Today, the power of promotion lays in the hands of social media and streaming platforms. They host the strongest link between people and music, whether it’s for listening or discovery. Roughly 67% of users discover new music on TikTok, switching from the app to their streaming platform of choice to add a song to their music library. 75% of these users are reported to discover new artists primarily via TikTok. Wherever people are is where music will be heard, and where artists will want to promote.
Both streaming and socials hold the key to target marketing thanks to algorithms. Where labels were once able to track physical album sales by location, online platforms now know everything about an individual user’s activity; they can slip past labels and offer artists promotional opportunities themselves. On top of that, the exalted concept of signing to a label is a weakening one, as is the trust that artists and the public once had in big record labels. Right now, apps are coming off as the more casual, trustworthy, for-the-people option.
This is why so many of these apps are rolling out extensive features for artists. Across socials and streaming services, the last year has seen the addition of ticket sales, countdown pages, merch, and much more. Thanks to this centralization users spend more time in-app, have easy access to everything they need, and artists need only focus on promotion in one or two places. Win-win-win.
Let’s take a look at what’s been going on so far:
Spotify
Where better to promote than where your music lives! Spotify has a number of interactive add-ons that have made it a lot easier for artists to promote and users to engage.
One is the “Events” tab on an artist’s page. When clicked, it displays show dates and details – the same ones that pop up on a user’s homepage when opening the app if they follow the artist. Spotify has partnered with Ticketmaster so that when you click on an event pop-up or the tab on an artist’s page, you can hit the link that will take you out of the app to buy tickets.
More recently, Spotify added countdown pages for upcoming releases. When you look up an artist who is set to release something in the next month, a banner shows up on their page. When clicked, you’re brought to a countdown timer, pre-save button, tracklist preview, clips, and release-related merch. This is a great way to get notify fans of a new project and get them excited about it.
The “Merch” tab also appears on the artist page right by Music, Clips, and Events, allowing artists to feature any physical merchandise they want to sell – vinyls, shirts, hats, you name it. Users can scroll through the selection and make orders directly through Spotify without leaving the app.
Apple Music
Though the second most popular streaming service online, Apple Music is usually one of the last to develop features that other platforms have already launched. As of right now, Apple Music has a “Set List” space where listeners can view an artist’s upcoming concerts by location, though it looks to be the only interactive promotional opportunity offered.
SoundCloud
SoundCloud has recently launched the SoundCloud Store to offer artists another form of income in addition to streaming. As of this summer, selected Next Pro artists can design exclusive merch for their fans (Next Pro is the platform’s paid subscription plan which includes distribution, advanced insights, playlist features, and unlimited uploads). In order to be selected, Next Pro artists must apply and own 100% of their merchandising rights. The store is currently available in the US, EU, and Canada, and artists with merchandise in the store include Wiz Khalifa, Denzel Curry, wolfacejoeyy, Bktherula, and Armani White.
Deezer
On Deezer, you can find a section on the homepage dedicated to events. Users can scroll through upcoming live shows based on their favorite artists, or get suggestions based on location. You’ll find details about line-up, prices, and a selection of songs by the artist. Clicking the “Buy Tickets” link will take you out of the app for ticket purchases. Though a little less obvious, you can also find all of this under the “On Tour” tab on an artist’s homepage after scrolling past their discography.
A slightly different area of promotion offered is the “Purple Club” which brings listeners “closer to the music”. The feature is available only to paying Deezer Subscribers and offers exclusive access to intimate sessions, album releases, artist meet and greets, and the chance to win concert tickets.
TikTok
TikTok has been a little iffy about their roll outs, but works closely with labels and artists regarding promotion. It was announced last year that the app would allow artists to sell and showcase products using integrated shopping features in their content, notably recorded videos and Lives. However, this came with many limitations (only for US accounts, products had to ship from US warehouses, no pre-sale available), and was never fully developed as a feature.
The app has made changes to better integrate music into the platform in recent months. By activating the “Music” tab, artists can display their music directly from their profile, allowing users to find and play the songs with ease. Bigger artists have also added banners to their profile for when they have upcoming tours. The banner contains the tour announcement along with a weekly countdown. Each week, users are given tasks that they must complete in order to unlock rewards such as exclusive photos, videos, voice notes, and profile frames. To participate, they must follow the artist, save a given song to their music app of choice, and post a video with the corresponding hashtag. There isn’t much information on the banner and when it rolled out, but we do know that it isn’t available everywhere, and may be accessible to only bigger artists at the moment.
Groover Obsessions
Groover Obsessions also allows from centralized promotion, but this time with a dedicated human team supporting the artist throughout. Groover is a platform that allows artists to pitch their music to professionals in the industry, and Obsessions is their artist accelerator. When artists submit their music through Groover, the platform’s in-person team listens to every submission and detects promising new artists they think have the potential to make it big. Upon joining Obsessions, Groover promotes an artist’s releases on the platform’s social networks, organizes live show opportunities around the world (New York, London, Paris, Montreal), features their music on Spotify playlists, and puts them in touch with industry partners to further their careers.
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