Video coming soon at www.DarkerMusicTalks.org

2. Believe Digital
Goals
Setup & optimisation
Getting artist/label and brand
profiles set up, verified and
ready ahead of time will help to
boost streams of new releases
and catalogue
Playlist strategies
Playlists are a great way of
building interest ahead of a
new release, and also to boost
streams of back catalogue.
Release strategies
Developing new and interesting
release strategies on streaming
platforms can help labels to
ensure week 1 figures are as
high as possible.
Using the tools
Most of the streaming
platforms have a number of
tools and tricks which we can
use to drive repeat streams for
new and catalogue releases

3. Servicing Your Fans
Why we need to rethink streaming
“Just because someone
has subscribed to a
streaming service, it
doesn’t mean they’re
listening to your music”

4. How are we using streaming?
The traditional label to fan relationship
End of
purchasing
process with
listener
Music
buyer
M
Promotion,
marketing and
delivery of
music
Record
label

5. How are we using streaming?
under the new streaming ecosystem
Label/Brand
profiles
Drive streams through
engaging content on
label platform profiles
Artist profiles
Artists are the key to
ensuring fans revisit -
why would you revisit a
website?:
On platform
Form partnerships and
create new content that
keeps fans coming back
to streaming platforms
Social media
Using social media to
remind and inform fans
of activity on streaming
platforms
Tastemakers
Press, fans, genre
gatekeepers - all
potentially able to
introduce your music to
thousands

6. Servicing Your Fans
…and ‘non-fans’ alike
Types of Listeners on
Streaming Platforms
Fan
No longer a one directional
transaction - think about
what how they like to
listen to their favourite
records, what other
content would they enjoy?
‘Not-yet’ a Fan
These fans need to be
introduced to your
catalogue. - how will they
find you first? What should
they listen to? What about
new releases?

7. Believe Digital
Profile set up and optimisation
Sign Up
http://open.spotify.com/user/iampauldixon

8. Believe Digital
Profile set up and optimisation
Verification
• The Spotify profile username you would like linked to your artist discography page.
• The artist URI link (link to artist discography page).
• The preferred display name for the profile.
• A URL link to a 2048 x 2048 pixel JPEG profile image.
• A link to a twitter account associated with the artist.

9. Believe Digital
Profile set up and optimisation
New Artist Profile Pages

10. Believe Digital
Profile set up and optimisation
New Artist Profile Pages

11. Believe Digital
Profile set up and optimisation
Profile Images

12. Believe Digital
Profile set up and optimisation
Artist Programme
• $10.00 (USD) for each new subscriber that signs up
through your trackable Rdio links
• Instant web access to affiliate tracking
• A complimentary Rdio subscription
• Access to tips, help documentation and Rdio support

13. Believe Digital
Profile set up and optimisation
Profile pages

14. Believe Digital
Profile set up and optimisation
Verified profiles / Deezer Pages
• Put a banner & change the avatar
• Update the biography
• Highlight 2 playlists
• Highlight Facebook & Twitter links
• Update your “profile” post / status

15. Believe Digital
Profile set up and optimisation
label profiles

16. Believe Digital
Profile set up and optimisation
brand profiles

17. Believe Digital
Profile set up and optimisation
Optimising for mobile
As consumers move towards a mobile experience for online usage,
we’re also seeing users move to a more mobile listening experience.
Spotify are reporting that 42% of streams on the service are now taking
place on mobile (phones and tablets).
With desktop, we encourage labels and artists to create profiles, verify
accounts and create engaging content for fans. A combination of all of
these ensures that your are going to increase the chances of repeat
streams, and boost streaming revenues.
However, with mobile, you’re often working with different features, layout
and UI options. We’ve outlined some of the main considerations you will
want to consider to allow fans to enjoy your optimised content, playlists
and profile on the move as well as at their desks.

18. Mobile is King
where are they listening?
5%
14%
40%
41%
Desktop Mobile Tablet Webplayer
Spotify stream splits
per device

19. Believe Digital
Profile set up and optimisation
Optimising for mobile
Brand and Label profiles do not feature verified profile ticks
(but artist profiles do!)

20. Believe Digital
Profile set up and optimisation
Optimising for mobile
Consider optimising your playlist covers and titles for mobile
Desktop Mobile

21. Believe Digital
Profile set up and optimisation
Sharing Limitation
Sharing a new single to Twitter or Facebook
will lock out mobile users on ‘free’ tiers - one of
the biggest user segments.
This is due to the limitation of only having
access to ‘Shuffle’. If these users use a link to
a single track on mobile, they won’t always be
able to stream the track.

