How to Get More People to Discover Your Music on Spotify

To get more people to discover your music on Spotify, get each release in front of listeners who already like music like yours, make it easy for them to follow you once they do, and let Spotify's personalized playlists carry it further from there. Being on Spotify doesn't get you heard by itself. Here's how each of those steps works in practice.

Start with a track that's ready

Everything below amplifies whatever the first few seconds do. Before you spend any time or money on a release, play it straight after a released track by an artist one step ahead of you in the same genre, at the same volume. If yours holds up, it's ready. Is your track ready for Spotify playlist promotion goes through the checks.

Know who should discover it

"Everyone" isn't an audience. Write down the genre in three words and two or three artists your listeners already play. That description decides which playlists you want, what you say about the track, and who you show it to.

Set up the release properly in Spotify for Artists

• Pitch Spotify's editors. It's free, from Spotify for Artists, for an unreleased track. According to Spotify's guide to getting music on Release Radar, pitching at least seven days before release also puts the track in your followers' Release Radar. Only one of your tracks can be in Release Radar at a time.
• Get the details right. Genre, mood, and instruments in the pitch form tell Spotify's editors what they're hearing.
• Update your profile. A current photo, a bio that says what you sound like, and your new release as your Artist Pick give a new listener something to follow.

Get onto playlists whose listeners fit

Independent playlists are where most independent artists find new listeners. The playlist's listeners already love a certain sound, so a track that fits gets played through, saved, and followed.

The old way of getting there is slow and expensive. You spend hours finding playlists and curator contacts, then pay per pitch on submission platforms, where around $150 typically buys submissions to about 15 curators with nothing promised. Many decline or never answer. It's also a model Spotify's rules don't allow, since it charges for having a track considered for a playlist, and it's you who carry the risk.

On Soundmango you start a campaign instead: choose the genres and minimum follower count you want, pay one price, and your track only goes to curators whose playlists fit. When one passes, it goes to the next fitting curator until one takes on your campaign. Approved tracks have an estimated 99% chance of landing on at least one playlist.

Let Spotify's personalized playlists pick it up

Once real listeners save and replay your track, Spotify has something to learn from. Spotify's page on how recommendations work says listening, skipping, and saving all shape what it recommends. That's how a track moves from one playlist into Discover Weekly, radio, and other listeners' mixes.

Nobody outside Spotify knows exactly what tips a track into those, so treat it as the result of good listening. How the Spotify algorithm works for artists explains what's known.

Bring people in from outside Spotify

• Short videos. A clip of the best fifteen seconds, posted where your listeners scroll, sends people to search for the track.
• Your own list. Collect email addresses from fans at shows and online. When you release, you can reach them directly, whatever any platform decides to show them.
• Other artists. Collaborations and shared shows put you in front of listeners who already like your sound.

Avoid shortcuts that fake discovery

Bought streams, bought followers, and playlists that promise a set number of plays add numbers without listeners. According to Spotify's page on artificial streaming, it can withhold royalties, correct stream counts, and remove tracks from playlists when it finds them. How to spot fake Spotify playlists shows the signs.

Check whether it's working

In Spotify for Artists, open the track and look at where its streams come from. Growth in other listeners' playlists means placements are working. Growth in Release Radar and Discover Weekly means Spotify is recommending you. Growth in listeners' own libraries means people are coming back. Watch saves and followers alongside, since those are the listeners you keep.

Frequently asked questions

How can an independent artist get discovered on Spotify?

By getting each release onto playlists whose listeners fit their sound, pitching Spotify's editors before every release, and building a following that gets each new track in Release Radar.

Do Spotify playlists help people discover new artists?

Yes. Independent playlists are one of the main ways listeners find artists they didn't know, especially when the playlist sticks to one sound.

Are more streams always better for discovery?

No. Streams from listeners who skip or never come back do little. Saves and follows are the part that grows.

How long does discovery take?

Usually a few releases. Each one adds followers who get the next one in Release Radar, so it builds over months more than weeks.

Does Spotify Canvas help people discover my music?

Nobody outside Spotify can say how much. It takes a few minutes to add, and it gives listeners who've already found the track something more to watch.

Do TikTok and Instagram drive Spotify discovery?

They can, when a clip makes people search for the track. They work best alongside playlists, where listeners who search find the track sitting with music they already like.

Get discovered by the right listeners

Discovery starts with listeners who already love your sound. On Soundmango you pay once, your track goes to curators who run real playlists in your genre until one takes on your campaign, and if no curator takes it on, you get every cent back. Start promoting your next release.