Spotify Discovery Mode: The Guide

What is Spotify Discovery Mode?

Spotify Discovery Mode is another way to reach new listeners on Spotify. 

Discovery Mode is a feature that allows eligible artists to ask Spotify to place their tracks or releases as a priority in algorithmic placements - meaning your releases stand a higher chance of being ‘discovered’ by new listeners.

The ins-and-outs of Spotify’s algorithm are incredibly complex - but Spotify uses hundreds of behavioural signals to determine whether a listener is likely to enjoy your music and Discovery Mode then prioritises your music in that listener’s algorithmic playlists.

In its simplest form: Discovery Mode places your releases in prime position for listeners who Spotify thinks will enjoy your music, helping you increase your Spotify streams and reach new audiences.

Where do my tracks appear? Is Discovery Mode different to editorial playlist pitching?

Discovery Mode applies to any placements determined by the Spotify algorithm, i.e. placements that are not editorial (i.e. curated by Spotify’s editorial team or a Spotify user).

Algorithmic placements include:

• Playlists like Discover Weekly, Daily Mix, DJ and Release Radar that are specifically made for you (based on your likes, dislikes and other listening behaviours)
• Artist ‘Radio’ playlists
• Autoplay track listings after a playlist or album finishes playing

Many Spotify playlists that might look editorial (i.e. a fixed track listing that would be the same no matter who was listening) are algorithmic. If a playlist says it’s ‘Made by Spotify’ it’s editorial; if it says it’s ‘Made for [your name]’, it’s algorithmic.

It’s the playlists, radios and autoplay placements that Discovery Mode helps you to appear more highly in.

It’s important to note that opting in for Discovery Mode does not mean you will appear in more algorithmic placements. 

Discovery Mode boosts where you appear in those listings (i.e. if you’ve opted into Discovery Mode you might be track 3 on an artist radio rather than track 20, meaning your track is more likely to be played by a listener) but it does not put you into algorithm-determined contexts that you wouldn’t have already featured in.

Spotify Discovery Mode boosts your position in specific places, but it doesn’t put you in places you wouldn’t have otherwise been listed. Your track won’t appear in more places because of Discovery Mode but is more likely to be discovered (i.e. listened to) because it is placed higher in those places.

Am I eligible for Discovery Mode?

There are two factors taken into account when determining eligibility for Discovery Mode:

1. Has the track exceeded the monetisation threshold (currently 1,000 streams over a 12 month period)?
2. Has the track received a qualifying number of algorithmic streams organically?

The first criterion is a simple numbers game: your track either meets the threshold or it doesn’t.

The second criterion, though, is more complex.

To be eligible for Spotify Discovery Mode your track must have received a certain number of streams in algorithmic placements organically, i.e. your track must be appearing in algorithmic playlists, artist radios or autoplay track listings and be streamed a specific number of times before it’s eligible for Discovery Mode.

The specific number of organic algorithmic streams changes frequently, which is why you might find that one of your tracks is eligible one month, then not the next. 

As we mentioned before, Discovery Mode does not secure you a spot in algorithmic playlists - it boosts your position in places you already appear, which is why you need to be appearing in (and being streamed in) algorithmic placements organically before being eligible for Discovery Mode’s boost.

How can Discovery Mode help me grow as an artist?

The point of Discovery Mode is a) to help listeners find more music they love (so they spend more time streaming on Spotify!) and b) to help artists be discovered (hence the name) by more fans.

The higher you feature in algorithmic playlists and placements, the more likely your tracks are to be listened to by people who don’t yet know you exist.

Think about it: when was the last time you, as a listener, listened to an entire made-for-you playlist, right to the last track? If your track is number 3, you’ll be heard more frequently than if it’s track 81. Similarly, how many times have you been listening to a particular album or playlist and not realised that it’s finished and you’re suddenly listening to new tracks? If your track is in the first ten of those autoplay tracks, you’ll be heard more frequently than if it’s track 30.

More streams means more streaming revenue, that much is obvious - and something we all want.

But Discovery Mode can also help to build a more engaged fanbase too. It helps your music be found by new fans who (hopefully) go on to save your music and listen to your future releases too.

And, again, more fans means more streams, which means more streaming revenue.

Is Spotify Discovery Mode worth it?

The benefits of opting into Spotify Discovery Mode are clear (and mostly boil down to one thing: more streaming revenue for you).

On average, artists see…

• A 50% increase in Saves
• A 44% increase in playlist adds; and
• A 37% increase in followers

… in the first month of using Discovery Mode, according to Spotify.

But there are some things to be aware of when considering Discovery Mode that may influence your decision to opt in.

Discovery Mode streams earn you less revenue

In exchange for more prominent features in algorithmic placements, streams generated by Spotify’s Discovery Mode deliver less revenue to you. Spotify takes an additional 30% cut of revenue generated from Discovery Mode placements.

Because of this extra cut, there are cases where Spotify Discovery Mode might not be beneficial to you, even if your tracks meet the eligibility criteria.