22. Believe Digital
Profile set up and optimisation
Optimising for mobile
Disable ‘Recently Played Artists’ on profile to label content is promoted

23. Believe Digital
Release strategies
“Instant grats”
Album viewable - but tracks ‘greyed out’

24. Believe Digital
Release strategies
“Instant grats”
Album Sampler

25. Believe Digital
Release strategies
“Instant grats”
Single Deliveries

26. Believe Digital
Playlist strategies
Playlists
Focussed
Engaging
Relevant

27. Believe Digital
Playlist strategies
Jeff the Brotherhood
Catalogue Hooks
Discography
Commentaries
Artist radio / podcasts
Remixes
Artist curated
Fan generated content
Radio show / podcasts
Platform exclusives

28. Believe Digital
Playlist strategies - catalogue
Jeff the Brotherhood
The Discography Playlist
Chronological
Branded cover and description
Call to action
Acts as a ‘pre-order’

29. Believe Digital
Playlist strategies - catalogue
Jeff the Brotherhood
The Commentary Album
Use the ‘playlist’ method
Builds streams of album tracks
Consider a timed update - how does
the artist feel about it 12 months after
release?

30. Believe Digital
Playlist strategies - catalogue
Jeff the Brotherhood
Remixes

31. Believe Digital
Playlist strategies - catalogue & hook
Jeff the Brotherhood
Artist Radio / Podcasts
Dual purpose
Drives interest in a new
album
Can be updated

32. Believe Digital
Playlist strategies - hook
Jeff the Brotherhood
Artist curated
Builds engagement
Strengthens ‘brand’
Builds story around album

33. Believe Digital
Playlist strategies - hook
Jeff the Brotherhood
Fan generated / collaborative
Make a ‘collaborative playlist’ and share links with fans.
Make sure you give feedback on tracks via socials.

34. Believe Digital
Playlist strategies - hook
Jeff the Brotherhood
Platform Exclusives
Preferable over exclusive releases
Can be used to leverage additional
support from platforms

35. Believe Digital
Playlist strategies - Asian Dub Foundation “Break the Signal”
Jeff the Brotherhood

36. Believe Digital
Playlist strategies - Asian Dub Foundation “Break the Signal”
Jeff the Brotherhood

37. Believe Digital
Playlist strategies - Asian Dub Foundation “Break the Signal”
Jeff the Brotherhood

38. Believe Digital
Playlist strategies - Asian Dub Foundation “Break the Signal”
Jeff the Brotherhood

39. Believe Digital
Playlist strategies - catalogue
Jeff the Brotherhood
Deleted your playlist?

40. Believe Digital
Jeff the Brotherhood
Sharing
How are we using streaming?
on platform - sharing

41. Believe Digital
Building Followers
Jeff the Brotherhood
Sharing - Facebook Debugger
https://developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/og/object/

42. Believe Digital
Building Followers
Jeff the Brotherhood
The Follow Button and Play Widgets

43. Believe Digital
Using the tools - analytics
Jeff the Brotherhood

44. Believe Digital
Using the tools - Soundliiz
Jeff the Brotherhood
soundliiz.com

45. Believe Digital
Using the tools - bandpage / song kick integration
Jeff the Brotherhood
Upsell merchandising, records, VIP experiences and gig tickets

46. Streaming Strategies
Do’s
35
Use playlists as tools
Get creative, playlists are great
tools - radio / collaborative,
content unlocks, possibilities
are endless.
Use your accounts
You’ll appear in discovery
algorithms more often! Also
fans using desktop apps will
see your activity in their feeds,
prove you’re a real human!
Connect with fans
Think of streaming platforms as
part music service, part social
network. You can connect with
fans and bring them closer to
your music.
Build a community
Forge connections with similar
labels and artists - they may
have whole follower bases they
can introduce your catalogue.
38

47. Streaming Strategies
Don’ts
36
Duplicate content
Rather than spreading yourself
thinly and repeating content,
pick your top two or three
platforms and focus on those.
Wait until the last
minute
Some profile edits must be
done through a distributor - up
to 8 weeks, plan ahead for a
new album campaign
Add too many
playlists
It looks ugly and will confuse
people visiting your profiles.
Keep things nice and simple -
and remove playlists if they’re
no longer relevant.
Loose your logins
This happens all the time - use
a password tool to keep track
of all your artist profile logins
39

48. Any questions?