We love seeing artists achieve success with Campaign Kit, our set of tools designed to amplify music and develop fans, right on the platform where streaming happens.

We talked to seven artists and their teams about how they used Campaign Kit – playlist pitching, Discovery Mode, Marquee, and most recently, Showcase – and we’ve documented their inspiring stories in bite-sized case studies.

Our takeaway? The real magic happens when pairing tools. For example, our research shows that on average new releases promoted only with Marquee drive an 8x lift in new active listeners. That impact gets even better with more tools and is true regardless of how much you spend. On average, new releases promoted with Marquee and then after with Showcase drive a 40x lift in new active listeners – 5x more lift.

Dive in to learn how Campaign Kit can take your music to the next level.

How NERIAH hyped debut and deluxe albums

Before the release of her debut album, Cause of Death, pop artist NERIAH and her team at Lowly & Create Music Group used Campaign Kit to create a series of tentpole marketing moments. Their aim? Turning passive listeners into loyal fans by extending engagement throughout the album's release cycle.

Setting the stage

Pre-release, the team brought in a constant stream of new listeners, selecting an average of 20 songs per month for Discovery Mode. This strategy helped them reach nearly half a million new listeners in the three months preceding the album's launch – representing nearly 25% of her listeners during that time period.

Building excitement

In parallel, they heightened anticipation for the full album by using Marquee to promote a series of three waterfall singles to active and previously active listeners.

Extending release hype

When Cause of Death dropped, the team sequenced Marquee and Showcase campaigns to sustain fan engagement for the upcoming deluxe version, which was released a few weeks later. “We knew we wanted to get listeners into the music on release day with Marquee. Then, we wanted to continue the momentum and create a billboard effect with Showcase,” says Mat Herbers, Senior Director of Marketing at Lowly & Create Music Group.

Finally, to promote the deluxe album and extend the love, they launched a Showcase campaign, attracting prior listeners with a "New music" headline. “With the deluxe version, Showcase helped us create another moment of visibility,” continues Herbers. “We’re all about creating moments with fans.”

By strategically sequencing Campaign Kit tools, NERIAH and her team achieved their goal of developing deeper fans who streamed nearly four times more than her other listeners.

How Money Man built touring momentum

Using Campaign Kit, hip-hop artist Money Man and his team at EMPIRE paired Showcase with a new single, “Tangled,” to encourage super listeners to attend his Purple Heart Tour. As a result, one in four listeners saved or playlisted the single for future streaming after seeing his campaign.

For Money Man, touring is about creating unforgettable experiences with his biggest fans – through music and fan gifting that embodies his ethos of financial freedom (he famously gifts fans designer handbags while onstage). “I’m trying to connect with fans and get closer because they become lifelong fans, which is lifelong listeners and lifelong supporters,” says Money Man, when asked about his tour.

Inviting super listeners "On tour"

While on the road, to deepen fan engagement, his team launched a Showcase with the “On tour” headline to target his most dedicated supporters — his super listeners. “Seeing the ‘On tour’ headline was a real ‘aha’ moment for us,” says Ethan Sacré, Director of Digital Strategy at EMPIRE. “We wanted to get more fans out to his shows, and we knew super listeners would be more likely to engage with Money Man’s profile and live events. Getting more streams and engagement for the single was just added value.”

“I will exhaust all ways on Spotify to promote my music,” says Money Man. “Tools like Showcase are very important to me because they help me target my most valuable listeners.”

How Jillian Rossi hit a streaming milestone

With the support of Campaign Kit, pop artist Jillian Rossi and her former manager achieved their ultimate goal of surpassing 100 million streams for her album, Never Fully Loved, which packaged new music alongside her most popular hits. Their strategy: Discovery Mode to find new listeners, Marquee and Showcase to bring past listeners back into her active audience – where they’d stream again and again.

Expanding audiences

Leading up to the album launch, Jillian Rossi and her team curated songs for Discovery Mode and used Marquee to promote three waterfall singles – targeting light, moderate, and previously active listeners. “A few of the songs on the upcoming album already had viral moments, so we used Marquee to activate past fans who had maybe lapsed or hadn’t seen she was dropping a new project” says Noah Broxmeyer, Jillian’s former manager. “We wanted them to have the ‘oh, I remember that’ moment and then stream the new music.”

