Best Practices for Fan Support

April 22, 2020

Explore your options for how to utilize our new fundraising feature.

(Note: On May 26, 2022, Artist Fundraising Pick became Fan Support. Learn more here.)

With Fan Support, you can highlight a fundraising destination at the top of your artist profile, in addition to being able to highlight music in your Artist’s Pick.

Here, we’ll be breaking down how Fan Support works for each of our fundraising partners—Cash App, Givealittle, GoFundMe, iyzico (a PayU company), Mercado Pago, PayPal.me, PayU, and Music Relief organizations—noting some best practices and examples. Any payments take place on third-party sites, and Spotify takes no cut of the transaction in any way. We’ll keep this post updated as we add new fundraising options in the future. And remember to review our Safety Policy and FAQ before submitting your Fan Support link.


Cash App

  • Cash App is a payment platform (available in the US & UK) that allows you to receive money from anyone around the world. On Cash App, you are identified by your “$cashtag” which is the unique username that is used to send or receive money.
  • Cash App is a great option for you if simply fundraising for yourself, your crew, or your team is what you’re after.
  • 05/04 UPDATE: Thousands of fans have already supported more than 10,000 artists through Cash App alone on Spotify and, as a result, their additional $1 million USD contribution has been fully reached. Those $100 payments will be completed to eligible artists within the next 30 days. Of course, artists can continue to use Cash App as their Fan Support link.
  • We’re particularly excited about our partnership with Cash App, as they’ve generously established a $1 million relief effort for artists during these challenging times. Spotify for Artists users that submit their “$cashtag” username as their Fan Support link—and secure at least one contribution of any size through Spotify—will receive an extra $100 in their account from Cash App, until a collective total of $1 million has been contributed. The $100 will be deposited in eligible accounts after 30 days.
  • In order to be eligible to receive this contribution from Cash App, artists must designate a $cashtag to receive payments, either from an existing Cash App account or by signing up for a new Cash App account. Cash App artist contributions shall be applicable to artists based in the United States and United Kingdom only, but Spotify listeners located all over the world can still make contributions via Cash App. You can view the full legal terms here.
  • Cash App takes no cut of the transaction in any way.
  • You can download Cash App on iOS or Android. If you have any issues, visit their Help Center here.

GoFundMe

  • GoFundMe is a social fundraising platform that allows people to raise money for individuals, causes, and organizations. You can use GoFundMe to raise money for yourself, for your team or crew, or for a charity. To start a GoFundMe, click here.
  • They’ve got some handy tips on making an effective fundraising page you can check out here. In summary:
    • Storytelling is key: Keep it personal, don’t feel a need to make the ask overly formal. It’s OK to use photo and videos in your story.
    • Be specific: Describe how you’d use the funds, what this would mean for your career. GoFundMe have shared that a description of 400 words or more are the most effective.
    • Keep your donors updated: Show what their donations mean to you and the impact it’s making for the cause.
  • You can also search for charities that are set up on GoFundMe here. If you want to fundraise for a charity that does not have their own GoFundMe page, and you’re in a country where GoFundMe is available, you can set one up on their behalf and GoFundMe will help ensure that funds reach that charity. You should review Spotify’s Fan Support safety policy before selecting a charity, or your Fan Support link may be removed from Spotify.
  • GoFundMe is available in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.
  • There’s no platform fee to use GoFundMe, and all donations are protected and guaranteed. The industry standard credit card processing fees of 2.9% plus $0.30 per donation do apply.
  • On getting paid, you must withdraw your donations within 30 days of your first donation. Once a withdrawal leaves your account, it will take 2-5 business days to arrive (weekends and holidays do not count as business days).
  • If you have any questions about GoFundMe, you can visit their help center here.

