Spotify Canvas: how to use video to boost engagement on Spotify

You’ve marketed your music and convinced someone to click on your track on Spotify. The hard work is done, right?

Well, not quite.

When someone hits play on your track, you’ve got about 30 seconds to make them care enough to save it, add it to their playlist, or follow you on Spotify.

Individual streams are great - but getting someone invested enough to return to your music over and over again? That’s the real goal.

On Spotify, just like everywhere else on the internet, video and visuals are becoming increasingly important in driving engagement. Spotify Canvas gives you up to 8 seconds of looping video that sits right in your listeners’ eyeline when they’re playing your music.

It’s free, open to every artist, and proven to increase engagement.

Yet you’re probably not using it…

If you’re not using Spotify Canvas to increase engagement on your music, this is your sign to start! We’ll walk you through how Canvas works, how to create a Canvas that fits Spotify’s requirements, and give you genre-specific suggestions to match your sound. Keep reading!

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What is Spotify Canvas?

Spotify Canvas is a short looping video clip that plays while your track plays, in the place where your release artwork would ordinarily show.

The Canvas plays in the background while your track is playing, adding an element of visual engagement alongside your audio. It’s visible on mobile devices (where over 50% of us spend most time listening) in the Now Playing view. Canvas loops from start to finish, and the most engaging clips are those where the first and last frames naturally flow together for a completely seamless experience.

While music videos are designed for active listening, Canvas is there as an addition to more passive, lean-back listening. It’s the cherry on top of your music, rather than a standalone product like a music video is.

Anyone can upload a Spotify Canvas clip via Spotify for Artists - you don’t need a premium account or to be signed to a label to access it, so it really is accessible to everyone. It’s the perfect piece of visual real estate that everyone can use, without having to compete with the billion-dollar marketing budgets of major labels.

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Why does visual branding matter on Spotify?

Just like every online platform, Spotify is giving artists and users more and more opportunities to create and consume video content. Particularly when you’re competing with around 100,000 tracks uploaded to Spotify daily, having visuals that stand out and engage your audience is increasingly important.

Artists across the world report that using Canvas alongside their releases helps to increase saves, playlist adds and followers, particularly when their Canvas aligns strongly with their sound. Although there is no concrete data from Spotify about the level of increased engagement Canvas can provide, it makes sense that adding visuals into the mix adds another layer of engagement for listeners.

Particularly for independent artists on Spotify, Canvas levels the playing field. With clips being only a few seconds long, independent artists have the chance to create visuals that are just as striking (if not more so) as those created by the massive marketing budgets of major labels.

Visual branding at a more general level helps to give you a recognisable identity across platforms, particularly across social media and streaming platforms. Making sure your Canvas not only suits your music but also aligns with your overall visual identity will ensure that your listeners and fans feel more connected to you wherever they engage with your content.

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How to create a Spotify Canvas

Your Spotify Canvas can be uploaded via your Spotify for Artists dashboard. If you don’t have access yet, you can claim your profile at artists.spotify.com 

Once you’re in your account, follow these steps to upload your Canvas:

• Navigate to the track you want to add a Canvas to (you can add to individual tracks, not entire albums or EPs at once)
• Click ‘Manage Canvas’ at the top of the track page
• Upload your Canvas and preview it to make sure it’s the right file
• Submit for review - Spotify will review and approve your Canvas before it goes live

Technical Specifications for Spotify Canvas

To meet Spotify’s requirements, your Canvas should fit the following specifications:

• Vertical in dimension - 720 x 1280 pixels, 9:16 aspect ratio
• MP4 or JPG format
• 3-8 seconds in duration
• 10MB maximum file size
• Recommended framerate between 23.976 and 60 FPS
• No explicit content, logos or text overlays that violate Spotify’s content policy

Note: these specifications are correct as of February 2026, but make sure to check Spotify for Artists for the most up-to-date requirements.

Spotify Canvas Best Practices

✅ Keep it simple & focused

Canvas works best when it’s not begging for attention. Subtle, atmospheric visuals that suit your track well often perform better than highly-produced content. It should enhance the listening experience, not distract from it.

✅ Match the mood, energy & speed of your track

If your track is bright, happy and upbeat, make your Canvas feel bright, happy and upbeat. If your track is more sombre, slow-paced and moodier, don’t pair it with chaotic, vivid visuals.

✅ Keep your visuals cohesive across your catalogue & brand

Be creative with your Canvas, but don’t be so creative that it doesn’t feel like you. Stay consistent with your overall branding and create a sense of cohesion across your catalogue too, so that people can recognise that it’s yours.

✅ Make the most of what you have

Your Canvas doesn’t need to be cinema-quality - it just needs to be engaging. If you’ve got BTS footage of your production or footage of a live performance, that works perfectly. If not, a quick clip captured on your phone is enough. Don’t aim for perfection.

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How to measure if your Spotify Canvas is performing well

While there aren’t specific metrics in Spotify for Artists for Canvas performance, there are things you can track in Spotify for Artists that will give you an indication of whether Canvas is providing a benefit for your catalogue.

Track saves, playlist adds, listener-to-follower conversion rates and profile visits on your tracks that use Canvases, and compare those statistics to those that don’t. If you see better rates of engagement on your tracks with Canvas, that’s a good sign it’s having a positive impact for you.

If you don’t see any significant difference in engagement between tracks with and without, that’s not a sign to pull the plug and not bother creating Canvases anymore. Even if you’re not seeing trackable data improvements, the reasons for having a Canvas still stand - better listener engagement with your music and your brand isn’t always solely measurable in streams.

Remember to keep testing different styles, different moods, different approaches to your Canvas - what might work well on your social media account might not work as well on Spotify. Keep testing to see what works for your audience. 

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