Should I build fans first or songs first?

Finish a few songs first, then build fans one release at a time, because on Spotify the songs are how new fans find you.

Both extremes stall. A following with nothing to play has nowhere to go. Forty unreleased songs tell you nothing about who likes your music.

Spotify’s setup rewards that loop. Spotify’s promotion page says it notifies your followers when you release new music. And Release Radar gives your followers your new release, plus people who already listen to you. So each song lands on whoever you gathered with the last one. A follower you earn on song one hears song two for free.

Here’s how that looks in practice. Have 3 or 4 songs mixed and mastered before the first one comes out. That lets you put out a single every four weeks or so, the pattern in our FAQ on singles first or the whole EP. While each one is out, spend your time on followers: ask for the follow, collect emails with a pre-save link and answer every comment.

Don’t wait for a perfect catalog. Three released songs and their Spotify for Artists stats will teach you more than ten polished demos. Hold off on paid ads until a song keeps the people who find it. Our first 1,000 streams FAQ covers that early stage, and our release checklist covers each drop.