Tag: independent artists

Fresh Finds Turns 10: Cheers to a Decade of Indie Artist Success

May 19, 2025

For the past decade, Spotify’s Fresh Finds playlists have served as a launchpad for emerging independent artists, helping them break through and connect with new listeners. In fact, in 2024, nearly 70% of all Fresh Finds streams represented listeners discovering artists for the first time. Now, as Fresh Finds turns 10, we’re shining a light on the independent artists at the heart of it all.

To commemorate the milestone, our editors have curated a special 10th-anniversary playlist showcasing some of the most exciting artists who had their start in Fresh Finds, such as 100 gecs, Laufey, Ethel Cain, Brent Faiyaz, Omar Apollo, Doechii, Clairo, BigXthaPlug, Big Thief, and more. This playlist is our way of saying thank you to some of the inspiring artists who have been central to the Fresh Finds story over the years.

The Fresh Finds ecosystem includes the flagship playlist and more than a dozen genre-specific playlists: latin, indie, experimental, rock, dance, folk, country, pop, hip-hop, jazz, R&B, heavy (metal), música mexicana, faith, and more. A team of more than 30 Spotify editors blends data insights, thorough research, context from pitches through Spotify for Artists, and human intuition to curate these playlists. The flagship playlist represents the very best finds week over week, meticulously crafted for the crate-digging, new-music aficionado open to discovering artists of any genre, from anywhere in the world. 

“Thinking back over the past decade, so many inspiring artists have been a part of the Fresh Finds story,” said Sulinna Ong, Global Head of Editorial, Music at Spotify. “Seeing them go from those initial playlist spots to building a whole new audience is just incredible and highlights the impact of finding those early fans. Our focus for the next 10 years? To keep opening doors for thousands more independent artists, helping them share their sound and build real connections.”

The Fresh Finds effect: By the numbers

Fresh Finds drives discovery and supports independent artists at the earliest stages of their careers, often serving as the crucial first step toward industry recognition, viral success, signing with a record label, or building a global fan base. Here’s a glimpse at the impact Fresh Finds has made over the years:

  • Nearly 70,000 artists have been added to Fresh Finds playlists to date.
  • In 2024 alone, more than 18,000 artists from 127 countries were featured, demonstrating Fresh Finds’ global reach.
  • In 2024, Fresh Finds drove more than 65 million artist discoveries, underscoring the playlists’ effectiveness in connecting listeners with fresh, independent sounds.
  • More than 90% of artists added to Fresh Finds in 2024 used Spotify for Artists’ playlist pitching feature. Our editors review as many submissions as possible, making it a valuable tool for artists seeking playlist placements.
  • On average, artists see their new listeners and international streams more than double one month after being added to Fresh Finds for the first time.

And the Fresh Finds journey doesn’t end there. To date, more than half of artists first added to Fresh Finds are later added to other Spotify editorial playlists like New Music Friday, RapCaviar, or Lorem. A number of Fresh Finds alumni have even gone on to be nominated for Best New Artist: Japanese Breakfast, Ice Spice, Omar Apollo, Doechii, and Wet Leg.

“Fresh Finds has always been about spotlighting new independent voices and helping artists connect with new audiences,” said Joe Hadley, Spotify’s Global Head of Music Partnerships & Audience. “A vital part of this has been really cementing the artist-to-fan connection, going beyond the playlist with initiatives like our live shows with Samsung in Chicago and New York City. We’re proud to celebrate 10 years of championing discovery for independent artists and their fans.”

As Fresh Finds turns 10, we aim to help thousands more artists share their music, tell their stories, and find their audiences. 

Join us in celebrating a decade of Fresh Finds. Hit play on our anniversary playlist and check out this interview with Elizabeth Szabo, Spotify’s Editorial Lead, Indie, and Sulinna Ong, Global Head of Editorial, Music, for more insights. We’ll be sharing more Fresh Finds artist stories over the next month on our Spotify for Artists Instagram and TikTok.

Fresh Finds Artists Jump From the Playlist to the Stage in New Spotify Stages Showcase

February 15, 2023

Since 2016, the Fresh Finds playlists have introduced music fans to some of the most promising independent artists, and now Spotify is bringing them to the stage.

On March 23, we’re coming to the Los Angeles Arts District for the inaugural Fresh Finds Live show. The showcase is hosted by Spotify Stages, a team dedicated to producing live event experiences for emerging artists found by Spotify. It will spotlight four talented acts who have been featured in our Fresh Finds playlists: genre-blending rapper TiaCorine, rising singer-songwriter Katherine Li, alt-pop’s budding Abby Sage, and progressive folk project Baerd. For fans wanting to attend the showcase, tickets go on sale February 17 at 9 a.m. PST here.

