Music streaming has become a vital force in most release campaigns. Especially for D.I.Y. musicians the power of generating new and expanding existing fan-bases is a definite advantage.
Good digital distributive work, playlist placements but also other factors like hitting a niche just right have an impact on your success.
Let me walk you through some important factors that can help out on various levels. Especially when negotiating with professionals in and around the music industry:
Increased territorial options
A huge benefit of current music streaming is the possibility of getting your music placed within playlists. Wether this happens via a digital distributor pitching it to a playlist editor, or media like online magazines curating their own lists. Blogs also serve as a door opener to international playlists.
Well curated or promoted playlists have the potential of reaching way beyond local territories. They turn streaming platforms into serious expanders of reach. Monitor your socials closely to see where your reach is growing and how playlist-additions effect this growth.
Backwash effects
More and more smart algorithms determine the listening habits of disperse audiences by automatically generating playlists.
This gives up and coming artists the chance of being “stumbled upon”, especially if these artists have already generated a certain level of noise floor. It’s also a strategy for avid music fans to dig and find new artists.
Backwash effects can be felt across a variety of platforms yet are often limited and isolated within a single one. Try inter-linking your channels and work several streaming services to get the largest spread.
Artist-profile sharpening
Creating your own playlists let’s you sharpen your artist profile.
By doing so, you introduce your fans to your musical cosmos and let them understand where you come from – and where you might be going.
It’s a great way of engaging in a connection and form of dialogue. Like in real life, people are grateful to stumble upon new and fresh things. More and more music artists act as curators, mixing their own content with external, favorable material.
We took a closer look on this matter in one of our previous articles. Find it here.
Niche potential
Artists engaging in niche music can dock onto existing taste-hubs. This can happen via specific playlists but also by being picked up by an influencer or tastemaker. Try to get in touch with those influencers or target them through marketing campaigns. Especially if you find it hard to get added to large playlists owned by the streaming service itself, additions to smaller, niche-playlists can pave the way to the bigger ones.
Think about where your music’s niche might be represented within the sphere of streaming and focus your efforts there.
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