At Spotify for Artists, we’re well aware that a whole lot more goes into becoming a professional musician than meets the eye. You, your team, and/or your label have a huge amount of skills to master—from finding collaborators and building out release strategies, to planning tours, designing merch, and making sure your music reaches new audiences. That’s why we developed Co.Lab, an event series organized around various, specific music business themes, designed to connect you with industry experts and expand your network, understand the nuts and bolts of the modern music industry, and grow your career.

Held in select locations a few times a year, our May installment in NYC focused on Finding Your Audience, and how artists are uniquely positioned to see their music’s impact. You experience it firsthand in the crowd response at shows, and in how your fans interact with you on social media—and thanks to your Spotify for Artists dashboard, you’re always a click away from seeing how often your releases are being played, by whom, and where. The question now is: What do you do with all that knowledge? How can you use it to reach new fans, and deepen the connection with the ones you already have?

Our panel for Finding Your Audience will help you answer those questions, and since we want as many artists as possible to benefit from their ideas, we filmed the whole thing. Watch our first-ever video series stemming from our Co.Lab events here and below, and watch this space for more info on upcoming events.

Co.Lab is an event and video series for working artists to meet their peers, get advice, and workshop their careers with the best in the business. Co.Lab is hosted and presented by Spotify for Artists. To learn more, visit https://co.lab.events/.

Having your song placed in a film or television show can grow your audience in an instant. It’s the role of the music supervisor who calls the shots on what songs are placed in which scenes and scour the internet for fresh, up-and-coming artists. Morgan Rhodes, music supervisor for movies like Selma as well as TV shows like Dear White People and Queen Sugar, shares her firsthand experience behind successful sync placements for emerging artists, as well as advice on how to get your song selected for the screen.

There's a lot that goes into bringing a tour to life. No one understands this better than Christian Coffey, veteran tour director for acts like Childish Gambino, Run The Jewels, and Miike Snow. In this Co.Lab, Christian talks through some key questions to ask yourself before going on tour, and offers tips on how you can build a fan base that will support your creative vision once you’re ready to go on the road.

Access to analytics is crucial to crafting music marketing strategies, especially when it comes to how artists and management teams are leveraging social media. Sharell Jeffrey, founder of QLEEN Artist Relations, lays out her data-driven approach to how you can utilize audience analytics to better reach your current—and future—fans in effective, engaging ways.

In an industry bustling with talented artists, what separates a successful act from the rest? Amit Nerurkar, founder of Face-less, makes the case that the answer is authenticity. With nearly 18 years of industry experience working across different departments, with a multitude of artists across various genres, he explains the importance and impact of what happens when artists maintain a genuine connection to their audience.

—Spotify For Artists