This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
In this week's first $1,000 segment, we're gonna hear from a music producer who found success on Spotify by writing and uploading niche songs across multiple accounts. Niche songs, what am I talking about? Well, he's doing all sorts of instrumental things. He's doing, well, he's just doing a bunch of stuff that is designed to effectively work very well with the algorithm. So he's not like producing popular music.
He is investigating what people are searching for, trying to match his tracks to those search terms. This has actually been very effective for him. He's got an unconventional approach that helps him earn several thousand dollars a month in royalties. Great side project, I love it. We're gonna call it mastering Spotify's algorithm with bulk uploads.
And of course, the first $1,000 segment is all about how somebody goes to get their first $1,000. And then, in this case, several thousand dollars a month. How do they get going? And then what can you do from there to scale? But we're focused mostly on the first part because it's so much easier to scale it than it is to get it started.
I wanna help you with your ideas, whatever those may be. So let's hear this update. Let's hear this update. I'll have a few brief comments at the end, but let's hear about mastering Spotify's algorithm. [Music]
When I first appeared on the show, I was just getting started with my unconventional approach to music on Spotify.
Unlike typical musicians who focus on building a profile and brand, I aimed to leverage Spotify's algorithm by creating keyword-based songs and operating multiple accounts. So I began by researching popular, yet underrepresented genres and themes from ambient soundscapes for relaxation to quirky songs about niche interests I identified areas to target. So my plan was to go in with a high volume of tracks, each tailored to specific keywords and listener preferences. I used music production software like Logic Pro and Pro Tools to compose and record my tracks. The key was to keep each song simple and focused on the niche it was targeting.
Heck, in the end, I produced songs about everything from cozy coffee shop vibes to upbeat tunes for obscure holidays. Once I had a decent library of tracks, I set up multiple Spotify accounts. Each account was dedicated to a different niche, allowing me to diversify my content and reach various listener bases without diluting the focus on any single account. And, well, this also helped me understand which topics or markets were more lucrative and allowed me to adjust my strategy accordingly. Uploading the songs and optimizing the metadata came next.
I made sure each track had a catchy title, relevant keywords, and engaging cover art. All those things matter a lot in the age of SEO, and I also created playlists that grouped similar songs together, enhancing the listener experience, and increasing the odds of my tracks being discovered through Spotify's recommendation system. Initially, growth was slow and I'd wondered if I'd chosen the right approach. But after a month or two, I started to see a steady increase in streams. The Spotify algorithm finally began to recognize and promote my songs within their respective fields.
And one of the biggest boosts came from being added to user-generated playlists, which significantly increased my visibility and streams. However, not everything went smoothly. One of the challenges I faced was managing multiple accounts and ensuring each one remained active and engaging. I learned the importance of maintaining consistent quality and regular uploads to keep the momentum going. And through trial and error, I refined my approach.
I focused more on the tracks and playlists that were performing well and learned to ignore the others. Basically, I doubled down on success. And after a few months of persistence and strategic adjustments, I hit my first $1,000 in earnings. It's now been more than 10,000 and continues to earn even when I'm uploading less. The experience taught me a lot about the importance of understanding platform algorithms and the power of niche marketing.
By focusing on underserved areas and consistently producing content, I was able to carve out a unique space for myself. I'm now exploring other platforms like Apple Music for additional revenue streams, and I look forward to reporting back in another year or two. [Music]
Well, I don't know about you, but I would actually love to hear a lot more about this story and more of the details. But in this case, it's the kind of thing where I don't think he wants to share everything, right? Because he's found a pretty creative way that's working for him for now, may not work forever.
And it's also the kind of thing where not everybody can do it, at least not this way. So if everybody started doing it, then it would no longer be profitable, at least not to the degree that it's been thus far. And he's trying to scale it up. So what do you do with these stories? Well, you get ideas, and you don't necessarily emulate exactly what this person has done, but you're like, that's interesting, what they've been able to do.
What could I do with the skillset that I have, the knowledge and experience that I have, all the different things that I've learned about, or my ability to learn new things? How do I apply that so that I can be in a situation of having several thousand dollars a month inside income, perhaps more coming in? Wouldn't that be great? Well, listeners, I used to say inspiration is good, but inspiration with action is better. So I hope you leave inspired and also go and take some action.
Let me know if we can be helpful. If you have a question or an update, sidehustleschool.com. I'm also on social media most days. Today's show notes, sidehustleschool.com/2760. And much more is coming up every single day.
Thank you so much for being out there. My name's Chris Guillebeau, this is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
From the Onward Project.