If you're an Identity Music client, you benefit from active management of your Spotify Discovery Mode performance, where our team monitors whether the uplift in streams you achieve as a result of Discovery Mode is beneficial to your overall performance once the increased royalty cut is taken into account. If it isn’t, we’ll remove that track and, as long as it remains eligible, include it again in future campaigns to refresh its performance.

Eligibility for Discovery Mode changes frequently

As we mentioned before, eligibility for Spotify’s Discovery Mode isn’t static. For a track to be eligible for Discovery Mode it has to have had over 1,000 streams in a 12-month period (which for most artists is doable) - but also has to have secured a specific (ever-changing) number of streams from algorithm-determined placements like autoplay, radio and ‘Made for [you]’ playlists.

Spotify Discovery Mode isn’t a simple on-or-off situation - which means that monitoring your performance is key. Thankfully, if you’re an Identity Music artist, we take this off your hands. We keep an eye on your Discovery Mode performance and eligibility and keep you up-to-date with any changes to either over time.

Success with Discovery Mode fluctuates

Your first experience with Spotify Discovery Mode can be very exciting. You’re likely to see a satisfying uplift in streaming revenue fairly quickly for any opted-in tracks - because there’s a whole new audience of eager, engaged listeners waiting to find your music. We’ve seen artists achieve uplifts of 200%, 300% and as much as 700% in number of listeners in the space of just one month.

And, as we know, more streams means more streaming revenue.

But over time, that uplift does tend to decline. Depending on the genre of your music and the number of engaged listeners Spotify determines would enjoy your music (based on their listening behaviour), your streaming growth might not be consistently as high as it was at the start.

At a really basic level, let’s say there are 100 people who have shown interest in music just like yours.

Spotify Discovery mode might get 70 of those people to listen to your music in the first month, bagging you a big jump in your streaming stats.

But in the second month of Discovery Mode, there are only 30 engaged listeners left to show to your music to.

And in month three, there are only 20, and so on.

Clearly, that’s an over-simplification of what actually happens - but the point is that discovery by new listeners does decline over time.

Over time, your tracks might ‘saturate’ the market of engaged listeners - meaning Discovery Mode struggles to find new listeners and the growth in your streaming revenue might decline.

How can you combat this? There are two key things:

1. Release new music! Each new track you release can become eligible for Discovery Mode and, thanks to the uniqueness of every track you make, has a whole new audience of potential listeners waiting.
2. Focus on your wider promotional strategies and marketing efforts to encourage new listeners to become engaged fans, not just one-off streamers. If the listeners who find you through Discovery Mode save your music, follow you, or add your music to their playlists, they become part of your audience - and those organic streams don’t incur Spotify’s extra 30% cut either.

Discovery Mode doesn't feature your track in more places

It’s worth repeating (again) that Discovery Mode doesn’t put your track in more places. Discovery Mode boosts the position of your tracks in places they would naturally already be featured, thanks to the algorithm and its analysis of listener behaviour.

If your music is in a niche that doesn’t have thousands of actively engaged listeners or if your metadata doesn’t accurately reflect your music or if your music just isn’t high enough quality (lots of skips of your tracks might be a sign of this), you won’t naturally be placed in algorithmic recommendations - which either makes you ineligible for Spotify Discovery Mode entirely (because you don’t meet the second criterion of organic algorithmic streams) or means Spotify Discovery Mode might not be beneficial for you, given the additional royalty cut.

Discovery Mode should be seen as a boost to your existing performance and an add-on to your promotional efforts, not something that will guarantee you streaming growth on its own.

Discovery Mode doesn't guarantee more organic engagement

One of the potential downfalls of Discovery Mode is that your streaming performance (and streaming revenue) becomes overly reliant on Discovery Mode’s boost.

As mentioned above, the ideal scenario for consistent growth using Discovery Mode is for the listeners who find you to save your tracks, follow you and engage with you on a more personal level - so that they start listening to your music organically rather than through Discovery Mode.

If your streaming performance relies heavily on Discovery Mode and your organic streaming stats are not increasing, you’re putting yourself at risk of either having an inconsistent revenue (because of inconsistencies in Discovery Mode performance) or seeing a drop in revenue if, for example, your tracks become ineligible for Discovery Mode.

Organic engagement with your music is key to consistently growing as an artist. Discovery Mode doesn’t guarantee organic engagement, although it does give listeners the opportunity to become organic fans. Having an active presence on social media, other streaming platforms, and a consistent release schedule for your music will encourage listeners to become fans.

How can I access Spotify Discovery Mode?

If you’re an Identity Music artist, we can manage Spotify Discovery Mode for you. Whether you want to opt all your eligible tracks into Spotify Discovery Mode or just those that are a priority for you, we’ll let you know what’s eligible, what isn’t and keep you up-to-date with your Discovery Mode performance (which you can also see in your Spotify For Artists dashboard).

If you choose to opt your entire catalogue into Spotify Discovery Mode, we’ll also add your new releases as and when they become eligible. If a track’s performance isn’t meeting expectations, we’ll take it out of Discovery Mode and cycle it back into campaigns in future months (if eligible).

If you’re an Identity Music client and would like to check your Discovery Mode eligibility and get started, drop us a message and we’ll be happy to help.

For more information about Discovery Mode, visit Spotify’s own Discovery Mode guide here.