Spotify launches tool for artists to pay to feature on home screen

nme.com:

Spotify has launched a new tool, which allows artists to pay to have their music promoted on the site’s homepage.The new marketing feature – named Showcase – was announced last week (September 13), when Spotify shared a blog post confirming it will be offering artists a new way to target potential listeners.The feature works by allowing the artist to select a song, an EP or an entire album to appear as a mobile banner on the site’s homepage, and cater the promotion to a specific demographic of listeners.Musicians will then be able to select a headline for the Showcase banner – to declare whether it is a new release, if they’re currently on tour, if the song is a deep cut or currently gathering a lot of streams – and the final Showcase recommendation will appear as a banner at the top of the home screen.The streaming giant has also claimed that the users who see a Showcase banner are six times more likely to listen, and that users will be able to develop multiple campaigns for the same release.“Artists and their teams want even more flexibility when it comes to surfacing the right music to the right fans at the right time,” read the blog post. “Whether that’s reaching new listeners with a trending song, engaging super listeners with an anniversary album, or targeting previously active listeners with a reminder of your tour.”Showcase also allows artists to separate their audience into different categories and cater their campaigns to reach each type of listener accordingly.