Utilizing Spotify for Artists
Published on 23.03.2025 by TF
The music industry has been unrecognizable since streaming platforms became a thing. These platforms have taken over the way we find and listen to music, and the days of keeping track of physical sales are no longer important!
Out of the platforms available, Spotify stands as probably the most known tool out there. Almost everyone you know has either heard of or even has an account on Spotify. The platform has millions of artists who make use of its growth potential.
However, with the music industry being as competitive as we know it to be, simply getting in the studio and recording a few songs isn’t going to get you that viral hit.
To truly benefit and go big, artists need to know how to use Spotify for Artists properly. This tool is made to be more than a streaming service, it’s meant to act as a central figure that helps artists grow and manage their fans.
If growing big and improving your reach through Spotify is what you’re looking for, then read on! This guide will go through the basics of Spotify for Artists all the way to ways to promote your brand. So, let’s start!
Getting Started With Spotify For Artists
Spotify for Artists is essentially Spotify’s spin off platform for musicians. This is where they come to manage what their presence looks like on Spotify.
The platform offers a wide range of insights and promo tools that are designed to help the artists grow. Think of it as an assistant, a personal centre for you to control all Spotify-related features.
With SoA, musicians can keep track of who’s listening to their songs and where they’re from. Moreover, the platform helps keep track of which playlists are gathering the most streams.
On SoA, artists can manage their profiles, mess with their bios, and even share info like tour dates on their Spotify accounts.
Claiming Your Artist Profile On Spotify
Getting yourself an account on Spotify is where your control over what your account looks like starts. This is how you control your presence.
Start off by heading to Spotify for Artists and searching for your artist name. You know, the alias you go by. If you’ve got your song's music being shared on the platform, you’ll be able to send in a verification request.
The verification process involves logging into your actual account and proving to Spotify that you are who you say you are.
Once Spotify believes you, you’ll get access to a lot of tools. Getting your verification also gives you the famed blue tick mark which proves that you’re the real deal.
Going Through The Dashboard
The SoA dashboard is where you’ll find all the important data that you’ve got to track. On the home tab, you’ll see a summary of what’s been happening recently. This includes your latest streams and playlist placements.
If you go on to the audience tab, you’ll find detailed info on who your listeners are. This will tell you where they’re from, and which age group they belong to along with other info.
Switching over to the Music tab, you’ll see more info on each song you put out. You’ll find data that tells you how well your music is doing and which songs are bringing in the most streams.
Going over this dashboard every now and then is crucial. It provides continuous updates on who your audience is and with that information, you can work on boosting engagement.
Optimizing Your Artist Profiles
Your profile is what people are going to come across when they search for you so you’ve got to make it look good.
Spotify suggests that artists stick to 2660x1140px for the header picture, but you can also go bigger than that.
Pick an image that truly shows off the vibe that your account is supposed to give. If your music is all country, then sticking to warm and aesthetic vibes is the way to go. Similarly, hype or pop music means sticking to something bold.
Your Artist Bio
Your bio stands as the first platform for you to talk to your listeners. This is where you add that personal touch to your Spotify account.
Try not to add a long list of what you’ve done and all that you’ve won. Your fans already know that about you. Stick to adding a personal note—one that lets your fans feel a little bit closer to you.
A bio doesn’t have to be well phrased or structured. It’s like you leave a message in a bottle. Just write whatever you want and whatever gives off the most “you” vibe.
Update Your Profiles
An outdated profile shows that you might be inactive and you don’t want fans to think you’ve disappeared.
Regularly updating your profile keeps things fresh. For an artist, this is simple considering you can just switch out image headers with your recent performances or track images.
Uploading and Managing Your Music
When talking about Spotify, uploading your music is a little different as compared to platforms like SoundCloud. Here, you can’t just directly add your music.
You’ll need a digital distributor like DistroKid or CD Baby. These platforms take care of the nitty gritty work that’s delivering your music to Spotify. This takes care of the whole monetization and licensing issues.
Managing Release Schedules
Unless you’re a big deal, dropping music randomly can lower its impact.
When releases are planned properly, it ensures that exposure is maximized. You’ll see most artists sticking to the traditional mix of single+album releases which keeps listeners hooked.
The singles act as promos and get the fans all excited and then the album comes in to steal the show.
