Follow Tracking Music

Artist follows represent the strongest streaming platform engagement signal. When listeners follow an artist, they subscribe to future releases and express ongoing interest. For musicians running advertising campaigns, follow tracking measures whether promotions convert casual listeners into committed fans.

The Significance of Follows

Follows differ fundamentally from streams or saves:

Commitment Level: Following commits to future relationship, not just current song appreciation

Ongoing Value: Followers receive notifications of new releases, increasing future stream likelihood

Algorithmic Signal: Follows tell platforms to prioritize the artist in personalization

Fan Development: Following marks transition from listener to fan

Follows represent the ultimate streaming platform conversion for most music advertising campaigns.

Platform Follow Mechanics

Spotify Follows

Spotify follows subscribe listeners to artist profiles. Followers:

• See new releases in Release Radar
• Receive new release notifications
• Have artist music prioritized in recommendations

Spotify for Artists tracks follower counts, growth trends, and geographic distribution.

Apple Music Follows

Apple Music allows following artists for:

• New release notifications
• Personalization signals
• Artist page updates

Apple Music for Artists provides follower data and trends.

YouTube Subscribers

YouTube channel subscriptions function similarly to follows:

• Subscribers see new uploads in feeds
• Notifications alert about new content
• Subscriber counts affect channel visibility

YouTube Studio tracks subscriber growth and sources.

Social Platform Follows

Social media follows (Instagram, TikTok, Twitter) differ from streaming follows but represent related engagement:

• Direct communication channel
• Content distribution
• Community building

Cross-platform follow tracking provides comprehensive fan acquisition measurement.

Measuring Follow Growth

Absolute Growth

Track follower counts over time:

• Starting follower count
• Daily or weekly new followers
• Total followers at period end
• Net growth (accounting for unfollows)

Growth Rate

Calculate growth rate for comparison:

Growth Rate = (New Followers / Starting Followers) x 100

An artist with 10,000 followers gaining 500 in a month achieves 5% monthly growth.

Follower Velocity

Follower velocity measures new followers per time period:

• Daily new followers
• Weekly new followers
• Monthly new followers

Tracking velocity identifies acceleration or deceleration patterns.

Connecting Follows to Campaigns

Spotify Ad Studio Attribution

Campaigns through Spotify Ad Studio can attribute follows directly to advertising:

• Listeners reached who subsequently followed
• Follow conversion rate
• Cost per follower acquired

This native attribution provides highest confidence measurement.

Timing Correlation

For non-native advertising, compare follow velocity:

• Pre-campaign baseline follower velocity
• During-campaign follower velocity
• Post-campaign follower velocity

Significant increases during campaigns suggest advertising contribution.

Geographic Attribution

Run geographically targeted campaigns and check follower geography:

• Campaign targets specific locations
• Those locations show disproportionate follow growth
• Non-targeted locations remain stable
• Geographic correlation supports attribution

Audience Segment Analysis

Compare targeted demographics to new follower demographics:

• Campaign targets certain age groups
• New followers match demographic profile
• Alignment suggests successful targeting and conversion

Cost Per Follower

Calculating CPF

Cost per follower divides campaign spend by attributed followers:

CPF = Campaign Spend / New Followers Attributed

A $500 campaign generating 200 attributed followers achieves $2.50 CPF.

Benchmarking CPF

Cost per follower benchmarks vary by:

• Platform (Spotify CPF differs from Instagram CPF)
• Genre and niche
• Targeting precision
• Campaign type

General Spotify CPF ranges from $0.50 to $5.00 depending on these factors.

CPF vs. Other Metrics

Compare CPF to related metrics:

• Cost per stream (followers generate ongoing streams)
• Cost per save (saves may precede follows)
• Lifetime follower value (streams over time from followers)

CPF in isolation provides incomplete pictures; contextual comparison adds meaning.

Follower Quality Assessment

Engagement After Following

Not all followers engage equally. Assess follower quality through:

• Stream velocity from followers
• Return listener rates
• Save behavior after following
• Concert attendance and merchandise purchase

High-quality followers engage consistently; low-quality followers follow and disappear.

Follower Retention

Track follower retention over time:

• How many followers from campaigns remain followers?
• What is the unfollow rate?
• How does advertising-acquired follower retention compare to organic?

Retention reveals whether advertising attracts genuinely interested fans or fleeting follows.

Follower-to-Stream Ratio

Calculate how many streams each follower generates:

Streams per Follower = Total Streams / Follower Count

Healthy ratios suggest engaged follower bases; low ratios indicate passive followers.

Optimizing for Follows

Creative That Drives Follows

Advertising creative can encourage follows:

• Explicit follow calls-to-action
• Highlighting upcoming releases to follow
• Demonstrating ongoing value of following
• Creating desire for artist relationship

Targeting Follow-Likely Audiences

Some audiences follow more readily:

• Listeners who follow similar artists
• Engaged music discoverers
• Playlist curators seeking new artists

Targeting these audiences may improve follow conversion.

Landing Experience for Follows

The path from ad to follow matters:

• Direct links to artist profiles
• Clear follow buttons prominently displayed
• Mobile-optimized experiences
• Minimal steps to complete follow action

Reducing friction improves follow conversion rates.

Multi-Touch Follow Development

Follows often require multiple exposures:

1. Initial discovery through advertising
2. Streaming that builds familiarity
3. Repeat exposure through retargeting
4. Eventually converting to follow

Sequential campaigns may improve follow rates over single-touch approaches.

Follow Tracking in Reporting

Metrics to Report

Follow reports should include:

• Total followers at period start and end
• Net follower growth
• Growth rate
• Cost per follower (for campaigns)
• Geographic distribution of new followers
• Attributed follows if measurable

Trend Visualization

Charts showing follower growth help identify:

• Campaign impact on growth rate
• Sustained vs. temporary growth
• Comparison across campaign approaches
• Long-term trajectory

Comparison and Context

Report follows with context:

• Compare to previous periods
• Note other promotional activities
• Account for release timing effects
• Compare to similar artists if available

Common Follow Tracking Challenges

Small Number Sensitivity

Low follower volumes create high variance. Percentage growth can be dramatic but statistically meaningless:

• Growing from 100 to 150 followers = 50% growth
• But only 50 actual new followers

Absolute numbers and percentages together provide accurate pictures.

Multi-Platform Complexity

Tracking follows across streaming and social platforms requires:

• Monitoring multiple dashboards
• Consistent tracking periods
• Understanding platform differences
• Manual aggregation effort

Attribution Uncertainty

For most campaigns, follow attribution remains inferential:

• Correlation suggests connection
• Proof remains elusive
• Other factors contribute

Honest reporting acknowledges attribution limitations.

Lag Time

Follows may occur long after initial advertising exposure:

• Listener discovers through ad
• Streams several songs over days
• Eventually decides to follow

Attribution windows may miss delayed conversions.

Display advertising through services like LG Media at lg.media can introduce listeners who eventually convert to followers, with music website placements starting at $2.50 CPM reaching audiences in music discovery contexts.

Follow tracking measures the ultimate streaming platform engagement outcome. By monitoring follows across platforms, calculating cost per follower, and assessing follower quality, musicians evaluate whether advertising investments create lasting fan relationships rather than momentary attention.