Artists Who Don't Use Spotify for Artists Are Blind to Their Own Data

Artists who open the Spotify for Artists dashboard just to see "how many people listened" are wasting the most powerful strategy tool they have. The dashboard shows you your listeners' age range, gender, which cities they're in, what times they listen, which playlists you're on and which of your songs get saved. Every one of these is strategic data. And most artists don't even look at it.

Artists who read this data can make concrete decisions. Do forty percent of your listeners come from Izmir? Then play your first show in Izmir. Is your audience mostly 18 to 24? Shape your content strategy accordingly. Which of your songs gets saved the most? Make your next single close to that style. Making decisions without data is like walking in the dark: you'll get somewhere, but you won't know where.

It's Also Your Gateway to Editorial Playlists

One of the most critical features of Spotify for Artists is the new song pitch. You can pitch your song to Spotify's editorial team before it's released, but only through this dashboard. An artist who doesn't pitch reduces their chances of landing editorial playlists to zero. Getting on these playlists isn't guaranteed, but getting on them without pitching is impossible.

I have every artist I advise open this dashboard on day one. Some artists haven't even claimed their profile, meaning they don't control their own Spotify page. In the digital age, that's like making music without using the internet. Read your data, understand it and shape your strategy around it. Otherwise, your competitors are doing it and you're falling behind.