Spotify For Artists Update: Merch Examples, How To Post Tour Dates
Last week's news regarding the launch of Spotify for Artists took a back seat this week to the one-two knockout punch of free mobile music and Led Zeppelin. But the appearance of Led Zeppelin also heralded the appearance of artist merch on the site. This week Topspin linked to examples of merch with additional info about the program for musicians. In addition, we have more information via DIY Musician about adding your tour dates to Songkick which is the first step towards getting not only concert dates on Spotify but ticket sales as well.
The combination of free mobile music and Led Zeppelin is big news for Spotify though it's the free mobile that's big news for indie artists.
Two of the issues DIY and indie artists face in deciding how to approach Spotify are the questions of whether or not the company will survive long term and whether or not they're treating artists fairly. Free mobile music extends Spotify's reach which should lead to additional subscribers. So Spotify is getting ever more likely to stick around and thus be worth one's investment of time and energy.
Free mobile also means that marketing and sales efforts will likely be more effective on Spotify especially given the new features available via Spotify for Artists. Merch sales, concert dates, ticketing and analytics make Spotify for Artists a much more valuable service for musicians.
Merch on Spotify
Topspin's handling the merch marketing program and they've got links to some great examples including Led Zeppelin:
Keith Urban – selling his FUSE Deluxe CD geo-targeted to Australian, Canadian and US fans within Spotify
Kid Rock – offering a "Gold, Guns Motherf&*ker Like Me" t-shirt
Fatboy Slim – offering neon "Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat" tees and his classic Big Beach Bootique 5 CD/DVD
Lady Antebellum – with a "Music City Suds a Lady" gift set made in Nashville
Chris Mann with an autographed Christmas CD
As Topspin, you don't need one of their stores to get your merch on Spotify. A variety of stores are already linked.
To get your merch in action, set up a Topspin ArtistLink account.
Tour Dates (and Tickets) on Spotify
Songkick has been handling concert date listings on Spotify and now they're handling ticketing links as well.
Chris Robley has more info on what's happening with tour dates on Spotify and directs you to Songkick Tourbox for signup.
Note this is also the first step towards getting your tickets linked on Spotify as well.
More:
- Spotify Expands Free Service To Mobile with New Features, Nabs Led Zeppelin Exclusive
- Elaborate Mystery Site Spoofs Spotify For Artists, Calls For Higher Payouts
- Spotify Steps Up With Free Analytics For Artists, Concert Ticketing and Merch Sales
Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (Twitter/Facebook) is building a writing hub at Flux Research. To suggest topics about music tech, DIY music biz or music marketing for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.