Developing her active audience paid off – after 30 days, listeners who saw the Marquee for the single "Bare Minimum" streamed approximately 30 times more than similar listeners who did not see the campaign. And they’re still streaming – as of July 2024, her active audience represents just 2% of her total audience but drives more than 50% of her monthly streams.

Amplifying release week

During release week, the team ran overlapping Showcase and Marquee campaigns, starting the Showcase first to amplify the organic hype with the "Getting buzz" headline. “We used Showcase first because we wanted the headline to match the organic buzz she was already getting on socials,” Broxmeyer continues. “Then, the Marquee campaign helped us to really carry that hype over the next few weeks.”

And, because the Marquee campaign only reached listeners who hadn’t actively streamed yet, it got as many listeners as possible into her music.

Driving longer-term discovery

Following the album release, Jillian Rossi and her team helped ensure continued engagement and exposure for the album by adding several songs from the album into Discovery Mode.

By using Campaign Kit throughout her rollout strategy, Rossi and her team not only attracted new listeners but also activated her active audience, helping her achieve her streaming goals.

How Jay Wheeler engaged a global fanbase

In 2023, Latin artist Jay Wheeler and his team at EMPIRE used Marquee to engage a global audience for two albums: Emociones 1.5 and TRAPPii. The outcome? Nearly 300,000 saves and playlist adds, representing nearly 15% of the total saves and playlist adds during the campaign windows, across nine key markets.

The team followed a consistent formula: pairing Marquee with waterfall singles to engage listeners, then doubling down with campaigns for the album release. However, the real success stemmed from their ability to align Marquee's global targeting with the unique sound of each release.

Setting the global groundwork

For the release of Emociones 1.5, the team targeted listeners in markets like Brazil, Chile, and Mexico with both the album and a standout single, "Pacto (ft. Luar La L)". By giving the single its own moment and featuring its new Latin trap sound, they laid the groundwork for Jay's subsequent album, TRAPPii.

Doubling down with new markets

When TRAPPii was released a few months later, the team made a few strategic decisions to really tap into Jay’s Latin trap vibe. First, they used playlist pitching to share details on the musical influences of the album’s namesake song, “TRAPPii,” with Spotify editors – ultimately landing it on Spotify’s Trap Land playlist. Then, they tweaked their Marquee targeting to focus on regions where Latin trap was already on fire. “Like ‘Pacto,’ TRAPPii featured heavier Latin trap,” says Alán Hensley, Marketing Director, A&R, at EMPIRE. “With Marquee, we could promote in markets like Argentina without having to do a ton of priming beforehand.”

The results were impressive, with nearly one in four Marquee listeners going on to save or playlist a song for future streaming, and nearly 100,000 streams from the Trap Land placement.

By bringing the right sound to the right listeners, Jay Wheeler and his team achieved significant engagement and set the stage for his rollout’s global success.

How Khalia found new audiences with collabs

Following a successful collaboration single that introduced her music to a new audience, reggae artist Khalia and her team at Ineffable Records used Campaign Kit to further engage new listeners with her EP Stay True. The strategy was impactful, with Marquee listeners continuing to stream her music approximately six times more than other listeners nearly one month after the release.

Elevating the hype

In the summer of 2023, Khalia and her team used Marquee to maximize the buzz generated by her collaboration with fellow reggae artist Collie Buddz on their Grammy-nominated single "High.” Since the Marquee for “High” also reached Collie Buddz’ listeners, it bolstered Khalia’s music to a new fanbase.

Plus, with playlist pitching, the critically acclaimed single found the perfect home on Spotify’s Summer Sunshine Reggae playlist.

Waterfalling releases

Leading up to the EP launch, Khalia’s team promoted a series of waterfall singles with Marquee and Showcase across seven markets. Several singles also featured collaborations with artists like Shaggy and Tanya Stephens, so her campaigns continued to grow her audience and set the stage for a successful EP release. “‘No Answer’ was a feature with Tanya Stephens, who has a really strong fanbase for Khalia to tap into, as both are female Jamaican artists,” says Adam Gross, President of Ineffable Records. “We targeted super and moderate listeners because we wanted to hit the hardest core fans from both audiences who were most likely to engage post-release.”

Maximizing release week

During release week, Marquee introduced Stay True to listeners in the same seven markets as the waterfall singles. The campaign was a success with one in three listeners saving or adding a track from the EP to playlists for future streaming.

