Spotify Names M and Foster the People Global Spotlight Artists

Spotify's Marketing Platform will also support regional artists including Frankie Ballard, As Animals, Marteria and G-Eazy

User data from Spotlight On 2014' playlist drives music discovery

Spotify has officially unveiled their next round of Spotlight Artists for 2014. New album releases from M and Foster the People will receive global marketing and promotional support from Spotify leading up to and following their official release dates. In addition, as part of the Spotify Spotlight program, Spotify will also launch regional campaigns for the following artists: Frankie Ballard (US), As Animals (France), Marteria (Germany) and G-Eazy (US).

Spotify Spotlight is an editorial and promotional platform that enables Spotify users to discover great new music, and for artists to connect to a mass audience. In December 2013, Spotify launched the Spotlight On 2014 playlist, identifying the best new artists trending with Spotify users around the world. In December alone the playlist has generated over 17 million streams for featured artists and provided Spotify with valuable user data to help identify which artists to highlight and support within the Spotlight program.

Steve Savoca, Head of Content of Spotify, commented: We're using engagement metrics from the Spotlight On 2014 playlist to identify and then provide additional exposure for the standout artists. The next Imagine Dragons, Kendrick Lamar or Avicii is in our midst and we want to give our users a stake in their future success.

The artists in the Spotlight for 2014 are:

M (Global) - Known for several acclaimed singles & featured on Avicii's recent hit Dear Boy, Danish singer songwriter Karen Marie rsted a.k.a M 's debut album No Mythologies To Follow' (out March 10) is heavily tipped for success in 2014.

M commented: Hello this is M ! I'm so, so, so, so, thrilled to be on the Spotify Spotlight programme globally. It's wonderful! Wonderful! Aaaaaahhh!

Foster The People (Global) - Thanks to the symbiotic alignment of the band's indie fan base and the early adopter, tech-savvy advocates of Spotify, Foster The People's 2011 release Torches dominated the Spotify Top Artist, Album and Track charts globally for several months before reaching critical mass as a mainstream hit at radio and retail. Spotify aims to play a key role in the release of their sophomore album Supermodel .

G-Eazy (US) Spotify's love affair with this independent, Bay-area rapper started back in late 2013 when G-Eazy landed a Spotify Top Viral track. This quarter, Spotify is co-sponsoring a series of listening events for his forthcoming album These Things Happen as well as given fans the opportunity to get closer with a Day In The Life campaign. G-Eazy will also be featured as a cornerstone performer at Spotify's SXSW activation in March.

G-Eazy commented: I'm super hyped to be working with Spotify and their Spotlight program on my new project. They've always shown a lot of love, and have been super helpful in building my fan-base so far I'm looking forward to continue working with Spotify going forward

Frankie Ballard (US) - Frankie recently launched his solo album Sunshine & Whiskey with Spotify's at the forefront. An active Spotify user himself, Frankie has embraced the Spotlight On 2014 program and worked with Spotify to launch a comprehensive campaign to bolster his single and drive straight into a pre-release of his album. Streams for Frankie have increased over +139% as a result of the campaign as his single Helluva Life is surging up the country radio charts.

Marteria (DE) Marteria is seeing enormous success on Spotify, with an increase of 1500% on streams since early December. Marteria and their new album Zum Gl ck in die Zukunft II are currently the most-streamed artist and album in Germany, and the album has seen the biggest first week of streams in Germany of all time on Spotify.

Marteria commented: S.T.R.E.A.M. Spotify totally rules everything around me.

As Animals (FR) - As Animals got our attention with the fantastic single I See Ghost, which continues to hit our viral charts in France as well as other European countries. When their self-titled debut album was pre-released a week early on Spotify it didn't disappoint and has proved a popular album in its first two months. The band recently played a fantastic and intimate set at the second-ever Spotify Sessions in Paris, which will be available to listen to on Spotify soon.

As Animals commented: Nous sommes vraiment tr s contents de partager cette exp rience avec Spotify, c'est une grande chance pour nous !

Translated: We are very happy to share this experience with Spotify, it's a real opportunity for us

LINK:	http://press.spotify.com/uk/2014/03/05/spotify-names-mo-and-foster-the...
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