Maximising earnings as an independent artist is always a high priority. Selling fractions of your streaming royalties is a fantastic option; playlists can make all the difference.

As an independent musician, you understand the importance of diversifying your revenue streams. Music streaming dominates the digital music industry, meaning music can be monetised in a variety of ways. We’re going to walk you through just how influential playlists are in helping you boost your earnings.

Before we get into it, why are we talking about all of this?

At Fractis, we’re all about empowering artists around the globe as well as enabling fans everywhere to support and invest in their favourite musicians. We do that by giving artists the opportunity to sell fractions of their music streaming royalties. This enables artists to access a valuable injection of instant revenue, and fans to enjoy passive income from the music they love.

To put it simply, the more streams a song gets on platforms like Spotify or Apple Music, the more valuable the fraction of royalties is when it’s sold. As an artist, you’ll receive a bigger chunk of revenue, and the fans who purchase a fraction will enjoy a larger monthly passive income. One way to boost monthly streams and listens is, you guessed it, through playlists!

The rise of playlists in digital music

In the digital age of music consumption, playlists have emerged as a dominant force, revolutionising the way people discover and listen to music. Gone are the days of flipping through stacks of CDs or even meticulously creating personal mixtapes. Today, curated playlists have become the go-to method for discovering new songs, artists, and genres.

The advent of music streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer has played a significant role in the rise of playlists. These platforms recognise the immense power of playlists to capture listeners’ attention and retain their engagement. Companies have invested heavily in developing robust playlist ecosystems, featuring a wide variety of curated and algorithmic playlists designed to cater to different moods, genres, activities, and even times of day.

Curated playlists, often curated by platform editors, tastemakers, or influential individuals, serve as gateways to exposure for independent musicians. These playlists offer a hand-picked selection of tracks, carefully put together to create a specific mood, showcase emerging talent, or celebrate a particular theme.

Being included in a well-curated playlist can provide invaluable exposure and introduce your music to a vast audience that you may not have been able to reach on your own.

Algorithms within music streaming

In addition to curated playlists, algorithmic playlists play a crucial role in shaping the streaming landscape. Platforms utilise complex algorithms that analyse user listening habits, preferences, and behaviour to create personalised playlists like Spotify’s “Discover Weekly” or Apple Music’s “For You” playlist.

Landing a spot on these algorithmic playlists can exponentially boost your streams, as they are tailored to individual listeners and often lead to repeated plays and long-term engagement. Your music is also more likely to appear in personalised discovery and recommendations thanks to these algorithms. As a result, you can enjoy increased exposure and subsequent streaming royalties.

The influence of playlists on monthly streams

Playlists have a profound impact on the number of streams your music receives, directly influencing your streaming royalties. Let’s delve deeper into how playlists can significantly boost your streams and contribute to your overall success as an independent musician.

  1. Increased Visibility and Discoverability: Being featured on popular playlists curated by platform editors or influential users significantly enhances the visibility of your music. When your songs are included in a playlist with a large following, it exposes your music to a broader audience beyond your existing fan base. This increased exposure can lead to more listeners discovering and streaming your music, resulting in higher stream counts and more royalties.
  2. Amplified Promotion: Playlists act as powerful promotional tools. Platforms often promote their curated playlists across their user base, social media channels, and even external websites. This means that when your song is included in a well-curated playlist, it may receive additional promotion from the streaming platform itself. This extra push can lead to increased visibility, driving more streams and boosting your royalty earnings.
  3. Targeted Audience Reach: Playlists are often categorised based on specific moods, genres, activities, or themes. This allows listeners to find playlists that match their preferences, resulting in a highly targeted audience reach. When your music is included in a playlist that aligns with your genre or style, you have a higher chance of resonating with listeners who are more likely to appreciate your music.
  4. Viral Potential: The power of playlists goes beyond simply increasing streams. In some cases, a song’s inclusion in a popular playlist can lead to it going viral. When a song starts gaining momentum within a playlist, listeners often share it with their friends, add it to their personal playlists, and even post about it on social media. This organic sharing can create a snowball effect, resulting in exponential growth in streams.
  5. Long-Term Engagement: Playlists contribute to long-term engagement with your music. When listeners discover your music through a playlist, they may explore your artist profile, delve into your catalogue, and even follow you as an artist. This engagement goes beyond a single stream, as it establishes a connection between the listener and your music. It can lead to repeat listens, playlist adds, and continued support, all of which contribute to sustained streaming royalties over time.

The benefits of selling royalties

Now that we’ve covered exactly how important playlists are for boosting your streams, it’s time to look at why you would even want to sell your royalties.

Receiving monthly income from music streaming is great, but sometimes you need a bigger chunk of money. As an independent artist, raising enough funds for things like new equipment, studio time, or live shows can be challenging. Selling shares of your royalties can unlock this instant revenue, allowing you to access cool things to help further your music career more easily.

Music streaming is a highly valuable aspect of today’s music industry. As a productive asset, music streaming creates value in and of itself and isn’t showing signs of slowing down. That means there’s never been a better time to consider selling shares of your streaming royalties!

Make sure you distribute your music to plenty of platforms, increasing your chances of getting those all-important playlist features. From there, watch those monthly streaming figures shoot up, and prepare to make some fans very happy indeed.

Sign up to Fractis today to be first in line to get more from your royalties!