Sustaining streams

To combat seasonal dips in December, Khalia's team strategically added six tracks from the EP into Discovery Mode resulting in an average stream lift of more than 440%. “December can often be a challenging time for music, and especially for music with summertime vibes,” continues Gross. “Discovery Mode helped us continue reaching new fans during the seasonal dip.”

With Campaign Kit’s ability to engage both existing and new audiences from collaborating artists, Khalia and her team successfully expanded her fanbase.

How Luis R Conriquez charted big

Latin artist Luis R Conriquez and his team at Downtown Music used Campaign Kit to support their charting goals for his latest album Corridos Bélicos, Vol. IV. Pairing Marquee and Showcase campaigns, they achieved huge results, driving nearly 2 million saves and playlist adds and 10 million streams. Plus, the album reached number five on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart and is currently number thirteen on Spotify’s Top Albums Mexico.

Capitalizing on organic buzz

During release week, the team focused on engaging listeners in two of Luis' largest streaming markets: the United States and Mexico. They ran a Marquee campaign two days post-release to make a significant splash early on, followed by a Showcase campaign two weeks later. The strategy aimed to keep valuable listeners engaged with the "You might like" Showcase headline. “Marquee reminded listeners that the big album was finally here and that Luis is a force to be reckoned with,” says Geoffrey Halliday, VP of Marketing at Downtown Artist & Label Services.

Doubling down with a deluxe version

The release of the album’s deluxe version, featuring 11 new songs, called for a similar strategy. The team deployed a Marquee campaign at release, followed by a Showcase campaign a few weeks later, this time using the "New music" headline to capture attention. “The deluxe album had a ton of new songs, so we really wanted to maximize visibility with a similar sequencing approach,” says Daniela Gutiérrez, Senior Marketing Manager at Downtown Artist & Label Services. “Marquee was our first promotional weapon, then we continued the hype with Showcase.”

Notably, in the United States, listeners who saw the Marquee were approximately three times more likely to save the album than other listeners.

Through meticulous planning, Luis and his team used Campaign Kit to reinforce his position as a Latin music powerhouse.

How William Black developed his fan base

EDM artist William Black and his team at Lowly & Create Music Group had a big year in 2023, marked by sold-out shows during his US tour and the highly anticipated release of his album, The Nature of Hope. Using Campaign Kit, they capitalized on these milestones, transforming passive listeners into active listeners who streamed his album approximately six times more than other listeners.

Lifting pre-release streams

In the months leading up to the album release, Discovery Mode played a pivotal role, helping drive an average stream lift of approximately 385% and introducing William Black's sound to a new audience. In parallel, they promoted four waterfall singles with Marquee and Showcase. “Our goal was to bring in new or passive listeners and turn them into super fans,” says Mat Herbers, Senior Director of Marketing at Lowly & Create Music Group. “Once they were in the fan cycle, we knew they’d be around for new music and even live shows.”

Particularly impactful was the collaboration single "My Own Advice" with fellow touring EDM artist ILLENIUM. Notably, nearly 50% of listeners reached through Showcase were new to William Black's music. “It’s really impressive to see that 50% number,” continues Herbers. “With Campaign Kit, we can really get people into the fandom.”

Reenergizing casual listeners

Following the release of The Nature of Hope, the team continued to sequence Marquee and Showcase, this time targeting more casual listeners – including light, moderate, and previously active listeners. The Showcase campaign to reach Canadian listeners with the headline "Getting buzz" yielded powerful results, driving listeners to stream the music approximately six times more than other listeners.

With the help of Campaign Kit, William Black and his team converted the hype of his big year into real fandom on Spotify.

How to get started with Campaign Kit tools

While all artists have access to playlist pitching, Discovery Mode is available to eligible artists in over 90 markets worldwide and Showcase and Marquee are available to eligible artists in seven markets worldwide. Learn more about how each tool works: Discovery Mode, Marquee, and Showcase.

Plus, check out our Campaign Kit website to find more details on how we can help you and your team reach your goals – whether you want to grow your audience with a new release, re-engage fans with your catalog, celebrate a release anniversary, develop new audiences around the world, and so much more. Keep an eye on that space over the next few months as we roll out webinars, insights, and more educational materials.

And, if you’re interested in amplifying your music with Campaign Kit, navigate to the Campaigns tab on Spotify for Artists on desktop to start creating campaigns.