On the platform, Fresh Finds consists of 11 genre playlists and 18 local-market playlists, which have served as a launch pad to success for artists like GRAMMY-nominee Omar Apollo, Clairo, Steve Lacy, and more. With this event, we’re creating a new experience to connect artists with listeners.

“As more new artists make their first forays into live music following the pandemic, this show allows us to bring Fresh Finds into the live setting to assist in that discovery and growth process, with the goal of amplifying these talented artists to the right audiences to build lasting careers,” shared Jesse Jacobsen, U.S. Indies Lead for Artist & Label Partnerships at Spotify.

In addition to the concert, Spotify is inviting the artists to take part in a five-day residency program at Spotify Studios in LA. As part of this experience, they can use the state-of-the-art facilities to work on new music.

While the showcase may not be until March, you can get to know these artists now.

graphic image background with artist tiacorine featured as a

Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Tia grew up exposed to a range of music thanks to her Japanese and African American father and her Shoshone Native American mother. When Tia released her first single, “Lotto,” she caught the attention of local radio stations, DJs, and clubs, and the internet. Last year, Tia released the album I Can’t Wait, which includes the single “FreakyT.” Now the artist is preparing to share her unique sound with more audiences.

“Performing live gives you the opportunity to connect with fans on a different level. The feeling you get from it is electric, and I wanna share that with my fans at every show,” explained Tia.

 

The 19-year-old singer-songwriter’s music features themes of love lost and relationships that never were, and Katherine has amassed a fan base of hopeless romantics who identify with her lyrics. Last year, she released her debut EP, Crush(ed). The Toronto native is also featured as the cover artist of Spotify’s Fresh Finds: Class of 2022 playlist. Next, she’s gearing up for a series of concerts across North America.

“I used to think that the unrequited love I talk about in my songs was something no one else dealt with, but after sharing them [my songs] with a community of people who turned out to be just like me, I realized I wasn’t the odd one out,” shared Katherine. “I hope that after my set, the audience feels the same comfort I felt in knowing there is a whole community of people that have experienced, and relate to, the same things as you.”

 

A tender soul with an observational eye, Abby Sage draws comparisons to Florence + The Machine and Clairo. Brought up in Toronto, music-obsessed Abby eventually moved to LA, where the singer-songwriter released her debut EP, Fears Of Yours & Mine, in 2021. After Abby relocated to London last year, her sound shifted, and listeners can hear the evolution in her latest EP, The Florist. 

“I always hope that people can take something away from my performances, whatever that may be. Of course, I hope people enjoy the show and leave feeling tingly and excited!” said Abby. “The visual components of my shows and my work overall are very important to me, so I hope people enjoy that as well.”

 

Baerd is a seven-piece progressive folk and Americana band spearheaded by Isaiah Beard. Incorporating jazz, Americana, classical, and R&B, Baerd’s indie-folk sound is influenced by Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Punch Brothers, and Radiohead. 

On performing live, Beard shared, “The spirit of music in its purest form is live. To share attention with others and exchange more than words or notes with strangers, friends, and fellow artists animates my being more than anything.”

 

Hear more songs from top emerging talent in our Fresh Finds flagship playlist.

Now in Beta: Upload Your Music in Spotify for Artists

September 20, 2018

This post first appeared on Spotify for Artists:

Today, we’re announcing a new beta feature that enables independent artists to upload their music to Spotify — directly from Spotify for Artists.

Since we launched Spotify for Artists, one of the top requested features has been the ability to upload music directly onto Spotify. You’ve told us time and time again that sharing your work with the world should be easier. In the past few months, we’ve been testing an upload tool within Spotify for Artists, because we believe getting new music to your fans should be simple. Starting today we’re inviting more artists to participate in the beta.

We worked with a handful of independent artists—like Noname, Michael Brun, VIAA, and Hot Shade—to make sure we kept your needs in mind. Their feedback was instrumental in shaping the feature, and now we’re ready to see how a wider range of artists will put it to use.

How it works.

You’ll be able to deliver music straight to Spotify and plan for the perfect release day. You’ll see a preview of exactly how things will appear to listeners before you hit submit. And even after your music goes live, you’ll be in full control of your metadata with simple and quick edits.

Just like releasing through any other partner, you’ll get paid when fans stream your music on Spotify. Your recording royalties will hit your bank account automatically each month, and you’ll see a clear report of how much your streams are earning right next to the other insights you already get from Spotify for Artists. Uploading is free to all artists, and Spotify doesn’t charge you any fees or commissions no matter how frequently you release music.

Want in?

Right now, upload in Spotify for Artists is only available by invitation to a few hundred US-based independent artists, but we’re excited to bring upload to even more artists, labels, and teams in the future.

Over the next few months, we’ll ask more of you to participate—make sure to join our mailing list so you’ll be the first to know about any new announcements. Remember, you don’t need to wait for an invitation to release your music—this is just one of many ways you can get your music on Spotify. You can learn more by checking out the Spotify for Artists guide.