How Spotify Pre-Save Is Leading A Change In Digital Music Marketing

Capture, Stream, Engage, Repeat
You’ve heard it before: owning and nurturing your own fan base is the key to marketing success. So, how do you enhance that relationship with fans and grow your reach? Offer a VIP experience that ensures they are the first to hear a new album when it drops.
That’s why Spotify released Pre-Save in 2017, a major innovation in online music marketing. With a simple click of a button, fans are able to add unreleased music to their Spotify library, giving them instant access to listen the moment it becomes available. Fans don’t have to worry about missing an exciting new release, and labels get an immediate boost to their streams which makes a big difference to future placement on Spotify.

What is Spotify Pre-Save?
Spotify Pre-Save can be used by marketers to get fans to save tracks or albums before they’re released. This presents an opportunity to engage with these fans even earlier through incentives like giveaways or sweepstakes.
Labels don’t have to just rely on advertising online to fans. With one green button, they can now create a real connection directly with fans. When a fan pre-saves, labels get insights into the kind of music they like and can better target their marketing efforts to the most appreciative fans.
There’s no doubt that streaming is taking the place of traditional music consumption modes. Total on-demand streams was up a whopping 43% increase in the past year! And, with over 191 million monthly active users (87 million paid accounts), Spotify has the edge.
Adding a pre-save button to an artist’s page benefits both the label/artist and the fan. Does this look familiar?

Why Fans Love Pre-Save
Pre-Save campaigns make life easier for fans. Fans don’t have to mark their calendars, hope they don’t forget the release, and eventually download the album on Spotify. This technology adds value for fans, which goes a long way towards building loyalty.
Spotify is also a popular tool for keeping up-to-date with music - a survey of US consumers revealed that 33% of respondents used the service to do so. Offering a Pre-Save feature helps fans feel current and prevents FOMO.
A Pre-Save campaign also gives fans the feeling of exclusivity with early access to a release. Everyone likes to feel special, and music fans are no different.
How Pre-Save Helps Artists
A Pre-Save campaign for labels means they are capturing fans’ data. Building up a fan list is paramount these days. Marketers in the music industry are moving away from giving their fan bases to social networks, and instead capturing those fans themselves for future campaigns.
Plus, Pre-Saves are an excellent way to boost first-week streaming activity. This figure has a huge impact on media and concert deals and also drives placement on algorithmic Spotify playlists.
A Shift in Music Marketing
The use of Spotify Pre-Save as a marketing tool represents a strategic shift in the music marketing industry that focuses on capturing fans and understanding their behaviour in order to build relationships.
Traditionally, labels have focussed on release cycles: promote an album and reach as many listeners as possible. Now, labels are looking at the whole fan journey.
It’s about capturing a fan and then reaching out to them when it makes sense. It’s about building a relationship, instead of relying on one-off campaigns to temporarily boost the album. It’s a much more sustainable approach.

A Lesson for all Digital Marketers
Music Marketers are experimenting with many streaming services and social networks to see where their fan base lives and how to connect with them. It’s been fascinating to see how the industry has evolved over the past few years. And, while the technology will continue to change for music and other verticals, the lesson here is universal for all digital marketers.
Every brand needs to connect with their customers and develop an ongoing relationship. Stop thinking about the brief promotion cycles and focus on building long-term trust. Brands that don’t heed this advice will struggle to be successful.
About Annabel:

I’m a co-founder and CMO at Appreciation Engine (AE), a platform that provides real-time fan insights. I believe that truly successful internet businesses have to connect people. When I’m not online I’m exploring beautiful Vancouver Island. Things I love: everything scifi, literary fiction, coffee, Google Music, my workhorse sewing machine and board games.