PayPal.Me

  • PayPal is an online payments system that supports online money transfers. By creating a PayPal.me link, you can share it with anyone to easily receive money via PayPal.
  • Paypal.me is a great option for you if financial support for yourself, your crew, or your team is what you’re after. If you do not have an account with PayPal, you can sign-up for free at PayPal.com or in the app.
  • It’s available in many countries around the globe, including the United States, United Kingdom, Indonesia and more (see here for full list). PayPal doesn’t support this type of PayPal.me payment in some countries. If you’re based in one of these markets, don’t use or promote Paypal.me for your Fan Support link or it’ll be removed: China, Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Oman, Panama, Peru, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay.
  • PayPal’s standard rate for goods & services payments of 2.9% plus $0.30 per domestic transaction may apply. Fees are subject to change. Currency conversion fees may also apply for cross-border payments. For information, read more.
  • Use of PayPal is subject to PayPal’s User Agreement and Acceptable Use Policy that is applicable in your country.
  • For artists in Australia: When you add money to your PayPal account for the first time, you’ll be required to verify your identity through PayPal’s Customer Identification Program. If your identity can’t be verified, you may not be able to access funds.

Mercado Pago

  • Mercado Pago, a Latin American fintech company, provides a complete ecosystem of financial solutions for companies, ventures or people who want to manage their money safely, simply, and comfortably.
  • It is available in the following countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay.
  • Once you have created your Fan Support link, listeners can make contributions through Mercado Pago’s platform. Mercado Pago's payment link allows artists to receive contributions. It is not necessary to have a Mercado Pago account.
  • Mercado Pago is integrated with major credit and debit cards in all countries, and can also process monetary collections within your Mercado Pago digital account.
  • From your Mercado Pago account in the “Collection” section, choose the payment link option to create the number of links you want. You can assign a title, include a price, and upload a photo that represents it. Choosing “More options,” you can assign a due date to the link (that is, until when it can be used), and choose the payment methods you want to offer. Keep in mind that you can add or remove them from your collection tool as many times as you want.
  • Artists must set a fixed donation amount for their requested Fan Support contribution which can be any amount of their choosing. We suggest that it is an amount that feels affordable for most listeners.

PayU

  • PayU develops innovative financial services solutions for high-growth markets across the globe. It offers local payment processing across markets through connections to acquiring banks and alternative payment methods.
  • PayU is available in the following countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru.
  • Get started with PayU here, then select your country and follow the instructions.
  • Artists must set a fixed donation amount for their requested Fan Support contribution which can be any amount of their choosing. We suggest that it is an amount that feels affordable for most listeners.
  • For Spanish speaking countries, email soportespotifyd.ssc@payulatam.com for support. For Brazil, email suportespotify.br@payulatam.com.

iyzico (a PayU company)

  • Turkish fintech company iyzico provides innovative payment and secure online shopping solutions for the digital commerce market. iyzico joined PayU in 2019.
  • Artists that select iyzico as their Fan Support provider can only receive donations from listeners within Turkey. For more information about iyzico, you can visit their help center.

Givealittle

  • Givealittle is an online peer-to-peer and crowdfunding platform owned and operated in New Zealand. They support a broad range of fundraising opportunities for individuals, groups, schools, charities, and businesses. Anyone can fundraise on Givealittle for what matters to them.
  • On Givealittle, you can create a page to benefit yourself, your crew, or fundraise for up to three charities. If you want to support a New Zealand charity but do not want to create your own page, Givealittle has options for that too. You’ll find guidance for how to do this on the Givealittle webpage for Spotify for Artists users.
  • Givealittle has over 3,000 registered NZ charities you can fundraise for, which you can search here.
  • Givealittle does not charge a sign-up fee, and they do not charge the donor to donate. The Givealittle fee is a flat 5% based on the amount raised. Donors have the option to “Top-Up” their donation too which makes the fee even lower. Visit their website to view more information about the Givealittle fee, and their full Terms and Conditions. If you have any questions about how to use Givealittle, you can contact them here.

Spotify’s COVID-19 Music Relief Project

If you’re interested in raising money for organizations that provide direct relief to artists around the world, you can select a verified Spotify COVID-19 Music Relief organization. For a full list of partners, see here. When you select a Music Relief charity, donations made directly through your Fan Support link will be eligible for Spotify’s $10M USD matching fund.

Each of our verified artist support organizations from around the world help direct money raised to music industry professionals in need.

— Spotify for Artists

Spotify for Artists helps you to develop the fanbase you need to reach your goals.

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