Spotify is one of the world’s leading music streaming platforms. In 2021, they introduced a feature called Discovery Mode. It is designed to help artists increase their visibility by prioritizing certain tracks in Spotify’s recommendation algorithms. It’s an innovative approach to music discovery, benefiting both artists seeking exposure and listeners eager to find new music that suits their tastes.
How Discovery Mode Works
Discovery Mode allows artists and their teams to flag specific songs for increased exposure in Spotify’s personalized playlists, such as “Discover Weekly” and “Release Radar,” as well as in the autoplay and smart shuffle features. Eligible tracks are recommended to users who are likely to enjoy them based on their listening history and preferences.
What’s the catch? You need to agree to a lower royalty rate on the streams generated through this feature. This trade-off offers significant visibility at the cost of reduced earnings per stream.
At this time, Discovery Mode is decided on a month-to-month basis. This allows us to test out Discovery Mode for a short term to determine if the reduced earnings are increasing your visibility.
In most instances, we have seen tremendous growth for the artists who are using Discovery Mode campaigns both in revenue and spins. In the worst cases, some artists have not seen any change in their monthly income but have seen an increase in monthly listeners and streams. In all cases, the extra visibility has proven to be worth the lowered royalty rate.
If you’re still skeptical, think of it like the end-cap opportunities from the days of physical distribution. Both are strategic ways to display a product and attract the market’s attention. Both methods aim to increase visibility and discovery, and both ultimately have a cost. While an end-cap relies on physical placement, Discovery Mode leverages Spotify’s algorithm to target listeners based on their tastes and habits.
It’s also important to understand that the discounted royalty rate only applies to the streams that are brought in by Discovery Mode. Streams from playlist placements, organic listening, direct links or any other avenue still earn the standard royalty rate.
Discovery Mode presents an invaluable opportunity for emerging artists. It can catapult songs into the playlists of listeners who might not have otherwise encountered them. For established artists, it offers a way to push new singles or deep cuts that may not have received as much attention.
Listeners’ Experience
From a listener’s perspective, Discovery Mode enriches the Spotify experience by making it easier to discover new music. The enhanced recommendations can lead to a more personalized listening experience, helping users find tracks that resonate with their tastes.
Spotify’s Discovery Mode is a powerful tool that reshapes the dynamics of music promotion on the platform. As the music industry continues to evolve, features like Discovery Mode will play a critical role in shaping the future of how music is discovered… and more importantly, enjoyed!
