I’d been kicking the idea of a co-op playlist around in my head for a long time. Around the beginning of the year, a friend prodded me to finally give it a go.
Brian Hazard, the author behind Color Theory, details his experiment with a co-op Spotify playlist that he manages with five friends. Each artist contributes $200 monthly, which is pooled into a $1000 ad budget for promoting their music.
Hazard curates the playlist, organises the ads, and updates it monthly with new tracks, including his own, which he strategically positions to maximize the playlist’s visibility and effectiveness.
The playlist, primarily targeted at fans of 80s synthpop, has grown steadily, reaching 5344 followers on Spotify after 6.5 months. Despite some challenges, such as determining the most effective ads and a brief experiment with a new playlist cover image, the overall results have been positive.
The campaign has generated over 29,738 conversions at an average cost per conversion of $0.22. Hazard notes that while the playlist’s main goal is to attract legitimate fans who might purchase music, it has also helped teach Spotify’s algorithms about their audience, potentially boosting algorithmic streams.
Despite one member leaving for financial reasons, the group remains enthusiastic, and there is potential for further growth by adding more artists. The article concludes with an invitation for readers to share their thoughts on this experiment.
