Spotify’s new tool lets artists, labels boost streams

The feature lets users improve the song’s presence in recommendation algorithms on the platform’s Autoplay and Radio services. Autoplay is a tool that automatically plays other songs when a listener reaches the end of an album or playlist, while Radio generates radio-type stations based on specific songs and artists. Spotify will first pilot Discovery Mode in the US and, if successful, it will then roll the feature out globally.

Spotify will offer the service to artists and labels at a promotional rate, which will apply to recording royalties, while the publishing royalties for the tracks will remain the same. Users will have to accept a lower payout for the songs they want to boost. However, the company says it does not guarantee placement of the selected songs.

“To ensure the tool is accessible to artists at any stage of their careers, it won’t require any upfront budget, Spotify said. “Instead, labels or rights holders agree to be paid a promotional recording royalty rate for streams in personalised listening sessions where we provided this service.

“In this new experiment, artists and labels can identify music that’s a priority for them, and our system will add that signal to the algorithm that determines personalised listening sessions. This allows our algorithms to account for what’s important to the artist. If the songs resonate with listeners, we’ll keep trying them in similar sessions. If the songs don’t perform well, they’ll quickly be pulled back. Listener satisfaction is our priority.”

Spotify product marketing lead Charleton Lamb said: “We don’t guarantee placement to labels and artists, and we’re only ever going to recommend stuff that we think a particular listener might want to hear”.

This is not the first time Spotify has launched a tool that promotes music in exchange for payment from artists or labels. Last year, the company launched an advertising initiative called Marquee, which allow labels to pay cash to the music streaming platform to directly advertise priority releases to clients on the platform.