Music Analytics Tools: How to Understand & Action Your Data

To help you understand how to utilise your music data, the Songstats team have covered which data points you need to be analysing to propel your music career to the next level.

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What is Songstats?

Songstats is an essential music analytics tool for artists and collaborators, providing and centralising all your music’s performance and audience data across DSPs, social media, and radio. 

They have an extremely accessible user interface, making it easy to understand what’s really happening with your music + the Songstats' mobile app sends push notifications whenever your tracks hit a new playlist, chart, or milestone, so you’re always in the loop - if you’ve just reached 100,000 Spotify streams, been added to an Apple Music editorial playlist, or if David Guetta has just played your track live at Tomorrowland, you’ll know immediately.

You can capitalise on these successes and create even more momentum by sharing on social media with Songstats' sleek-looking custom artworks.

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How to understand your music data

Tracking and understanding your data is key in devising successful data-backed strategies that increase your likelihood of success. Essentially, you’re looking to find what does/doesn’t work and which territories/platforms are most successful for you, so you can tailor future marketing efforts for maximum impact.

Here are just a few key data points worth monitoring. 

Tip: Every data point creates an actionable opportunity.

Track your DSP performance

There’s no doubt that streaming is the primary way music is consumed nowadays, so it's vital you pay attention to your streaming stats. Beyond the simple streaming, monthly and follower counts, there are plenty of valuable metrics worth tracking to help you build a successful strategy. 

Two key ones are:

Spotify Popularity Metric is a numerical figure of how the Spotify algorithm views you. The higher it is, the more the algorithm will push you into Editorial & Personalised playlists, ultimately resulting in more streams and exposure. Take note of what increases your popularity to learn how you can sway the algorithm in your favour for future success.

Playlists are critical in today’s streaming landscape for both music discovery and sustained listening, + the right playlist can boost your numbers exponentially in a very short amount of time. Look out for Playlist Reach, Type (Algorithmic, Editorial, User-generated), Followers, Position and Duration to understand which playlists are the most influential for you.

If your song performs well on a playlist, connect and expand the relationship with the curator - it can go a long way in securing future placements and keeping your song in a strong slot.

Listen to social media buzz

Social media is where you engage with fans, where listeners become fans and where fans amplify your reach. Fans: the key to a sustainable career!

Platforms like Songstats provide useful fan insights, including Followers, Likes, Top Reels, Video Views, Shares and Supporting Creators. You should actively monitor these metrics to help you find what piques interest and engagement, not just on your posts, but amongst user-generated content, as well as creators and influencers.

Take the screenshot below as an example. There’s been steady Instagram growth and engagement, but then a big spike. You NEED to know why, because that’s what’s worked, and that’s what you need to do again. You can dig in deep through your Instagram analytics to find the source - was it a collab, trending audio, or a fan edit going viral?

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Tip: If an influencer or a large channel shares your music, know about it and capitalise on it. You can reach out to them to expand your relationship for future support.

Monitor radio play

Radio play is another great gauge for success. If your tunes are getting your music played on radio, you’re doing something right, and you can use tools to find out what that is. Radio data typically includes Country & City, Station Name, Last Play Timestamp and the Total Number of Plays.

With Songstats, you can cross-reference with other data points to see what’s potentially caused the radio station to pick it up. For example, if you got added to a major Italian Spotify playlist and you notice an increase in radio play in Italy, that suggests a strong correlation between playlist & radio and a successful marketing strategy for future reference. Take note of the radio station, too for plugging further down the line. 

Remember, consistent radio play can create a lucrative income stream too!

Understand your audience

Understanding who and where your fans are is imperative. These are the people who will support your growth, attend your shows and provide you with a sustainable career... so get to know them!

Audience data will vary across different sources, but ultimately it’s going to provide insight into which countries and cities your listeners are based in, and how often they’re listening. Simple, but SO powerful. You can harness these analytics to make data-backed decisions concerning touring, ad campaigns and other marketing efforts.

Songstats also lets you compare audience data across different sources to see what platforms work best for you in certain territories.

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Share your wins

Showcasing your successes, no matter how small or large, is an extremely important method for attracting new listeners, growing your fan base, artists, managers, booking agents, labels, publishers etc etc.

As with anything, if they see you’re succeeding, they’ll want in.

This guest article comes from the team over at Songstats. Start using the platform to access your real-time music data and connecting effectively with your fans.

Ditto Pro artists can save 20% on a Songstats plan through Ditto Perks. Head to your Perks dashboard now to unlock your discount!

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