Tag: Live Events

How Spotify and Samsung Brought Fresh Finds to Life in Chicago, From Live Performances to Interactive Experiences

April 4, 2024

Listeners looking to discover music from some of the most promising independent artists need look no further than Spotify’s Fresh Finds. Since 2016, Fresh Finds has served as a launchpad for DIY-minded artists, and we’re continuing to expand the program by connecting artists and fans in new and unique ways.

Last week, we partnered with Samsung to host a two-day live experience in Chicago featuring artists with deep connections to the city. More than 500 music fans came together to enjoy immersive activations and rotating performances by Fresh Finds artists Slow Pulp, Pink Pablo, Kara Jackson, Paris Texas, Fana Hues, and Casper Sage, as well as DJ sets from jigitz and Très Mortimer.

EQUAL Fest Turns Up the Volume in Madrid

September 27, 2023

Over two years ago, Spotify created EQUAL, a global initiative that aims to promote gender equity in music and give female artists around the world the prominence they deserve. It’s a program that seeks to eliminate the existing gender gap in the music industry so that women artists, composers and producers have the representation and visibility they deserve in the sector.

Since then, week after week, we’ve been raising the volume on women artists. And this past weekend in Spain, we held the highly anticipated EQUAL Fest, a night of music, visibility, and empowerment. 

Held in Madrid’s WiZink center, EQUAL Fest spotlight Lola Indigo, Nathy Peluso, Ptazeta, Natalia Lacunza, and Judeline onstage in concert. They were joined by Cuban-Spanish DJ Toccororo, as well as “godmothers” of the movement Ana Mena, Ginebras, Paula Cendejas, and Zahara.

Take Action Against Harassment at Concerts With Spotify and Calling All Crows

August 22, 2023

For some, attending a show means belting out your favorite lyrics alongside other screaming fans. For others, it’s grooving to the beat of a funky melody. And for others still, it’s about closing your eyes and letting the music wash over you. Everyone deserves to feel safe when they go to a concert or festival.

Unfortunately, for some music fans, the simple act of going to see live music can mean having to deal with some form of sexual harassment and violence. Out of 500 music fans surveyed by the anti-harassment organization Our Music My Body, 92% of female fans reported having experienced harassment at music venues or festivals. 

We believe that music is for everyone, and the spaces where music is performed are for everyone, too. To ensure safety and enjoyment for all, music fans of every artist and genre, and concertgoers everywhere, must band together. And to help spread the word, Spotify is partnering with Calling All Crows’ Here for the Music campaign to raise awareness and provide resources to combat sexual violence at gigs. Since 2021, we have been working with Calling All Crows to scale their important work, through funding a partnership with the National Independent Venue Association to train their members in key cities and giving the organization a grant to greatly increase their capacity.

“Two major misconceptions about sexual harassment in live music are: One, it’s inevitable, and two, it’s an isolated issue. Instead, when we recognize violence as a community issue, we can work together to prevent it,” says Maggie Arthur, Director of Here for the Music, Calling All Crows. “Calling All Crows is partnering with Spotify so our Here for the Music campaign can reach new and wider audiences across the entire industry, all music genres, and on a global scale in order to end harassment in live music spaces.”

This global program educates and supports fans in doing their part to recognize and prevent harassment at shows they attend and empowers artists and audiences to speak out on the topic. It is designed to give fans real tools to help prevent sexual violence at shows, and it helps those who are impacted access resources for healing.

“Live events are powerful opportunities for fan communities to let go and become safely immersed in an artist’s world,” says René Volker, Senior Director, Live Events at Spotify. “But we know that isn’t always the case, and that issues like sexual harassment persist at concerts. Spotify is committed to cultivating environments that bring artists, audiences, and communities closer together, which means partnering with pioneering organizations like Calling All Crows that are doing incredible work to raise awareness and combat harassment and sexual violence at shows. We’re thrilled for Spotify to be launching a campaign that’s putting these principles into practice.”

There’s always more work to do to combat harassment. So, in addition to partnering with leading nonprofits like Calling All Crows, we’re launching multiple avenues to help fans get informed, enable artists to use their power to drive change, and educate our own team on this issue. 

  • Expert partnerships: We’re working closely with partners in the U.S., Canada, Japan, Spain, Australia, and Argentina to drive action and build custom resource hubs with culturally relevant materials. (Find the U.S. hub here.) 
  • Consumer marketing: We’re changing the narrative around what’s acceptable at shows through on-platform marketing, social, and marketing displays near iconic music venues in New York City, Los Angeles, and Toronto.
  • Artist trainings: We’re offering artist partners the chance to join the movement through trainings, policy consultations, and fan-facing assets, in partnership with Calling All Crows. 
  • Engagement at live events: We’re bringing our key expert partners in to work closely with the live events team at Spotify to provide trainings on sexual violence and explore ways to improve our policies. We’re also getting the word out on this important topic at Spotify events, as well as partner events in markets from the U.S. and Japan to Australia. 

