How Spotify’s new features impact music marketing
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How Spotify’s new features impact music marketing
It's undeniable that these new features will change the way we promote music.
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How Spotify’s new features impact music marketing
Spotify made several important announcements last Wednesday at their Stream On event. Even though I still can't access most of the new features myself almost a week later, it's undeniable that these features will change the way we promote music.
Why it matters
Streaming platforms are the most popular option for listeners to engage with music. Spotify is by far the largest DSP in terms of revenue and market share. Any changes in how people interact with Spotify influence the marketing of music.
What’s new
Spotify redesigned its mobile homepage to a vertically scrolling feed, just like every other popular app. The feed enables users to actively discover new music, and it enables artists to create visual content around their releases. Spotify becomes more important as a music promotion platform. It’s now competing with Instagram and TikTok for the user’s eyes, instead of just the ears.
To make the most out of this new approach, Spotify announced other new features. These are the most important for artists:
Clips: Short-form promotional videos
How it works
Clips are under-30-second vertical videos. They’re shown on Spotify’s new home screen and the artist page. Clips are uploaded directly through Spotify for Artists. Albums and tracks can be tagged in Clips.
Why it matters
Clips allow artists to express themselves on Spotify in a way that is proven successful on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
Take action now
First, join the waitlist. Next, prepare clips for your next campaign. Specs are: at least 1080 x 1280, mp4, between three and 30 seconds.
Countdown: Spotify’s native pre-save tool
How it works
Countdown is Spotify’s native pre-save tool. Artists can publish a Countdown Page directly through Spotify for Artists. Top fans will be automatically notified about the upcoming release. Fans who pre-save will get a push notification on release day, and the music will be added to their library automatically.
Why it matters
The days of sketchy and overpriced third-party pre-save tools are finally over. Also, this is the first time Spotify acknowledges that pre-saves benefit first-week streams.
Take action now
More information about the roll-out of Countdown will be available within a few months.
Marquee: Programmatic advertising
How it works
Spotify’s programmatic advertising tool Marquee is being rolled-out in the UK. Earlier, it was only available in the US and Australia. Marquee enables artists to promote their music to a targeted audience. Artists with more than 5.000 streams in the past four weeks and more than 1.000 followers are eligible to run campaigns through Marquee.
Why it matters
Music marketers spend a lot of money on Facebook and Instagram advertising. I’ve run a lot of campaigns to promote music, and here’s a little secret: to get streams on Spotify, advertising on Facebook and Instagram just doesn’t work. It’s simple: users don’t like to switch apps. Therefore, I do believe that programmatic advertising on Spotify could be cost-effective.
Take action now
Marquee is accessible for those with a billing address in the UK, US or Australia.
Yes, but..
I’m disappointed that Spotify didn’t announce a price rise. It’s crazy that they never raised their pricing. Instant access to all music ever released is priced - and therefore valued - shamefully low.
Further reading
Spotify doubles down on short-form video content with new ‘Clips’ feature (Music Business Worldwide)
Spotify Launches Long-Awaited Pre-Save Feature With New ‘Countdown Pages’ (Billboard)
Without Naming Spotify, Warner Music CEO Calls for Streaming Services to Raise Prices (Variety)
Spotify Newsletter & the 'Stream On' Event (Spotify Newsletter)