{"id":4935,"date":"2022-06-14T18:45:49","date_gmt":"2022-06-14T18:45:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/06\/14\/the-spotify-algorithm-what-musicians-need-to-know\/"},"modified":"2022-06-14T18:45:49","modified_gmt":"2022-06-14T18:45:49","slug":"the-spotify-algorithm-what-musicians-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/06\/14\/the-spotify-algorithm-what-musicians-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"The Spotify Algorithm: What Musicians Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span>Want your music to reach Spotify listeners through playlists like <em>Discover Weekly<\/em> and <a href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/music-promotion\/submit-a-song-directly-for-spotify-playlist-consideration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Release Radar<\/em><\/a>?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Then there\u2019s something very important you should know about Spotify\u2019s algorithm:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Chasing vanity metrics can hurt you!<\/b><\/p>\n<p>There are plenty of resources that explain Spotify\u2019s recommendation engine in detail. We\u2019re not going to get into the weeds here because the lesson is simple. You want active engagement on Spotify, not a massive amount of streams for their own sake. It\u2019s about quality over quantity, at least early on. Eventually the former can drive the latter.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/06\/14\/the-spotify-algorithm-what-musicians-need-to-know\/#What_does_Spotifys_algorithm_do\" >What does Spotify\u2019s algorithm do?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/06\/14\/the-spotify-algorithm-what-musicians-need-to-know\/#Quality_engagement_metrics_include\" >Quality engagement metrics include:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/06\/14\/the-spotify-algorithm-what-musicians-need-to-know\/#Should_you_worry_about_your_Spotify_Popularity_Index\" >Should you worry about your Spotify Popularity Index?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/06\/14\/the-spotify-algorithm-what-musicians-need-to-know\/#Should_you_appease_the_Spotify_algorithm\" >Should you appease the Spotify algorithm?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/06\/14\/the-spotify-algorithm-what-musicians-need-to-know\/#How_can_you_drive_quality_engagement_on_Spotify\" >How can you drive quality engagement on Spotify?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_does_Spotifys_algorithm_do\"><\/span><span>What does Spotify\u2019s algorithm do?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span>Spotify\u2019s algorithm (or more accurately, algorithms) analyzes the listening habit of hundreds of millions of users. It makes comparisons and connections using historical listening behavior, and then predicts what individual listeners will want to hear in the future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Spotify\u2019s algorithm is eerily good at making these personalized predictions. If it weren\u2019t, Spotify wouldn\u2019t be the powerhouse platform it is today. And it wouldn\u2019t be one of the go-to levers for audience growth and music discovery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In short: Spotify doesn\u2019t want to share bad songs, but it likewise doesn\u2019t want to share good songs with the wrong people. It wants to serve the right song to the right person. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In order for YOUR song to be the right song, <\/span><span>Spotify must have a sufficient amount of data about your ideal audience. When Spotify shares your music with a new listener, they\u2019re taking a calculated risk. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>So before Spotify extends the reach of your music to users beyond your existing audience, they need to see QUALITY engagement metrics.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Quality_engagement_metrics_include\"><\/span>Quality engagement metrics include:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span>Repeat listens<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Limited skips<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>High follower-to-listener ratio<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>High save-to-stream ratio<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Playlist adds<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Chatter in the music press (yes, the algorithms monitor the web &amp; social)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Shares elsewhere online<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>And more<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>You need to instruct Spotify\u2019s algorithms that your songs are great, that you have an identifiable audience, and that when one of your songs is surfaced to a stranger in that audience, the person takes an action suggesting they truly like your music.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_you_worry_about_your_Spotify_Popularity_Index\"><\/span>Should you worry about your Spotify Popularity Index?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span>There are exceptions to the above engagement criteria, and I\u2019ve seen a lot of analysis of how your Popularity Index (PI) on Spotify can determine what gets a boost. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/developer.spotify.com\/documentation\/web-api\/reference\/#\/operations\/get-an-artist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Spotify\u2019s Popularity index<\/a> is a 0-100 scale rating of how popular you are compared to every other artist on the platform.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span>Some music marketing chatter suggests a PI of 20+ in the first few weeks will get you onto <em>Release Radar<\/em> and a PI of 30+ will get you onto <em>Discover Weekly.