For more information on how to take action against harassment at live events, visit our new resource hub, Spotify.com/Real Fans.

Fans Wanting To Wear Merch From Their Top Wrapped Artists Leads to the Biggest Week of Artist Merch Sales in Spotify History

December 8, 2022

Each year when Spotify Wrapped rolls around, listeners eagerly look forward to seeing their top-streamed artists revealed. And 2022 Wrapped was no different. Last week, millions of fans around the globe learned about their unique music listening personalities as well as the patterns behind their plays. But this year, as always, we took Wrapped a step further with new stories and features—including artist merch in the app to help fans get closer to their favorite artists. 

Fans love to rep their favorite artists, and they especially love to do so after seeing their Wrapped results: In the seven days since launching Wrapped, we’ve seen the highest-grossing merch sales week for artists in Spotify history. 

Connecting fans with ways to express their favorite fandoms and lend support to the artists they love is key to fulfilling our mission of enabling artists to live off their art. In the weeks leading up to Wrapped, artists listed their top merch items on their Spotify profiles through Spotify for Artists to capitalize on all the increased attention their profiles would get on the big day. Then, during Wrapped, we debuted a new shelf of merch offers in the Wrapped hub and sent a personalized email to fans with merch from their top artists of the year. Fans of Ghost, Smino, NIKI, Joji, Elton John, Fireboy DML, and Jack Harlow even got early access to exclusive merchandise through Spotify, further underscoring our commitment to helping artists build new revenue streams on Spotify. 

Though selling merch may seem unexpected, it’s impactful. “By our offering merch on Spotify, millions of the world’s most engaged music fans can now support their favorite artists by buying merch right where they’re already listening,” says Alex Lavian, Product Marketing Lead, Spotify for Artists. “This helps us get closer to achieving our goal of providing a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art.”

We asked Alex to break down these impactful merch sales even further. 

Why merch? 

Merch is an important source of revenue for artists, and we’re actively investing in new revenue opportunities for artists beyond streaming royalties. Enabling artists to sell merch on Spotify drives a deeper connection between them and their fans. Plus, it’s a natural place for fans to buy things from the artists they love. Just like how fans can’t resist the merch table after an amazing live performance, Spotify can share offers with fans at that perfect moment, whether it’s right after streaming an album, discovering an artist for the first time, or learning an artist was your most streamed that year. We think there’s a huge opportunity to help artists reach listeners with their merch at just the right moment. 

How does this contribute to greater earnings for artists?  

The business of being an artist is complex and multifaceted—it relies on multiple income streams from multiple artist-to-fan touch points, including streaming music, selling merch and tickets, collecting tips, and more. Just as we enabled artists to list their merch in the Wrapped Hub, we also did the same with upcoming tour dates, so that fans can easily experience the artist live and in-person as well as—contributing to yet another revenue stream for the creator. There’s a huge opportunity for Spotify to be an impactful sales channel for artists and we’re making lots of progress.

How does merch in Wrapped build brand love with fans? 

This year merch played a central role in the Wrapped campaign to give fans new ways to express their fandom and support the artists they love. Merch is a relatively new vertical for Spotify and one we’re extremely excited about. We aim to build a culture around merch on Spotify, establishing Spotify as a destination for unique offerings, effective promotions, and meaningful revenue.

Find merch from your favorite artists in the Wrapped hub.

Find Shows Tailored to You Right in the Spotify App

June 23, 2022

Screens showing the Live Events Feed in the Spotify app

There are few things like going to see your favorite artist in person. The energy, the bass pulsing beneath your feet, the other just-as-obsessed fans belting out lyrics—whether you’re seeing a solo performer or a 15-person ensemble, being in the crowd for the creators you love holds a special significance. These days, avid fans and touring musicians alike are excited to be back out at live events. And if you’re ready to get out there, Spotify is here to help you find the perfect show. 

Some fans already use the Spotify app to look for upcoming shows, but we know we can do more to combine our deep understanding of our users’ tastes with our ability to directly reach them in-app. So we’re introducing a new Live Events Feed, replacing the Concert Hub, and introducing a number of updates to help fans find their favorite creators’ live events. You can find the new feed by searching “Live Events” in the app.