Spotify

Own your presence on the world's biggest streaming platform

Spotify is the largest global streaming platform for most independent releases, and it shapes how new listeners discover music. When you distribute through DIMBER, your releases are delivered to Spotify automatically as part of your store and platform delivery setup.

That delivery gets your music onto Spotify. The next layer is what you do around the release: claim your profile, pitch unreleased tracks, tighten your metadata, and use Spotify's own artist tools before release day.

Spotify for Artists

Spotify for Artists is the control panel for your artist presence on Spotify. It gives you access to listener stats, audience insights, playlist pitching, Canvas uploads, profile customization, and the verified artist badge tied to your profile.

You cannot manage these tools from DIMBER. DIMBER delivers the release, then Spotify for Artists is where you manage how that release appears and performs inside Spotify.

Claiming early matters because most of Spotify's useful promotion tools depend on artist access before the release goes live. If you wait until launch day, you lose lead time for pitching and profile setup.

Spotify Canvas

Canvas is Spotify's short looping visual that appears on the now-playing screen for a track. It runs for 3 to 8 seconds and gives you a moving visual layer beyond static cover art.

Upload Canvas in Spotify for Artists, not in DIMBER. DIMBER does not ingest, host, or publish Canvas files on your behalf.

A strong Canvas usually feels native to the track rather than like an ad. Keep motion clean, avoid cluttered text, and make sure the visual still works when seen for only a few seconds.

Best practices:

• Use a vertical asset format such as 8:7 or 9:16
• Export at 720p or higher
• Keep the loop short, readable, and visually consistent with the single or album campaign
• Avoid cramming release messaging into the frame
• Check how the loop feels without sound, since many listeners process the visual before they process the details

Playlist pitching

Spotify's editorial pitching lets you submit unreleased tracks for playlist consideration through Spotify for Artists. The pitch needs to happen before the release is live, and the earlier you submit, the more time Spotify's editorial team has to review it.

Spotify generally allows pitching for unreleased music up to about two weeks before release, which is why delivery timing matters. If your release reaches Spotify too late, you shrink or lose the pitch window completely.

A better pitch is specific, not inflated. Focus on the track's real genre fit, mood, instrumentation, region, audience, and story instead of writing a generic bio disguised as a pitch.

Tips that improve your odds:

• Submit early so Spotify sees the track well before release day
• Choose accurate genres and moods inside the pitch form
• Highlight real context such as tour support, local momentum, creator collaborations, or audience growth
• Keep metadata clean so the release matches the story you are pitching
• Pitch every eligible release because consistency compounds over time

Marquee

Marquee is Spotify's paid release marketing tool for new music. It shows a full-screen sponsored recommendation to listeners who have already shown interest in your music, which makes it closer to targeted release advertising than organic playlist discovery.

This is a Spotify product, not a DIMBER feature. You manage eligibility, targeting, and spend inside Spotify's own artist or campaign tools where available.

Spotify positions Marquee for artists with established listener activity in a target market. A common baseline is at least 1,000 monthly listeners in the market you want to promote to, though Spotify controls final eligibility and campaign availability.

If you use Marquee, treat it as budgeted release support. It works best when the release already has a clean setup: claimed profile, active followers, strong release timing, and a clear audience to target.

Discovery Mode

Discovery Mode is Spotify's promotional program for tracks you want Spotify to push more aggressively in algorithmic listening surfaces. In exchange for that added algorithmic support, Spotify applies a reduced royalty rate to the qualifying streams generated through the program.

This is not automatic through DIMBER. If your catalog and account are eligible, you opt in through Spotify's own systems or approved workflow.

Discovery Mode can make sense when you are testing tracks with strong retention or trying to push momentum on songs that already respond well to algorithmic discovery. It is a commercial decision, not a default best practice.

Release Radar and algorithmic playlists

Release Radar is one of Spotify's most important automatic discovery surfaces for new music. It pulls new releases into a personalized playlist for listeners who follow an artist or otherwise show strong listening signals around that artist.

You do not manually submit to Release Radar. The goal is to give Spotify the right inputs before release day so the system has a reason to surface the track.

The strongest levers are consistency and audience behavior. Release on a reliable cadence, build follower count before launch, and make sure listeners engage with your catalog instead of dropping off after one track.

To improve your chances:

• Get listeners to follow you before the release goes live
• Deliver early enough for Spotify to fully process the release
• Keep your release schedule active instead of disappearing for long stretches
• Drive pre-release attention from your own channels so first-day engagement is stronger
• Make sure genres, moods, and artist associations are accurate

Tips for Spotify success

Use Spotify well before release day, not after it. Most of the upside comes from preparation, not reaction.

• Deliver early — aim for at least 2 to 3 weeks before release
• Claim your profile — do it before release day so pitching and customization are available
• Pitch every release — every unreleased track is a new editorial opportunity
• Use Canvas — add one to every track where it supports the campaign
• Maintain consistency — regular release cadence helps both listeners and algorithms
• Check your metadata — make sure genres, moods, credits, and release details are correct

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