Choosing a Digital Platform for Music Promotion Based on Genre
This post, courtesy of notefornote, talks about the differences between DSPs and why those differences matter for promotion depending on the genre of music you make as an artist.
How To Choose The Right Digital Platform To Promote Your Music
By Bo Vibe of notefornote
As an independent artist, a recurring question is, where do I publish, post, and promote my music? It is the most essential career question anyone producing music can ask. Unfortunately, the answer is not exactly clear-cut as: “It’s a jungle out there / disorder and confusion everywhere,” as it says in the song (“The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five).
Your jungle exploration starts at home, with your music and your artist persona. And, the only success factor that matters is finding your audience. Monetary details should be concern #2. As we will examine here, there’s a vast gap between what the various platforms pay out to artists.
Let’s start with a closer look at the main Digital Service Providers (DSPs) a in music and later examine genre-specific options. The leading DSPs include Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, and Tidal.
Digital Service Providers
Spotify is the main digital service provider globally, but it is scrambling a bit to stay relevant and counter the perception of being a service that exploits artists. However, as long as they don’t do anything with their remuneration structure this perception is not likely to change.
We suggest viewing Spotify as a marketing/branding channel, not as a main income source. It is without a doubt a powerful discovery tool and should be viewed as such unless your streaming numbers are in the plus hundreds of millions.
Spotify pays between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream. Global market share: 31%.
Apple Music we’d argue is more independent artist friendly than Spotify. Compared to most other platforms they pay out a higher per-stream-rate. Apple Music allows artists to connect directly with their fans through features like Connect, where they can share updates, behind-the-scenes content, and interact with their audience.
Apple Music also supports independent labels and artists by offering various tailor-made promotional opportunities. The Apple ecosystem integration is another advantage as artists are exposed to Apple users across devices and platforms.
Apple Music pay, on average, $0.01 per stream. Global Market share: 15%.
Amazon Music has some interesting features that can offer more extra revenue on top of a mediocre stream rate. From its beginnings as an online bookstore, Amazon, competing with Apple, Alphabet, and Meta has evolved into a consumer ecosystem with a “super app” approach. This means trying to tie users into a plethora of products or services – all in one platform.
Like with Apple, you reach a huge consumer group and integrate with other devices, in this case, Alexa Voice integration which can facilitate voice search. Additionally, Amazon is a gigantic marketplace and the integration with Amazon Music makes it seamless to sell merchandise on the platform. Amazon also offers playlist and promotional opportunities.
Amazon Music pays around $0.004 per stream on average. Global market share: 13%.
YouTube Music is one of the highest-paying DSPs, and it has one obvious stand-out characteristic, the mother platform being the leading global video platform. It is also, arguably, the most social of the DSPs with a comment section and live chat features etc. Channel Memberships & Super Chats are features that provide additional ways for fans to directly support their favorite artists financially. YouTube Music Premium subscribers also generate additional revenue for artists through subscription fees.
There’s a wide array of ad formats on YouTube, and artists can seamlessly promote their music on both YouTube Music and their main YouTube channel, maximizing reach and discovery potential. Finally, if you’re successful on your main YouTube channel, you can earn an extra buck from ad revenue on the channel.
YouTube Music pays artists $0.008 per stream. Global market share: 8%.
Deezer is a French platform that was launched in 2007, and has a user base with a more limited geo-market reach (34% of users are in France). With this in mind, Deezer is an interesting platform for independent artists to target in the right markets. In March of 2024, the company introduced a new model where “professional artists”, defined as those who have a minimum of 1K streams per month and a minimum of 500 unique listeners – receive a so-called “double boost” to royalty payments.
This gives those tracks double weighting when calculating royalties. This is in contrast to Spotify which also placed a 1K stream “entry-level,” but decided not to pay any revenue for those below 1K, and, of course, no “double boost.”
Deezer’s per-stream payout is estimated to be around $0.0064 on average. Global market share: 2%.
Tidal offers one of the highest per-stream payout rates among major streaming platforms. High-profile artists are involved on the ownership side and the onus has been on developing a truly artist-centric platform. However, this has not been without glitches and the company was embroiled in a data fraud case in Norway, accused of inflating streaming numbers of select artists.
Tidal has, since the beginning, set itself apart from Spotify as the “High-Fidelity” alternative. The users are also older, with the majority in the 25-34 bracket, whereas Spotify has a stronger Gen Z and Millennials presence, 18-34. With features similar to Spotify, audio quality, user demographics, and remuneration set it apart. Tidal pays markedly higher per-stream fees.
On average, Tidal pays around $0.01284 per stream. Global market share: 2%.
Music Promotion Channel-Mix
To be clear, we’re not suggesting that you only publish your music on select platforms, your digital distribution service should include all major platforms. But, all these platforms are marketing channels, and as such an artist or label must approach this with the goal of creating an optimal marketing channel mix.
For notefornote our core business is finding audiences for artists based on innovative audio analysis, and building the ideal channel mix for promotional campaigns. Let’s dive into ways of doing this based on some select genres:
Promotion Platforms for the Indie Rock Artist
We’ll admit, right off the bat, to being fans of Bandcamp here at notefornote. Why? The revenue share model, first and foremost. Bandcamp takes a 10% cut on physical merchandise and on music sales when the artist reaches $5K in all-time sales, otherwise it is 15%. Bandcamp presents a cohesive concept for artists and paid out $1.3M to independent artists in 2023. Furthermore, it is quite unique in offering an all-in-one store of physical (vinyl, t-shirts, CDs) and digital (downloads) products.
