How to Get More (Real) Spotify Plays & Followers: 7 Golden Tips

People can’t listen to your music if it is not on Spotify. Unlike other sites, you can’t just upload your music to the site. For this, you need to use a distribution service or a record label. There are services like DistroKid and TuneCore that can handle the licensing and distribution of your music, as well as pay out royalties when people stream your music on Spotify. Each of these distribution services offer different packages, so check them both out and choose the best one for your needs.

After you get your music listed on Spotify, you need to get your account verified. It’s a quick process and starts by clicking right here. Not only will it help build your authority in the industry, it also allows you to check analytics and fan insights, and give you access to promotional tools.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to pay out money for an ad campaign. It can be as simple as sharing to social media. There are great free (or at least inexpensive) options available like building a Facebook profile (or website) to host links to all your streaming profiles, reaching out to friends and asking them to share your tracks, or playing some free gigs to build local awareness of your music.

If you have the funds, making sponsored posts on social media can be an excellent option. They allow you to define your target market, track its effectiveness, and reach new people without breaking the bank.

Marketing is more than just some posts on your Facebook and Instagram. A good marketing campaign outlines who you are targeting, what kind of content you are sharing, when you are sharing that content, what you are trying to get your audience to do, and then what will come next. It also should include a way to get the attention of music influencers like playlist curators of blogger. 

With a detailed plan, you greatly improve your chances of building an audience. Your marketing campaign should also have very clear, actionable goals like “follow me on Spotify/Instagram/Facebook” or “add my song to a playlist.” Everything in the campaign should point towards these goals.

I touched on this earlier, but it is worth reiterating. Reach out to playlist curators and bloggers. No matter how popular they may be, it is likely their audience is loyal and engaged. Getting shared to a couple hundred blog readers can be an incredible springboard to success.

Reddit is a great place to be for independent artists of all genres. This is Our Music is a forum dedicated to music from Reddit users. It’s open to all genres and encourages feedback. Posting here can both help you improve as an artist and gain some loyal followers.

There are several other subreddits that fit into the same category: We Are The Music Makers, Songwriters, These Are Our Albums. Be sure to read the rules for each subreddit and follow them when posting.

Make a playlist from of your favorite tracks from other artists and put your music in it. You can post your playlist to the Spotify Playlist Exchange, allowing other curators to see your playlist. They can take songs from it for their own playlists. This is a great opportunity for artists who are just starting out because it will connect you with other independent artists and develop some mutually beneficial relationships in the music industry.

Curators carefully craft their playlists, meticulously choosing which songs will land a spot on their coveted playlists. If you don’t know how to find a curator, there are services like Soundplate that can connect artists with curators.

An organic promotion campaign is one of the best things you can buy when releasing new music. Omari MC has the best Spotify playlist campaigns around and will generate meaningful engagement with your music. Click below to learn more!