Understanding Spotify Playlists
Not all the Spotify playlists that you come across work the same way. These playlists are divided into different groups:
- Editorial Playlists: It consists of playlists like “New Music Friday.” These playlists are made by the Spotify team and can generate millions of streams. To be a part of this playlist, unreleased songs must be submitted at least a week before release. Adding more info about the song such as the genre increases the chances of being selected.
- Algorithmic Playlists: It consists of playlists like “Discover Weekly.” These playlists are generated by Spotify’s algorithm. Songs included in these playlists depend on performance stats such as streams and saves. When your songs are liked and listened to a lot, that’s when you’re included in these playlists.
- Customized Playlists: It is created by Spotify users and can generate a lot of streams. Many users control well-known playlists and collaborating with these users can ensure that your music is promoted to thousands of people through these playlists.
Promoting Your Music on Spotify
Music promotion is as important as creating the music.
Creating pre-save campaigns can increase the streams you get on the first day of song releases. In turn, this shows Spotify’s algorithm that your song is generating a lot of attention. Platforms like feature.fm are used by artists to streamline and simplify the pre-save campaign process.
Artists can also benefit from using Spotify Codes. You’ve definitely seen Spotify codes being shared either through keychains or other merch. This includes QR-like codes that direct users to either songs or artist profiles.
These codes can be printed on merch or flyers. Additionally, they can also be added to social media posts.
Right now, we’ve only mentioned the cheap ways to boost your music. You’ll also find paid services such as Spotify Ad Studio.
Do you want to send targeted ads to your listeners? That’s done through this platform. Even with a small budget, targeted ads through Spotify Ad studio can reach potential and existing fans depending on their music tastes.
Artists can’t forget about the wonders of social media. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are key to providing artists with a platform for going viral.
Just take a look at Lil Nas X or Doja Cat! These artists gained a lot of their fans from popular music audios which can still be found all over the internet. We can’t forget about Old Town Road and the amount of views it got!
Engaging With Your Audience
An artist’s biggest asset is their fans, and keeping them hooked is absolutely necessary.
The more fans you’ve got interacting with your posts, the more attention you get from Spotify’s algorithm, which boosts your chances of getting new listeners.
Spotify Canvas is a place to start when looking to boost engagement. This feature allows artists to add looped visuals to their songs instead of boring cover pictures and we all know how this can grab the user's attention more than a picture.
Visuals aren’t all that you’ll need. Keeping track of listener data is also important. On Spotify for Artists, you’ll find dedicated tabs which provide all the info you need about your listeners.
Understanding this data can help you market your songs. If the majority of your listeners are from the same area, you could think about hosting live shows! Similarly, if a playlist is where you’re getting most of your streams from, you can keep reaching out to other similar ones to keep the streams coming.
Monetizing Your Music on Spotify
While artists do get a lot from their streams, it’s not enough to support their entire careers.
And Spotify knows!
That’s why it offers different methods to earn money.
Spotify pays between $0.003-$0.005 for each stream you get. This means that if you were to end up with a million streams, you’d get around $3000-$5000. This may seem like a lot but you’ll need more if you really want to call yourself a big shot.
Increasing your revenue isn’t about getting more streams, it’s about increasing the ways you can earn.
A large portion of an artist’s income comes from the merch that they sell. Spotify partners with platforms like Merchbar which allows artists to sell personal merch. Fans who’ve come across your account can directly see what you’re selling from your account and this simplifies the purchasing process.
Artists can also earn through Spotify’s Fan Support program. This program allows artists to share personal PayPal or Patreon accounts. In turn, this lets fans directly send donations and contributions to their favorite artists.
The Bottom Line
Nowadays, Spotify isn’t just a streaming platform. It’s a platform designed to help artists grow and earn from their songs. Setting up your account and analyzing your listener data are all essential steps needed to boost your career.
Engaging with your listeners through playlists or social media can help deepen that fan connection. In turn, this can help with earning more streams and revenue which boosts your Spotify presence.
Success on Spotify isn’t guaranteed and it definitely isn’t immediate. It requires a lot of creativity and strategy which must be put in to ensure that you keep growing along with your audience. Now’s the time to control your artist profile and handle the impact you have on Spotify.
Your next viral shot could be just one playlist away!