First time poster please be kind ❤️
Just before Christmas 2019, I found out that I have 1.2 (now 1.5) million All-Time streams and 13.5k listeners on my 10-year-old discography on Spotify. This all started as recently as a couple of years ago. I had been on a 5 year musical hiatus focusing on my health and didn't even know my songs were on Spotify. Moreover my songs appear to have this kind of listenership purely through word of mouth, with their inclusion on 44.8k user generated playlists, triggering the algorithm for me. Not a single editorial or paid playlist (or even so much as a tweet about this project in the last 6 or 7 years.) More info below but needless to say I'm fully down with Spotify now haha. But seriously, I really do see how it can be an amazing tool for the *truly* independent artist. I'm still getting the hang of all this but its pretty cool! Links to both my old and new project below if you are curious. I'm really not trying to plug (although everything kinda is a plug) , I just want to tell a unique on-topic story.
My old project: https://sptfy.com/ochildrenspotify
My new project: https://sptfy.com/okandispotify
Ok so 10 years ago I wrote, recorded and independently released two indie albums and a host of other singles, remix etc releases( vinyl via a distributor) that would almost always receive critically positive to mixed reviews but was loved and I mean LOVED by the underground. I was a kid so never did it for the money and I got to have some amazing experiences until life took it's toll and a series of tragedies meant that I had to take a break from music and get better.
Fast forward to 10 years later and after years of therapy and self-realization I decide I'm ready to start making music again. I reach out to old music industry acquaintances for advice and maybe a leg-up but the majority are ghosts nowhere to be seen. Ok. So I research. I start looking up all about DSPs and independent life in general (all the things I ignored while focusing on my Vinyl releases and leaving my distributor to do the online work.) I hear about claiming a Spotify artist profile so I claim one for my new project. I get to work on my new project I'm plugging, I'm trying to make contacts and I'm getting good, steady support. I'm content. I then see the option to link my other project (the 10 y/o one). A few days go by and I am in and, to my shock, my songs have 1.2+ million all time streams, most of those accrued in the last 2 years. At least 2 different songs a week on the discover weekly playlist...and not a fluke. This has been a regular occurrence for quite some time. The debut single ('Dead Disco Dancer') I released 10 years ago has taken on a new life of its own also sitting at nearly 1m streams. And I only just found out. I'm still kinda speechless and proud af even if a little confused. All I know is that this is completely fan and playlist driven, completely independent and I own my masters. Anyway a little story-time for anyone out there moving independently and giving up hope. As cheesy as it all sounds I guess if it happened to me it could happen to you. Keep at it! And if you want to follow to help keep this up, again this is not a plug but a follow would be AMAZING. I want to see what I can do with this and I could use the support! Oh also my old project Spotify has 8k followers I never even knew about so you already KNOW I'm going to be making playlists like crazy. If your music is rad send it my way to be featured on one of them! But in general I just want to know thoughts on this and what I should be doing going forward to capitalize on it.
My old project: https://sptfy.com/ochildrenspotify
My new project: https://sptfy.com/okandispotify
Staff / Moderator/ 2 years ago in Social & Random