Soundcloud is a platform known for artist community and music discovery and a favorable environment for building an initial fanbase and getting early feedback. There’s a free tier that lets artists get started on the platform without a budget. The company recently launched a Next Pro service including featured playlists and distribution.
Reddit is perhaps not the most obvious marketing channel, however it has a strong DIY ethos and a supportive community for independent artists. Musicians who resonate with this spirit and are willing to engage directly with their fans often find a receptive audience here. Reddit has also recently launched a marketing feature allowing for targeted marketing campaigns.
We believe that as long as you, as an artist, create visual content, YouTube should be in your channel mix.
Promotion Platforms for the Hip-Hop Artist
One platform popular among hip-hop and electronic musicians is Audiomack It has, a highly engaged community, and offers monetization options. This platform is known for its focus on Hip-Hop and R&B, allowing artists to upload music, connect with fans, and get discovered. Audiomack also offers features like trending charts, playlists, and curated content specifically for the Hip-Hop community.
Soundcloud has been a popular choice among Hip-Hop artists due to its remix-friendly format and DIY aesthetics. So much so, that approx. Between 2015 and 2019, “Soundcloud Rap” was a force in Hip-Hop with artists like Lil Uzi Vert blowing up (no pun intended) on the platform. Soundcloud content also has a certain viral potential. The ease of sharing and embedding tracks on other social media platforms has led to many Hip-Hop tracks going viral, significantly increasing an artist’s reach and exposure.
DatPiff A long-standing platform popular for hosting mixtapes and underground Hip-Hop releases. It’s a go-to destination for fans looking for new and upcoming artists in the genre. Artists are permitted to release mixtapes for free, allowing them to reach a wider audience without the barriers of traditional music distribution. The mixtape (originally, on actual cassette tape) is an icon of the HipHop genre and can be used to create buzz around high-profile collabs, new releases etc.
Worldstar HipHop is a highly influential platform in the Hip-Hop culture, known for its mix of music videos, viral content, and news. Getting featured on Worldstar can significantly boost an artist’s visibility and credibility within the Hip-Hop community. The site is known for featuring exclusive music video premieres, providing artists a platform to reach a massive audience and generate buzz around their new releases.
Promotion Platforms for EDM Artists and DJs
Twitch is a high-energy channel highly conducive to electronic music, like Hip-Hop, Techno, EDM etc. Live streaming offers unique fan interaction and revenue possibilities, especially for artists who also game and/or create content. Built-in features such as channel points, emotes, and subscriptions can be utilized to reward viewers and create a sense of exclusivity. Twitch is more likely to pay off for artists who invest in networking participating in communities and collaborating on streams to raise their profile.
Soundcloud is an excellent platform for publishing extended (DJ) sets. This is due to both the availability of storage space on your profile and how users can interact with sound files, visually seeing the content of the set and the possibility to place comments at specific time spots on the file. There are also several stories of artists going viral with their Soundcloud efforts.
Beatport is a leading platform for electronic music downloads and streaming. Getting your music on Beatport’s charts is a significant achievement and can lead to increased exposure and opportunities. Artists can create and submit DJ charts showcasing their music alongside other tracks to demonstrate their style and reach a wider audience within their genre. Curated playlists offer another avenue to share music and gain exposure to new listeners, particularly those using Beatport’s streaming service. Beatport also offers various promotional tools to promote releases etc.
Mixcloud is a platform specifically designed for DJ mixes and radio shows, Mixcloud is ideal for showcasing your skills and reaching a wider audience. One feature that makes Mixcloud stand out is the hosting of live DJ mixing sets and live recordings. Regularly uploading your mixes and sets will expose your work to fellow enthusiasts and bookers. By participating in challenges, collaborating with other DJs, and engaging with the community you can significantly raise your profile as a performer.
TikTok, like YouTube is a platform that any artists who invest in the visual (video) aspect of their art should use. However, TikTok is very much based around short-form, high-energy content. Posting short, snappy clips of what you do, doing remixing and challenges, and collaborating with other performing artists are all activities to raise your profile.
TikTok also has special features like Duet and Stitches. The former is basically a split screen of two videos, and you can duet with your own content. A way of keeping content fresh. The latter incorporates a short clip (up to 5 seconds) from another user’s video at the beginning of your own, allowing you to build upon their content, and do a sort of visual remix.
Promotion Platforms for Experimental, Indie-Folk, Singer-Songwriters etc.
Artists who do not necessarily fall into more “regular” or high-profile genres can find it challenging to get their voices heard. However, finding the right, niche audience platform can seriously boost a fanbase. Naturally, platforms like Bandcamp, Soundcloud etc. could be very efficient for an artist who has swam far away from the mainstream. We’d like to mention two platforms that are especially conducive to niche expression, Reddit and Substack.
Reddit as mentioned earlier is characterized by a dedicated user base who are passionate about their interests, so it’s a fertile ground for building your niche audience.
Another somewhat left-field platform is Substack. It’s fertile ground for building a direct relationship with superfans via newsletters and exclusive content for subscribers. You can also take an even more direct approach to engaging with fans by hosting livestreams or Q&A sessions. With a substantial fanbase, there are monetizing possibilities like offering premium content to paid subscribers, like early access to new releases, previously unreleased material etc.
It’s important to stress that there is no “one size fits all solution” according to genre. A lot of factors come into play; language, visuals, geo-market, resources, and time, of course!
When analyzing the rise of successful artists, we see that they’ve all found their “rocket channel,” and that there is no blueprint to what/where/how works for an artist. This is what we build for, at notefornote, giving artists the tools to find and take full advantage of their rocket channel, no matter the genre, and no matter the stage of their career!
