New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Digital marketing has completely changed the way we measure a song's popularity. In the past, sales of physical copies were what counted most. Today, in music marketing, it's the number of streams on services like Spotify and Apple
Music that matter. These streams vastly outweigh the sale of physical CDs.
What does this mean for artists? Well, it means they need to get a little creative with how they promote their music. Social media has become a powerful tool for building an artist's following. Also, streaming purchase sites allow musicians to buy multiple streams in the thousands to drive up their plays. It's a controversial topic, but why is that?
A lot of the controversy surrounding bought streams comes from a simple misunderstanding. Many people consider it an easy way to break into the industry, and others believe it to be outright fraud. The truth is, it's neither.
Artists have always had to work with the industry to boost themselves up the charts. Streaming purchases are just another tactic in their repertoire.
What Are the Benefits of Bought Streams?
There many reasons why an artist may wish to purchase streams. Whether artists want to recognize it or not, the numbers game is vital in marketing.
The figures count for their following count on social media and monthly listens on Spotify. Boosting these numbers is an undeniable asset to getting recognized by record labels and new audiences.
Sites like playsonfire.com let artists purchase streams. Heightened plays put the artist's songs in line to receive more genuine listeners over time. If the music generates enough popularity, it could become part of Spotify's highly popular curated playlists. These playlists receive millions of plays per month.
You can think of purchasing streams as a step-up to where you need to be. It isn't an end goal. It's a way to accrue genuine listeners over time.
Also, these purchased streams may help you attract the attention of industry officials who can boost your career. The music industry is notoriously competitive. Anything that can help you stand out is going to be crucial to your success.
Is Buying Streams Legal?
Though it's a controversial subject, buying streams is not illegal and does not count as fraud. The companies that sell streams pay legitimate individuals to stream your songs. There's nothing fake about the process.
However, popular streaming services are still sensitive to the process. If your song suddenly receives a boom of thousands of streams with no real explanation, you may get hit with a penalty. It can result in strikes on your account, or the streaming service may remove your music entirely.
For this reason, many services that offer bought streams recommend procedural growth. If your music usually receives a few thousand streams, don't opt for a package that'll put you in the hundreds of thousands. It will likely backfire horribly.
It Isn't a New Practice
On the face of it, buying streams can seem like a questionable practice. However, questionable tactics aren't new to the music industry. In the past, record labels would purchase their artist's CDs in bulk to ensure their success and rig the sales figures. Some labels would even offer discounts in the week of release for up to 70% to encourage sales and win that coveted chart position.
The difference these days is that everything is digital. Streaming services dominate the market, and record stores no longer hold the key to chart success. All industries must move with the times and adjust their market practices accordingly. Bought streams are simply one part of that and may boost the success of independent artists.
