaign goals. This flexibility ensures that artists can tailor their promotional strategies effectively on SpaceLoud.


You have the flexibility to choose the option that best suits your needs on SpaceLoud. Regardless of your choice, you'll specify which music channels you want the influencer to promote. This could include platforms like Spotify, SoundCloud, Apple Music, or others where your music is available. This targeted approach ensures that your promotional efforts align closely with your strategic goals for each campaign.


You'll also inform potential influencers on SpaceLoud about the specific social media platforms where you want your music shared—whether it's Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, or others. Specify the start date for sharing your music, allowing time to coordinate with album or single releases as you promote your Spotify tracks. Lastly, communicate your budget to ensure that the influencer understands your financial parameters for the campaign. This comprehensive approach helps streamline your promotional efforts and maximize impact across different platforms.


If you've contacted an influencer directly on SpaceLoud, they will typically respond within three days. For campaigns you've created where influencers submit proposals, you have the freedom to review and decide which proposals to accept.


Once a proposal is accepted, the influencer will share your music with their followers on the specified channels you've requested. They will then upload screenshots of the post's performance statistics directly to SpaceLoud for your review. This includes metrics such as the reach of the post and the number of clicks received. Importantly, you only pay once you have received and verified this information.


This transparent process ensures that you have visibility into the effectiveness of each campaign before making any payments, allowing you to assess the impact and value of the promotion.

The SpaceLoud Basics

Promoting Spotify music with SpaceLoud boils down to three easy steps:

1. Set Your Budget

Assess the value of increased exposure and growing your fanbase, and set your budget accordingly on SpaceLoud. You only pay once the campaign is successfully completed, ensuring you can gauge the impact of the promotion before making any payments. This approach allows you to align your budget with your goals and maximize the effectiveness of your marketing efforts on the platform.

2. Select Influencers

Identify the ideal influencers for your campaign by conducting a search based on criteria such as follower count, music genre, and favorite genres. Choose influencers who resonate most with your music style and audience preferences.

3. Grow Your Fan Base

As part of the campaign, the influencer promotes your music and directs their followers to your Spotify Artist Page or other designated social media accounts where you are actively promoting your music.

Use Your Influence to Promote Spotify Music

If you're reading this and you're not an artist but love promoting music, are active on social media, and have a large and growing number of followers, you qualify as an influencer. As an influencer, you have the ability to sway public opinion and can use that power to support emerging artists while earning income.


On SpaceLoud, influencers have the freedom to select the artists they wish to support and set their rates. This flexibility enables influencers to collaborate with promising new artists early in their careers, forging valuable connections within the industry.

Promote Your Music on Spotify Now

At SpaceLoud, our mission is to amplify your music to reach as many listeners as possible, aiming to spark viral moments for your career. We prioritize building trust through top-notch tools that facilitate seamless connections between artists and influencers. Our success hinges on your success, and we're committed to supporting you every step of the way. Join now and unleash your music to the world!

1 Comments

marvin sims

8:51 am Monday 9th January 2023

marvinsimsmusic facebook marvinsimsmusic

Leave a Comment