u/Jonnas09

I’ve been working in digital promotion and spending a lot of time studying how artists can improve their visibility online.

One thing I’ve noticed is that many artists focus heavily on stream numbers, but the bigger challenge is reaching the right listeners people who actually connect with the music and keep coming back.

Long-term growth seems to come from a combination of:

• getting discovered by the right audience
• building genuine engagement
• creating consistent visibility around a release

I’m curious to hear from independent artists here:

What has been the biggest challenge for you with Spotify growth getting your first listeners, increasing engagement, or keeping momentum after a release?

Would love to hear what has worked (or not worked) for you.

I've been talking with a lot of independent artists lately, and one thing I've noticed is that many of us spend months chasing streams instead of figuring out why listeners stick around.

Some artists swear by playlists.
Others focus on TikTok.
Some run Meta ads.
Some just release consistently.

If you could go back to the beginning, what's the one thing you'd do differently to grow your Spotify audience?

Curious to hear what's actually worked (or completely failed) for everyone.

I'm interested in hearing what has worked for independent artists lately. Have playlists, short-form video, collaborations, live performances, or something else made the biggest difference? Looking forward to learning from everyone's experience.