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WITH SO MUCH competition out there, it’s difficult for a new or upcoming band to be noticed on music streaming services. Yet if you’re on Spotify, playlists could be the quickest way to being discovered according to its CEO.
Spotify’s CEO and co-founder Daniel Ek took to Q&A site Quora to answer a few questions about the service, and concerned how new bands can be discovered on Spotify. The quickest way according to Ek is to get friends to include your songs on their playlists.
“The easiest way today is to convince people to put it in their playlists and share it if they like it,” he said. “Both of those channels are massive and they can lead to more promotion through our viral chart, through Discover Weekly, to being featured as a new release, etc”.
Spotify is a democratic system in the sense that if people really like it, and the ‘vital signs’ as we call them are good, then the system will figure it out and spread the word.
He also gave his reasons as to how the company gained a foothold in the first place. One was starting in his home country Sweden instead of the US as it was a narrow market.
Other reasons included working with the music industry to launch it and the amount of time the company spent on developing latency, the speed in which things worked, saying ”obsessing over small details can sometimes make all the difference.”
Also, people’s tastes in music aren’t as broad as they would like to think they are. Instead, people are more likely to listen to music that matches what they’re doing like going for a run or sleeping.
“The truth is, in your actual listening habits, most of us are very specific about what we want to listen to, but not by genre. Our habits and moments are what define our listening more than anything else,” he said.
People want one kind of music when they’re getting ready to go out on the weekend, another for dinner at home, something else for working out, sleeping, and so on. And this ‘breaking down’ of genre barriers opens up the way to much better, more interesting, and more relevant programming – and music discovery.
The other major issue that arises with any talk about Spotify is paying artists and how streaming is harming them. According to Ek, the big picture is the “music industry is growing again” and is “changing as it moves from an ownership model to an access model”.
Look, we pay the great majority of our revenue back to the music industry, And as we grow, that revenue is really making a difference. Many people don’t realise that the music industry was in decline throughout all the download years (with a one year exception in which it was basically flat). Now finally after years and years of decline, music is growing again, streaming is behind the growth in music and Spotify is behind the growth in streaming.
Spotify is said to be closing in on 30 million paying subscribers, having hit 28 million at the end of 2015, according to the Financial Times. The most recent figured it released back in June said it had 75 million active users.
There’s needs to be more articles relating to the impact of restrictions. This is but the tip of the iceberg.
@Kieran Hayes:
Eating disorders have been there long before restrictions and will be there long after.
@Digdeepradioucc: true but the incidence is markedly increased. Along with abuse and neglect. But aside from these the very nature of lockdowns and social isolation reduces life expectancy… https://youtu.be/ptIecdCZ3dg
@Digdeepradioucc: I wonder could some be suffering from the after effects of the virus. Many have complained of loss of smell and taste. That it actually puts them off eating. These after effects could last for weeks/months.
@Eileen Roche: Ah here….
@Eileen Roche: I hope you have the excuse of being drunk…
@Eileen Roche: Eileen, speaking as someone who is living with an eating disorder, I would suggest that you read up, even just a little, on the causation of EDs. Your suggestion is far removed from why and how they actually develop in connection with someone mental well-being.
@Digdeepradioucc: The point is that it appears (and this article could give some more data) that hospitalisations and greatly increased since the pandemic. And you could guess why, but more reporting and more research is needed because there are a lot of negative health impacts caused by lockdowns.
@Eileen Roche:
Isolation,lack of support, reduced medical support and treatment, lack of human contact, loss of employment, social restrictions, covid anxiety.
All of the above, and probably more, will lead to increases in mental health issues, eating disorders, alcohol and drug use and abuse, suicides and more. Also, will likely lead to people who already had these issues and were doing OK regressing and relapsing.
Nothing to do with smell and taste being temporarily lost.
The government should have been preaching preventative measures that help mitigate Covid 19 effects. A healthy diet, Vitamin D, regular excercise etc.
Battering people over the head with statistics of infection and death without giving much needed advice for people to help themselves is a disgrace.
@Mike Ryan: Thank god someone is seeing sense. The nation’s health should be our primary focus. The ‘stay at home’ message is dangerous is many other ways and our government are offering no advice is this regard.
@Mike Ryan: This is the main issue I have with the current approach, it’s full on negative and against basic health needs. Too many people not seeing the bigger picture.
@Mike Ryan: is there evidence for Vitamin D and exercise? Not being smart I’m genuinely wondering. Thanks.
@Maalouf: Firstly, a healthy diet and regular exercise is recommended for everyone. And there is proof that this will generally make for healthier people and stronger people, both physically stronger and a stronger immune system. Which will help fight illness and disease.
The Vit D thing I’m not a hundred per cent on. Early on it was reported in the USA that most Covid infections were in people who were vitamin D deficient. Could be something could be coincidence. For example in Ireland virtually everyone is low on Vitamin D. So most covid patients will be as well.
I personally started taking Vitamin D supplements as there are general benefits to it.
@Jim Lingk: interesting thank you
@Maalouf: vitamin D boost your immune system, as does Vit C and Zinc. Getting your Vit D outside in the daylight is best, it’s a real mood booster
This is a silent epidemic that’s doing so much damage to our population
There’s probably alot of people who would have preferred to take their chances with covid, but hey, government knows best.
@Joe ryan: the hospitals are nearly full at the moment and we are in lockdown. Imagine if everyone was let take there chances and not enough doctors or beds to treat them. They would just die at home slowly sufficating. I don’t agree with all the restrictions at the same time. People’s mental health is really suffering.
Well done for putting an advertisement for Burger King in the middle of the article.
@Brian Ó Dálaigh:
My Google searches for the last 10 or so days were related to art,music,sport,and architecture!
@Kenneth Hayden: Your phone is listening to you!
@Kenneth Hayden: ….. and Burger King. You’ve been outed. Get help for your eating disorder. You are in denial.
Ireland won’t be satisfied until everyone is dead of everything other than Covid… kind of entertaining to watch the madness.
have your say