<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>We could go further in the weeds on Popularity Index rankings as a separate measurement from how any particular track or album is doing on Spotify, but for simplicity\u2019s sake, let\u2019s just stick with the basic theory: <\/span><span>Quality OVER quantity will eventually lead to quality AND quantity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>NOTE: <a href=\"https:\/\/chartmetric.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chartmetric<\/a> automatically populates your analytics dashboard with your Spotify Popularity Index.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_you_appease_the_Spotify_algorithm\"><\/span><span>Should you <em>appease<\/em> the Spotify algorithm?<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>I can hear the gripes already: \u201cI\u2019m not changing my music to please an algorithm!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span>I think that perspective is flawed. Here\u2019s why:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span> The algorithm IS your audience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>I mean that in an almost literal sense; not that you create your art to please a machine, but that this machine is the most powerful representation of your fans\u2019 aggregate tastes and listening habits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If the algorithm gives the people what they want, you should give the algorithm what it wants. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Does the algorithm want short songs, instant hooks, synth bass, and zero long intros? No, those are merely current songwriting and production trends. What the algorithm really wants is DATA.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If you make epic prog accordion songs about orcs learning to code after being laid off from the mines of Mordor, you should NOT (necessarily) change your art to \u201cappease\u201d a robot overlord; you SHOULD give Spotify\u2019s algorithm good info about who your ideal listeners are \u2014 because your fans are out there. Spotify wants to know who they are.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Again, right song for right person. Not \u201csong that checks all the trendy boxes\u201d for randos.<\/p>\n<p><span>Sure, the more niche you go, the bigger your disadvantage in terms of your Spotify Popularity Index; but for simplicity, let\u2019s again assume that Spotify is incentivized to serve your music to people who will love it, no matter how famous or unknown you are.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>And if you\u2019re still feeling cynical, remember this too: Not every song is a single, and not every track is meant for quick connections.<\/p>\n<p>As long as you have some songs that DO work as introductions, Spotify\u2019s algorithm can help those tracks reach new listeners. Some of whom will become fans that go deeper into your catalog.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_can_you_drive_quality_engagement_on_Spotify\"><\/span>How can you drive quality engagement on Spotify?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Here are some things that will help Spotify gather useful data about your current and potential audience:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span><a href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/music-promotion\/instagram-reels-ads\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Drive Spotify streams using Reels<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/music-promotion\/advertising-for-musicians\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span>Run targeted ads using TikTok or Show.co<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>Asking your fans to listen, save, and follow you on Spotify<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Garnering good press through a PR campaign<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Those are just some of the ways to send good signals to Spotify\u2019s algorithm.<\/p>\n<p><span>Unfortunately, there are five common mistakes artists make on Spotify, and they can ruin your music\u2019s chances of being heard. Want to avoid them? Read about <a href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/music-promotion\/spotify-mistakes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201c5 Ways to Ruin Your Spotify Presence.\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Or check out the full podcast episode below:<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\n<div class=\"iframe-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/music-career\/spotify-algorithm\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Spotify Algorithm: What Musicians Need to Know<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/diymusician.cdbaby.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">DIY Musician<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Want your music to reach Spotify listeners through playlists like Discover Weekly and Release Radar? Then there\u2019s something very important you should know about Spotify\u2019s algorithm: Chasing vanity metrics can hurt you! There are plenty of resources that explain Spotify\u2019s recommendation engine in detail. We\u2019re not going to get into the weeds here because the lesson is simple. You want active engagement on Spotify, not a massive amount of streams for their own sake. It\u2019s about quality over quantity, at least early on. Eventually the former [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-seo-blogs"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4935\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}