Most of us aren’t exactly in the business of buying albums anymore. Services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal have all but obviated the need to pay for individual songs, and it doesn’t look like our love affair with these streaming services is going away anytime soon (much to the benefit of the music industry).
But just because you’re not buying albums as soon as presale offers come out doesn’t mean you don’t want to be the first to hear a new album when it drops. And now, Show.co is here to help ensure that you’re always up to date on the latest hit sand releases. The marketing platform from CD Baby will now allow users to offer presaves on Spotify. That means that music lovers will soon be able to hit save for a yet-to-be-released album, and find the newest tracks in their library.
Heralded as the “streaming music-era answer to the presale link,” this presave option gives artists the opportunity to give their fans instantaneous access to new music. “The automatic switch from presave to save is a proprietary feature,” explained Rebecca Bateman, senior marketing manager at CD Baby. “Presaves are not built into Spotify. We figured out how to both create a presave campaign and then turn it into a regular save campaign automatically once the release goes live, so the campaign stays relevant.”
In order to launch a presave campaign, artists need a Spotify URI (the platform’s internal links) and the date the album is scheduled to drop. From there, they need only visit Show.co to create a Social Unlock campaign. “On the date it is released, your music will magically appear in their library,” Bateman explained.
The idea behind a Social Unlock campaign, the CD Baby team said, is to help artists better connect with their fans. “There’s a layer of distance between fans on social media and music or video platforms, and artists,” noted Kevin Breuner, VP of marketing at CD Baby.
“Show.co helps musicians bridge that gap, connecting directly with fans via email, which is still one of the best means to reach and keep an audience.” In return, fans can check out perks like an early opportunity to hear a new album, a show discount, and more.
