Spotify is testing a new feature that lets artists upload full-length videos directly through its Spotify for Artists dashboard, a move that sharpens its rivalry with YouTube as a hub for music video content.
Direct Uploads and Royalties
Artists participating in the beta can upload official music videos, live performances, studio sessions, and covers. According to Spotify, all of these are “royalty-bearing and may be chart-eligible.”
Music videos have been available on Spotify for a year, but only through labels and distributors. The new beta opens direct uploads to artists for the first time.
After streaming a video, listeners stream that song 64% more often over the following three weeks on average. They’re also 1.4x more likely to save it, share it, or add it to a playlist. And they go on to stream the rest of your catalog 57% more during that same period.
Discovery and Playlists
Uploaded videos will appear in a dedicated tab on artist profiles, as well as on the Spotify homepage, release pages, the Now Playing view, and in push notifications. They may also be surfaced in the algorithmic ‘Videos For You’ playlist, which is personalized for each listener.
Spotify has also introduced curated playlists: ‘Today’s Top Videos’, ‘Live Performances’, and ‘Video Covers’.
Guidelines and Clips Retirement
Spotify has set guidelines for uploads. Videos must be in landscape 16:9 format. The following are not permitted:
- Visualizers
- Lyric videos
- Multi-song concerts
- Videos without music
The launch coincides with the phase-out of Clips, a feature introduced in 2023 that allowed artists to post 30-second videos. Spotify will stop accepting new Clips uploads, though existing Clips will remain accessible. Over time, the Clips tab on artist profiles will transition to the Video tab, which will house both music videos and previously uploaded Clips.
The beta is not yet open to all artists; interested musicians can join a waitlist for access.
Competitive Landscape
The direct upload feature positions Spotify more directly against YouTube, which has long dominated long-form music video streaming, including live performances and studio sessions. Spotify is also reportedly in discussions with festivals about livestreaming rights, an area where YouTube and Amazon Music have been active. YouTube recently launched its ‘Music Nights’ series of exclusive concerts, a format that mirrors Spotify’s own artist partnership strategies.
Spotify previously experimented with direct artist uploads in 2018, when it beta tested a tool for musicians to upload audio tracks directly. That program was discontinued within a year.
