2023 Music Marketing: How Can Artists Better Utilize Streaming Platforms?

I asked 4 executives at music streaming services the same questions:  

"Do you have any predictions for trends that might emerge on the platform in 2023? 

Is there anything artists should keep in mind when thinking about how they use the platform in 2023?"

Here's their answers:

1) Drea Jackson - Manager, Artist & Label Relations, SoundCloud

"In 2023, we’re going to see a trend of artists releasing their Tik Tok snippets/ teasers on SoundCloud simultaneously.

When the full song drops they can just upload over the file and keep all the engagement with our Next Pro feature. 

Centralizing traffic from the buzz will reveal potential new fans to target.

Success on SoundCloud is not about how good your music is or how many plays you have. 

It’s about the impact and influence you have in the culture of your music community. Collaboration and consistency are key!!!!

The wider your family tree the further your music is exposed. 

There is a listener for every type of sound on SoundCloud, it’s up to you to extend your art as far as possible.

Everything should happen first on SoundCloud. 

It’s the platform that allows for the most unique relationship with listeners and fellow artists."

2) Josh "Peas" Harris - Artist Relations, Amazon Music

"As we are seeing with Taylor Swift and Beyonce ticket sales, it will be increasingly harder for fans to see their favorite artist live.

In 2023, I predict Amazon Music will continue the trend of dominating the performance live stream space. 

From performance series to tour and festival live streams, Amazon Music is giving music lovers the best seat in the house for their favorite artist.

Amazon Music is igniting fandom but bringing customers closer to the music. 

In 2023, Artists should look at the platform as a story telling tool for their music.

One of my favorite features in the app is Spotlight. 

Spotlight allows artists (and their teams) to record/upload stories for their fans on Amazon Music that can be played directly within the Amazon Music visual app experience — as well as via Alexa.

Beyoncé recently used it to speak directly to her fans about her album, Renaissance. What’s stopping you?"

3) Brian Zisook - Co-Founder & SVP of Operations, Audiomack

"Artists will increasingly desire the ability to reach their fans directly, and platforms, like Instagram, for example, limit native reach.

Our direct messaging product at Audiomack is currently enabled for Supporters — our exclusive feature that gives fans the power to support artists by directly contributing financially to their favorite song and album releases but we will soon open it up to allow artists to message their followers directly.

Audiomack's curation team and our recommendation algorithms consider play counts *and* engagement metrics, such as playlist adds, favorites, re-ups, and comments.

When artists drive their fans to interact with their music on Audiomack, our system will increasingly recommend their music to others with similar tastes."

4) Ashraf El Gamal - Independent Label Partnerships, YouTube

"2022 was a real ramp up for short form creation and consumption on YouTube - I've now seen too many examples to count of artists seeing explosive subscriber growth primarily through posting Shorts consistently.

In 2023 I expect that opportunity to remain open but additionally expect native fan creation to bring us some of our first hits that truly originate from YouTube Shorts.

Separately, I'm cautiously curious about what kind of impact AI content creation will have on the platform. 

YouTube is the place to both expand on your art visually and build community.

When you are thinking about your strategy, keep both in mind and be intentional in how you approach each format available (Shorts, music videos, shoulder content, Live streaming, Premieres etc.)

Consider how you can use YouTube to tell a more full story to contextualize your music and think about the journey you want to take someone on from discovering your music to true long term fandom.

Artists are being asked to post more than ever and in more places than ever so be intentional with those two principles in mind."