Spotify for Artists: How to Get Access and Use It

Spotify for Artists is Spotify's free dashboard for musicians. Spotify says it "lets you see audience stats, promote your music, and manage your profile." You can't make an artist profile yourself, though. It appears when a distributor or label first delivers your music. You then claim it at artists.spotify.com, and Spotify checks each request by hand.

We read Spotify's artist help center and its Spotify for Artists site on October 24, 2026.

About 368,000 people search "spotify for artists" each month, and 22,200 more search for its login.

How do you get access to Spotify for Artists?

1. Release music first. Your profile "is created automatically when your music is first uploaded to Spotify," and "It's not possible to create an artist profile yourself," Spotify says. Music has to come through a label or distributor.
2. Request access. Add a link to your website or social channels so Spotify can confirm it's you. "We review the request manually, so approval can take a few days."
3. Claiming before your first release? Ask your distributor for your artist link. Then contact Spotify with that link and your release's UPC or EAN code.
4. Joining an existing team? "You can't request to join a claimed team," Spotify says. The team's Admin has to invite you.

Some distributors make it quicker. If you deliver music through one of Spotify's preferred providers, "You automatically get access to Spotify for Artists when you submit a request."

It costs nothing. "Spotify for Artists is free to join," Spotify's getting-started page says, and all you need is a Spotify account. Only one request can be open per artist profile at a time.

What happened to the verified checkmark?

It's now called Registered Artist. "Starting on January 28th 2026, we began rolling out changes to the artist verification checkmark on Spotify," Spotify says. The blue "Verified Artist" checkmark is being replaced by a Registered Artist label in the About section of artist profiles.

Spotify explains why: "the term 'verified' came to suggest more than the checkmark was designed to represent." The label only means a profile "is claimed and actively managed in Spotify for Artists."

Nothing else changed with it. Spotify says the switch "doesn't affect visibility, discovery, royalties, or access to Spotify for Artists tools." So getting "verified" on Spotify today simply means claiming your profile.

What can you do in Spotify for Artists?

Tool	What it does	Rule worth knowing
Stats	Listeners, followers and streams for your profile and each song	Updates once a day, around 9 PM UTC
Profile	Images, bio, an artist playlist, social links, merch and a Fan Support link	Admins and Editors can edit
Playlist pitching	Sends one unreleased song to Spotify's editors	Pitch 7 days ahead to reach Release Radar
Canvas	A 3 to 8 second vertical loop that replaces your album art while a song plays	Upload it before release day
Countdown Pages	Pre-saves, a tracklist preview and countdown videos	Albums and EPs only, 3,000 monthly active listeners
Discovery Mode	Pushes chosen songs in some recommendations	30% commission, 25,000 monthly listeners
Artist Profile Protection	Flags releases that list your name	In beta for a limited group

Spotify for Artists help center, read October 24, 2026.

Your access level decides what you can touch. Every team member gets a level for each team. Pitching and Discovery Mode are "For: Admins and Editors." A Team Admin can also invite and remove people at manage.spotify.com/teams.

How do Spotify for Artists stats work?

Listeners are "Unique listeners who stream your audio tracks or music videos during the time period you specify." Followers are people who follow your profile. You'll see how many follow you. As Spotify puts it, "you can't see the names of individual followers."

A stream counts once someone plays your song "for at least 30 seconds." Stats refresh "once a day at approximately 5 PM ET / 9 PM UTC," and Spotify counts days in UTC. New releases get a live stream count for their first 7 days, and it updates every 2 seconds.

Followers matter more than they look. "On average, after following an artist, listeners are 3 times more likely to stream their music in the next 6 months," Spotify says. Our guide to Spotify monthly listeners explains the public number on your profile.

How does playlist pitching work?

Log in, go to Music, then Upcoming, pick an unreleased song and fill in the form. "More detail gives your song a better chance," Spotify says.

• Timing. Pitch "at least 7 days before release," and Spotify adds the song to your followers' Release Radar playlists.
• One at a time. You can pitch another song once the pitched one goes live.
• What's out. Compilations and songs where you're a featured artist can't be pitched.
• No promise. "Pitching doesn't guarantee playlist placement," and editors "might pick a different song than the one you pitched."

If you have a This Is playlist, you can also pin the pitched song there for up to 28 days after release. Music video pitching is rolling out more slowly.

What does Discovery Mode cost?

There's no upfront fee. "A 30% commission is applied to recording royalties generated from all streams of selected songs" in Discovery Mode contexts, Spotify says. "All other streams remain commission-free."

It's in beta, and your team has to qualify:

• At least 3 eligible songs
• At least 25,000 monthly listeners
• An active team registered in one of the listed countries

Each song needs to have been out at least 30 days and to have met Spotify's monetization rules last month. It also needs 20 or more streams in Discovery Mode contexts over the last 28 days.

When does a song start earning?

At 1,000 streams a year. "Starting in April 2024, tracks must have reached a threshold of at least 1,000 streams in the previous 12 months to be included in the recorded music royalty pool calculation," Spotify says. There's also a minimum number of unique listeners, which it keeps private.

Tracks under that line didn't earn much anyway. Spotify says they "generate $0.03 per month on average." And there's no fixed rate per play. "Spotify does not pay artist royalties according to a per-play or per-stream rate," it says. It splits the money by each rightsholder's share of all streams. Our guide to how much Spotify pays per stream runs the numbers.

What does Spotify say about paid streams?

It's blunt. "Paid 3rd-party services that guarantee streams aren't legitimate," Spotify says, and using them "could result in your music being removed from Spotify."

When it confirms artificial streaming, Spotify says it may withhold royalties, correct public stream counts and pull songs from playlists. It runs "daily cleaning" on public numbers. It also charges labels and distributors per track when it finds "very high rates of artificial streaming."

Hclout sells Spotify plays, followers and listeners. That page lays out these risks in full, so weigh our advice the way you'd weigh any seller's.

Frequently asked questions

Is Spotify for Artists free?

Yes. You only need a Spotify account.

How long does it take to get access?

Usually a few days. Spotify reviews each request by hand.

Can I create a Spotify artist profile myself?

No. Spotify creates it when your distributor or label delivers your first release.

How do I get verified on Spotify?

Claim your profile in Spotify for Artists. Since January 28, 2026, a claimed profile carries a Registered Artist label, which replaced the blue checkmark.

Can I see who follows me on Spotify?

No. Spotify only shows the number of followers.

When do Spotify for Artists stats update?

Once a day, at about 9 PM UTC. New releases get a live count for their first 7 days.

New to releasing? Start with how to upload music to Spotify, then see Spotify Wrapped for the end-of-year push.

Sources

• Spotify for Artists help center: "Getting access to Spotify for Artists," "Creating an artist profile on Spotify," "Updates to the verification checkmark," "Access levels in Spotify for Artists," "Managing your artist profile," "Protecting your Spotify artist profile," "Understanding your listener and follower stats," "When stats update in Spotify for Artists," "How your streams are counted," "Pitching music and videos to Spotify playlist editors," "Getting started with Countdown Pages on Spotify," "Using Discovery Mode in Spotify for Artists," "Track monetization eligibility," "Understanding Spotify royalties" and "Artificial streaming and paid 3rd-party services that guarantee streams," read October 24, 2026
• Spotify for Artists, "Get started," read October 24, 2026
• Web searches for Spotify for Artists pages, October 24, 2026
• Google Ads Keyword Planner, worldwide, read October 24, 2026