Why 90% of Artists Fail on Spotify (And How to Join the 10% Who Don't)
After many years of consulting with independent artists, I've seen the same heartbreaking pattern repeat itself many times. Talented musicians pour their hearts into great music, upload it to Spotify, and then wonder why nobody's listening.
Last week, I had an artist call me in tears. She'd spent $3,000 on her debut EP – money she'd saved from her day job for two years. She'd promoted it everywhere she could think of: Instagram ads, Facebook posts, TikTok videos, even paid for playlist submissions through various services. After three months of grinding, she had barely cracked 1000 streams total for each track. "What am I doing wrong?" she asked through sobs. "My friends all say the music is amazing."
Here's the brutal truth: her friends were probably right. The music was good. But good music isn't enough anymore.
The answer I had to give her isn't what most artists expect to hear, and it's probably not what you want to hear either. But if you're tired of watching your songs disappear into the void while less talented artists somehow rack up thousands of streams, then this uncomfortable truth might be exactly what you need.
The problem isn't your music. It's not your talent. It's not even your passion or dedication.
The problem is that you're playing a game where nobody ever explained the rules.
The Hard Truth About Spotify Success
In my years working with everyone from bedroom producers to Grammy nominees, I've learned that talent alone doesn't cut it on Spotify. The platform has its own language, its own rules, and most artists are speaking gibberish.
Here's what separates my successful clients from the struggling ones: they understand that Spotify is a data-driven recommendation engine, not a passive music library.
Every action a listener takes sends a signal to Spotify's algorithm. When someone skips your song after 10 seconds, that's a vote against you. When they save it to their library or add it to a playlist, that's gold.
I track these metrics religiously for my clients. The ones who consistently hit a 2.0+ stream-to-listener ratio and 15-20% save rates? They're the ones getting algorithmic playlist placements and seeing organic growth.
The ones stuck at 1.2 ratios with 5% save rates? They're spinning their wheels, wondering why nothing's happening.
The Playlist Game: What Actually Works
I've helped artists secure hundreds of playlist placements in the past five years. Here's what I've learned about what works and what doesn't.
Editorial playlist submissions are still worth it. Yes, the competition is fierce, but I've had clients land on New Music Friday with their first submission. The key is writing compelling pitch copy that tells the story behind the song, not just describing the genre.
Independent curators are where the real opportunity lives. I maintain relationships with over 300 playlist curators across different genres. The secret? I approach them as a music industry professional, not as someone begging for favors.
Most artists send generic mass emails. I send personalized messages that reference specific songs on their playlists, acknowledge their curation style, and explain why my client's music fits their aesthetic.
The new Campaign Kit tools are game-changers. Discovery Mode has been particularly effective for my clients. I've seen artists go from 500 monthly listeners to 5,000 in six months by strategically using these promotional tools.
One client's track got picked up by Spotify's algorithm after a successful Discovery Mode campaign and ended up with 75,000 streams. The key was targeting the right genre tags and having strong engagement metrics from the start.
Building Artist Brands That Connect
Streaming success isn't just about the music anymore. It's about building a brand that resonates with people on a personal level.
I work with my clients to develop what I call their "artist story" – the narrative that makes people care about them as humans, not just their music.
One of my most successful clients started as a shy singer-songwriter who was terrified of social media. We developed a content strategy around her songwriting process, sharing voice memos of melody ideas, showing her home studio setup, talking about the stories behind her lyrics.
Within eight months, she went from 200 Instagram followers to 15,000, and her Spotify monthly listeners grew proportionally. The connection was clear: people who connected with her story became genuine fans of her music.
The platforms that drive the most Spotify traffic for my clients:
Instagram Reels (30-second song snippets with captions telling the story)
TikTok (behind-the-scenes content, not trying to go viral)
YouTube Shorts (acoustic versions, studio footage)
Email newsletters (yes, they still work incredibly well)
The Release Strategy That Builds Momentum
Random releases kill momentum. I've seen artists with great songs fail because they had no strategy around their rollout.
I put all my clients on structured release schedules. Every 6-8 weeks, like clockwork. This keeps them in Spotify's algorithm and gives fans something to anticipate.
But here's the crucial part: each release builds on the last one. We create themes, tell ongoing stories, develop visual consistency. It's like creating a TV series instead of random one-off episodes.
Canvas videos make a massive difference. I have my clients create these for every single release. They don't need to be expensive – some of my most successful Canvas videos were shot on iPhones. But they increase engagement rates by 20-30% on average.
Release day strategy that works:
Pre-save campaigns starting 2-3 weeks before release
Coordinated social media content across all platforms
Email blast to the artist's list
Playlist submissions submitted 7-10 days prior
Follow-up content throughout the week after release
The Revenue Reality Check
I always have this conversation with new clients: Spotify streams alone will not pay your bills. Even my most successful clients who are pulling 100k monthly Listeners are making maybe $1,500-3,000 per month from streaming depending on how many times the listeners are playing your songs.
But those streams open doors to everything else that actually pays: live shows, merchandise, brand partnerships, sync placements, direct fan support.
I help my clients build what I call "revenue funnels." Spotify is the top of the funnel – it's where people discover them. But then we guide those listeners to:
Email lists (where we can reach them directly)
Social media (where we can build deeper connections)
Merchandise stores (where they can support the artist financially)
Live shows (where the real money is made)
Patreon or direct support platforms (for ongoing income)
What's Working in 2025
The landscape changes constantly, but these strategies are delivering results for my clients right now:
Collaborative playlists with other artists. I help my clients identify 5-10 artists in their genre and create collaborative playlists together. Everyone promotes the playlist, and all artists benefit from the cross-pollination of audiences.
Geographic targeting for touring. Before an artist plans a tour, we run targeted Spotify campaigns in those cities to build local awareness. I've seen this strategy double ticket sales for emerging artists.
User-generated content campaigns. Getting fans to create content featuring your music is incredibly powerful. I help my clients run simple campaigns asking fans to share videos using their songs.
Cross-platform storytelling. The artists who succeed are the ones who tell cohesive stories across all platforms. Your Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Spotify should all feel like different chapters in the same book.
The Artists Who Make It
After working with hundreds of artists, I can spot the ones who'll succeed within the first few months. It's not always the most talented ones. It's the ones who:
Treat their music career like a business
Are consistent with their output and messaging
Focus on building genuine connections with fans
Are willing to adapt their strategy based on data
Understand that success takes time and sustained effort
The artists who struggle are usually the ones who think great music should speak for itself, or who chase every new trend without understanding the fundamentals.
Your Next Steps
If you're serious about building a sustainable music career, here's what I recommend:
This week: Set up Spotify for Artists if you haven't already. Study your analytics. Understand where your listeners are coming from and what they're doing with your music.
This month: Plan your next three releases. Space them 6-8 weeks apart. Start building anticipation for the first one.
This quarter: Pick one social media platform and commit to showing up there consistently. Create content that shows who you are as an artist, not just what you sound like.
This year: Build an email list. Offer something valuable in exchange for people's contact information. This is your most important asset as an independent artist.
The music industry has never been more accessible for independent artists, but it's also never been more competitive. The artists who succeed are the ones who understand the game and play it strategically.
Your music deserves to be heard. Now you know how to make that happen.
I work with a select number of artists each year to develop comprehensive growth strategies. If you're serious about taking your music career to the next level, let's talk about what's possible.
