How to use Spotify’s new short video feature Clips

This week Spotify announced Clips – short, under-30-second vertical videos that allow musicians to express themselves and connect with fans “all while keeping your music front-and-center.”

by Sarah Maloy of Spotify For Artists

Every minute, people around the world stream one million hours of content online, with each individual watching an average of 19 hours of online video a week in 2022. With more videos being uploaded and watched than ever before, it’s increasingly difficult for artists to break through the sea of content creators to reach new listeners and connect with fans in a way that will build lasting fandom – not just a quick viral success. 

And on many of the most popular channels for social video, music isn’t the priority. It often gets cut into soundbites and is pushed to the background, while the artists are anonymized and content creators are put front-and-center.

That’s why we built Clips

Unlike other short-form video platforms, Clips on Spotify are attached to artist profiles and can be attached to tracks and albums – putting your music at the center of the experience so viewers can easily listen after watching your videos. It gives you a way to inspire fandom and long-term success – not quick hits tied to the latest meme.

We’re unlocking this feature for thousands of artists this week and we’ll be opening it up to more and more artists in waves throughout spring 2023. While we continue the roll out, bookmark this page and read on for important info to help you get started – like how to upload, best practices for your videos, and tips and inspo to help you create a world around your music with Clips.

What Clips are (and what they aren’t)

Clips are short, under-30-second vertical videos that are uploaded directly to Spotify for Artists. They’re designed to put you and your music front-and-center, so they can be attached to your artist profile, to a song, to an album, or to an upcoming release. Listeners will be able to view and engage with Clips on your artist profile, on album pages, and on our new Countdown Pages. Clips are all about driving streams of your music, not likes – so in each of these surfaces, viewers will be able to quickly access your music after watching the video.

Clips don’t go away in 24 hours, and you don’t have to constantly be creating new content to keep up and chase the latest trend. Clips brings video storytelling to more parts of Spotify, so that you can tell richer stories and drive more streams. So that you can communicate with your stans (and your future fans) on the platform where they’re already listening to your music. It’s an evergreen, always-on home for videos that deserve deeper storytelling and a longer shelf-life – not just a quick viral loop.

How to upload Clips

Step 1: Access the video dashboard in Spotify for Artists by clicking the “Create a Clip” card on desktop or mobile, or by clicking the “Video” tab on desktop. 

Step 2: Click the “Upload Video” button to start uploading. Clips should be vertical, at least 1280px tall and 1080px wide, MP4 format, and between three and 30 seconds. 

Step 3: Add your video details. You can add a caption describing the Clip, tag one of your releases, note whether the video contains explicit content, and select the thumbnail image for your video.

Step 4: Read and agree to the Clips terms & conditions. 

Once you’ve accepted the terms and your Clip has been submitted, you’ll be able to see your video dashboard, where all of the Clips you’ve uploaded will be displayed in order of upload time. Click on an individual thumbnail to see the metadata, check the status, or to delete the Clip if needed. 

Clips are always featured on your artist profile in a dedicated section, but you can also tag them to a track or album (because Clips are about the music and the artist, not just trending sounds). When a viewer watches a video tagged to one of your releases, they’ll have a quick way to dive deeper into your music and start streaming.

Best practices and inspiration for Clips

Now you know what Clips are, why we built them (streams not memes), and how to upload them. But you might be thinking: What should my first Clip be? Read on for some suggestions and ideas to get your creative juices flowing. 

1. Share the story behind a song. Give your fans an inside look at your creative process and help them dive deeper into the track they’re listening to. The three most recent Clips tagged to a release will appear on the page for that song or album. Or, if listeners discover your Clip somewhere else (like your artist profile), they’ll see a link to the tagged music when they’re watching the video and can click to listen.
2. Announce an upcoming release. Hype up your fans by announcing your next song or album via a Clips video on Spotify and get them excited to stream it the moment it comes out. By announcing music in your Clips, you show your fans that the best way to hear your latest news is by streaming your music early and often. (Olivia Rodrigo proved that when she mentioned “new music” in her Wrapped video message to fans.) 
3. Introduce yourself as an artist. This is a great video to have on your artist profile any time a new listener discovers you. Share a little bit about you, your music, and who you are as an artist to help listeners build a personal connection with the artist behind the new music they just discovered. It’s a great way to connect with new listeners and will give your superfans one more peek inside your world. 
4. Feature a collaborator. Create a video together with a fellow artist, producer, or songwriter you’ve worked with to hype up both of your fanbases for a new or upcoming release. Take fans into your world and show them how collaboration comes together behind the scenes.
5. Show off your new merch. Walk fans through your latest merch drop and get them hyped to buy your new tee, crew, vinyl, or lava lamp (you do you). Make sure you’re set up to sell merch through Spotify for Artists so you can point fans to go purchase right through your artist profile or release pages.

Those are just five examples of Clips you could create, but the possibilities are truly endless. You can upload anything from a GRWM (get ready with me) or pre-show ritual to a deep, multi-Clip walkthrough of your album. You can announce a new tour, celebrate an anniversary or milestone, take fans backstage, rate your own lyrics, share the meaning behind a song name, and more. You’re also welcome to include music in your Clips, as long as it is pre-cleared by your licensor. 

For more inspiration, see how Omar Apollo told the story behind his most recent hit, how mehro previewed his upcoming live performance, or how Tove Lo used Clips to tell a story and hype up her new music. To view, open each artist’s profile on mobile and scroll down to the Videos section. 

We can’t wait to see what you create and how you inspire your fans and fellow artists with your Clips.

Click here to learn more about Clips and here to see everything we announced for artists at Stream On 2023.