Everything Works.

This week didnt have any major music events for me to ignore!

So lets dive straight into the meat & potatoes of this weeks newsletter.

It's a topic I've been thinking about a lot this week as I see SO many conversations happening online where artists a proclaiming how broken the music industry is and why they can't get noticed, I also see a lot of conflicting advice being offered up.

So this is my contribution to the conversation, take what you want and disregard the rest.

(I'd love to hear your thoughts on this and your experiences with Spotify)

Let’s cut through the noise.

Most artists think Spotify doesn’t work because they’ve tried:

So they assume Spotify is broken. Ads don’t work. Playlists are useless.

Wrong.

Spotify works. But only if you work it properly.

There’s a system running behind the scenes, and if you know how to trigger it, Spotify will push your track for you.

Here’s how.

Spotify isn’t just a streaming platform—it’s a data-driven machine. It tracks every action listeners take and uses that data to decide who to push your song to next.

Here’s what actually matters:

➡ A surge of plays in a short time (24-48 hours after release)
➡ High retention (people actually listen, not just click and skip)
➡ Playlist adds & saves (tells Spotify people want to come back)
➡ No skips (if people skip fast, Spotify assumes it’s not a good song)
➡ Source of plays (Spotify prefers organic plays over paid ads)

When you hit those signals, Spotify tests your song with a bigger audience. That’s how you land in:

Miss those signals? Spotify buries your track.

Most artists think the way to get streams is:

❌ Run ads straight to Spotify (Low conversions, expensive)
❌ Submit to playlists (Good for vanity metrics, bad for engagement)
❌ Beg people to “check out my song” (Doesn’t create urgency)

Here’s the real strategy:

You need hundreds of people to listen to your track at once—not scattered over weeks.

How?

Right now, TikTok and Instagram Reels are driving the biggest organic traffic to Spotify.

→ Post 3-5 TikToks per day using the track
→ Test different angles (storytelling, challenges, reactions, behind the scenes)
→ Encourage UGC (User-Generated Content) → Ask fans to make videos with your song
→ DM small influencers (10k-50k followers) and ask them to use your track
→ Go live when your song drops and tell people “click the link NOW”

One viral TikTok = 500+ plays in an hour = Algorithm boost.

People need a reason to stream your song right now.

The goal is not just streams—it’s playlist adds, saves, and engagement.

Your email list & DMs are your best direct traffic.

The goal: Personal, direct, NOT spammy.

Yes, ads CAN work—but only if you’re prepared to spend thousands.

→ Expect to pay £0.50 - £2 per real listener
→ To get 10,000 people to stream, you’ll need at least £5,000-£10,000
→ If you have a budget, run ads to TikTok or Instagram first (not Spotify directly)

If you don’t have £5k to spend, focus on organic growth first.

I can lay this out for you step by step.

But here’s the real issue.

→ Most artists don’t follow the process exactly.
→ They second-guess it.
→ They start cherry-picking what they think will work.

They miss steps, they add things in, they cut corners.

And then, when it doesn’t work, they say: “This strategy doesn’t work for me.”

The truth? The strategy works. But only if you follow it to the letter—at least the first time.

I get it. Resistance is creative. Artists are rebellious. It feels counterintuitive to stick to a rigid system.

But Spotify isn’t art. It’s data.

Follow the process exactly as it’s laid out. Run it step by step. Then, once you see the results, tweak and optimise.

This is why most musicians fail. Not because the roadmap is wrong, but because they refuse to follow it all the way through.

So if you’re serious about growing on Spotify, be teachable, commit to the system, and see it through.

If you want this to be part of your strategy for your next release, let’s work together.

No more wasting money. No more confusion. Just a clear plan that actually works.

And if you know you struggle with staying on track, following a system, or second-guessing yourself, that’s normal.

But it’s also the biggest reason artists don’t get the results they want.

If you want someone to keep you accountable, help you stay on track, and make sure you actually follow through, book a Power Hour.

→ I’ll help you stick to the process, avoid self-sabotage, and make sure you don’t waste another release.

That's all folks!

-Spence.C