The Spotify Dilemma

[djpuzzle]

Hey artists. As those of you know Spotify can be a necessary evil specifically artist curated playlists. This is where we as artists will generate most of our revenue (from Spotify, what little they pay that is) and in order to create effective playlists you have to link your user account with your artist account. Playlists on Spotify will help you establish a presence on Spotify as well as help you promote others. Creating popular playlists can in turn get you on someone else's playlist. Well, Spotify requires us to have 250 followers on our artist account before we can validate the account and link it to our user account. So I've decided to create this thread for those of us who are trying to get more followers so that we can jump on the playlist train. I'm hoping there are enough of us on KVR who want to know more and do more with their Spotify account. I am here to help you along the way and maybe we can help each other. Here is an important link so you should sign up here if you haven't already https://artists.spotify.com/faninsights/overview - Fan Insights is a free tool for analyzing your stats as an artist on Spotify. Once you've done that come back here and let's talk!!

I do know some people making a killing on Spotify because they ended up in a really popular playlist. This one Youtube celeb for example uses indie music in his videos and then links them up in his Spotify playlist. My buddy got in this playlist and is really making waves.

So with that said now we all need 250 followers right? So I'm proposing a follow for a follow type situation to help each other out. Then when we hit 250 we can stop back here and talk about our experiences and success stories. What say ye? So here is my Spotify artist link I'm at 56 followers lol https://play.spotify.com/artist/26bZ9yeNXQtUHM7SFmuLYa

[an-electric-heart]

It's not really a problem care about... or was even aware of

But any-hoo, I've followed you, here's me:

https://play.spotify.com/artist/3o8AbXfSuigfbgolhUjpo9

[dayjob]

i don't see what the dilemma is.. they don't pay anyone. i don't use it. i still have an old ipod w/my music and a bunch of playlists. i make my own.. i don't need their shitty algorithm to do it for me.

when did music become so passive as a listener? i guess the radio is passive and this is no different but if that's the case then i'll double down on not caring about spotify because the radio sucks too and i haven't listened to radio in years either.

so why should i care about the "new radio" that is spotify? they don't pay artists. streaming is pretty much a scam for independent artists especially. if you're posting on KVR about spotify then you too are an independent artist and have to have more plays than taylor swift just to make minimum wage.. your'e better off putting your music on bandcamp and finding your audience.

you're pissing in the wind.

[djpuzzle]

Here is some good information for those who don't understand what I am talking about.

http://diymusician.cdbaby.com/music-pro ... followers/

Artist curated playlists are a great way to actually make something substantial from Spotify as an indie artist. Spotify is not going away they're actually making huge waves. As much as I want to hate them I feel it's important for us to claim our space on there.

[djpuzzle]

It's not really a problem care about... or was even aware of

But any-hoo, I've followed you, here's me:

https://play.spotify.com/artist/3o8AbXfSuigfbgolhUjpo9

Thanks! Followed you back! Let's hit 250! Once we hit 250 we can validate and associate our user accounts with our artist account and take control of our Spotifies.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

Am I the only one who finds this thread depressing?

[Aleatoriac]

Am I the only one who finds this thread depressing?

I find it depressing too, but I'm old, and I remember the fantasy I had as a kid of being able to make a living doing what I loved.

BUT!

Gotta do SOMETHING so...

[Morgaxx]

Now it is depressing

Good luck to the OP and those that join the cause. Nothing wrong with massaging the system a little.

[djpuzzle]

It shouldn't be depressing if your music is on Spotify it is something you should do.

I'll tell you a little story. Back in 2014 I got a song placed in a TV show called Parts Unknown. It's on CNN. Anyway I didn't know my song was placed there right away. I have hundreds of songs getting placed every year but I don't find out about them until the cue sheets are turned in and sent to BMI so it could be 9-12 months after a show airs. Anyway a fan reached out to me through my Reverbnation account saying "I just heard your song on Parts Unknown and I really like it. Where can I buy it?". I was like really that is awesome. He then told me there was a whole thread on Reddit asking about the song and who wrote it. Well you know what I didn't release the song publicly through a distributor so there was no way for anyone to Shazam the song and find it online. Someone did enough research though and discovered the song on my Reverbnation page and then linked to it in the Reddit thread. I immediately released the song to iTunes, Spotify, etc but I was about 6 months late and missed the first initial wave of interest but you know what the show is very popular and NOW I'm selling tons of downloads on Bandcamp, iTunes, Amazon, etc all because of that show. When you release your music independently you have a choice to send it to Spotify. I thought to my self as much as I hate Spotify it just didn't make sense for me to exclude that audience. Recently I learned about artist curated playlists. Most artists are unaware of this which is why I started this thread. If your music is on Spotify you should get validated so that you can claim control over your artist account. You are required to have at least 250 followers following your artist account (not your personal account). I'm here to help you guys if you're not into Spotify and you're not using them that's fine this thread isn't for you then. I'm just trying to help educate those who want to take control of their artist account. Artist curated playlists are not random songs picked by a computer they are artist driven and they are a proven way to actually up your revenue. As I mentioned I have a friend who has done it and I've seen his stats. If you're not making any money from your music Spotify or not I can help you. Of course Bandcamp is great but this is about taking charge of your Spotify artist page which I believe is very important if you have music on there.

[mhog]

Am I the only one who finds this thread depressing?

Spotiwhat?

[Frantz]

I'm in. I followed DJ Puzzle and An Electric Heart.

This is my account: https://play.spotify.com/artist/1GwqPbmH7LI1WHUppYFKQ0

[Aleatoriac]

It shouldn't be depressing if your music is on Spotify it is something you should do.

I'm all for it. I'll use it when I get my more mainstream stuff done too. I think it's pretty cool!

It simply seems depressing considering what recorded music was just 20 years ago. Doesn't matter - someone who grew up with the present "model" won't get it.

Best of success to you!

[djpuzzle]

I'm in. I followed DJ Puzzle and An Electric Heart.

This is my account: https://play.spotify.com/artist/1GwqPbmH7LI1WHUppYFKQ0

Followed and thanks!

[Frantz]

While I love Spotify as a listener, the real dilemma is that it doesn't pay artists.

Here's a quick calculation based on what I am getting paid for the average play which is about 6/10 of a penny. Maybe major labels have a better deal.

So unless you get millions of plays, Spotify income is basically chicken feed. It's not a problem for me since I'm not quitting my day job but I can't imagine how artists can live off of streaming income.

[surreal]

Hi there!

I would love to help but I can't get registerd on Spotify in my Country.

It just says that this service is not available in your (my) country.

Wonder what other chamnnels or route I can take to generate some small passive income with my music. ...

Regards
Surreal