In the high-stakes world of music streaming, getting noticed can make or break an artist’s career. But what drives users to follow certain playlists over others on Spotify? Prime real estate on the Search Page has emerged as a powerful force in playlist popularity. A new study from Tilburg University reveals that simply appearing on this digital storefront drives more playlist followers than having a Taylor Swift track in your mix, fundamentally shifting how music reaches our ears.
The study, published in Marketing Science, analyzed over 30,000 popular playlists on Spotify between October 2019 and March 2020, examining how different factors influenced playlist follower growth. They focused on playlists tracking everything from follower counts to content updates to understand what drives their popularity.
“Before our work, little was known about how strongly users respond to the drivers of playlist demand,” says study co-author Hannes Datta of Tilburg University, in a statement. “We decided to more deeply explore the cause-and-effect nature and influence of curated playlists.”
The researchers analyzed data from Chartmetric.com, tracking 34,483 playlists from professional curators, including both Spotify and major record labels. They compiled information about roughly 2 million tracks, monitoring daily follower counts and playlist changes over six months. This comprehensive approach allowed them to measure precisely how different factors influenced playlist popularity.
When Spotify features a playlist prominently on its Search Page, the main discovery hub where users browse music categories, that playlist sees an average 0.95% increase in daily followers. For mega-popular playlists like “Reggaeton Classic” with 1.9 million followers, being featured can bring in over 18,000 new followers in a single day. By comparison, adding a track from a major label superstar artist increases daily followers by just 0.45%.
“This demonstrates Spotify’s ability to steer user engagement and listening behavior through its platform design,” explains study co-author Max Pachali. “In comparison, we find that users are about half as sensitive to the addition of popular label artists.”
Major record labels still wield considerable influence through their roster of superstar artists. The research found that playlists featuring tracks by major label superstars attract an average of 72,255 followers, compared to 54,017 followers for playlists without superstar content. These playlists also tend to be updated more frequently and feature shorter tracks.
The findings arrive at a critical moment for the music industry. Historically, major record labels controlled not just content distribution but also how music was promoted and sold in physical stores. Today’s digital landscape tells a different story. Streaming platforms have assumed unprecedented influence over listening habits through their ability to curate and promote content. In 2023, streaming accounted for 84% of total recorded music revenue in the U.S.
“For industry players, understanding playlist curation strategies – especially the role of major label superstar content and how platform algorithms prioritize playlists on the search page – is more important than ever,” says Pachali.
The research suggests that while superstar artists remain valuable assets for major music labels, professional playlist curation combined with strategic platform placement has become an even more powerful force in shaping music consumption.
Industry experts predict this tension between streaming platforms and traditional music industry players will only intensify. Some suggest that record labels may eventually need to pay for prominent playlist placement, similar to how they historically paid for radio play.
These findings demonstrate that in modern music consumption, the medium has become as influential as the message. While star power continues to draw audiences, platform visibility has emerged as the dominant force in playlist success. By curating what we see and hear, Spotify doesn’t just reflect our preferences—it shapes them, influencing the music that becomes part of our daily lives. This reality promises to shape music industry strategy for years to come.
Source : https://studyfinds.org/spotify-shapes-what-you-listen-to/