Top Features Artists Love in DSPs and Why They Matter in 2025

As an independent artist, especially in the digital age, you already know how important the tools in your arsenal are in relation to your success. The right tools can be the difference between your release gracing the eyes and ears of thousands or completely falling flat. That’s why DSPs spend a lot of time and energy forging features to help artists like you push your music to new heights, and that’s something we can always get behind. 🫶 That said, we asked the artists and A&R among us for their favorite DSP tools every artist should be using in 2025. Here’s what they said…

Top Streaming Platform Features For Independent Artists To Help Grow Your Fanbase and Boost Your Streams

Reach New Listeners with Spotify Discovery Mode

Spotify has a ton of great features we could brag about all day, but one favorite is Discovery Mode. With it, artists can influence Spotify’s recommendation algorithm to reach new listeners through places like Radio, Autoplay, and personalized playlists. Here’s how it works: you select specific tracks you want to promote and opt them into Discovery Mode. Spotify then gives those tracks more visibility in algorithm-driven listening experiences, targeting users who are likely to enjoy them based on their listening habits, saved songs, and playlist interactions. The platform essentially uses your opt-in tracks to test and surface music to listeners who might not have discovered it otherwise.

🛠️ How To Opt In: If you’re a Symphonic client, all you have to do is opt in through your SymphonicMS account to give Spotify permission to boost those songs to people who are most likely to enjoy them. And if you’re not a Symphonic client, you can opt in directly through your Spotify for Artists account.

For independent artists, this is a powerful and affordable way to expand your reach without a massive marketing budget. That said, if you want to reach new listeners, boost streams, test new releases, or give older tracks a second life, this feature is a great option to help you do just that.

Make Your Music Stand Out with Apple Music Spatial Audio

Another feature you should not sleep on is Spatial Audio on Apple Music. This brings your music to life with an immersive, three-dimensional sound experience using Dolby Atmos. If you want your tracks to feel like they’re surrounding the listener, creating a sense of depth and movement that goes far beyond standard stereo, this is for you.

For independent artists, Spatial Audio is a chance to make your music stand out and show off high-quality production, whether it’s a dynamic electronic track, an acoustic live session, or a carefully layered pop song. This feature can make casual listeners feel more connected to your music and audiophiles more likely to share and engage with your tracks. Releasing in Spatial Audio also increases your visibility on Apple Music, because tracks get a special badge in the app that signals premium content and highlights your attention to quality.

🛠️ How To Use It: Symphonic clients have the ability to request Spatial Audio be added to their tracks through their SymphonicMS account. However, the process is slightly different depending on whether you’re on our Starter or Partner Plan.  // Click the following links to see step-by-step instructions for Starter and  Partner.

📌 We can deliver your Dolby Atmos to more than just Apple Music, too. Amazon Music, Deezer, and TIDAL are also all options for delivery. All you need is a Dolby Atmos-compatible WAV file. // To learn more about how this works, check out our Dolby Atmos FAQ. 

Engage with Your Fans with The YouTube Community Tab

If you’re active on YouTube, the YouTube Community Tab is a great way to connect with your fans beyond just uploading videos. It works like a social feed within your channel, letting you post updates, images, polls, GIFs, and short messages directly to your subscribers. If you want to keep your audience engaged between releases, share behind-the-scenes content, or tease upcoming projects, you can do all of that here. Using this feature strategically encourages interactions, increases loyalty within your community, and can even drive more traffic to your music videos when they drop.

🛠️ How To Use It: Once your channel reaches 500 subscribers, the Community Tab will appear automatically. You can find it in YouTube Studio under the ‘Content’ tab, where you’ll be able to create and schedule posts to share directly with your audience.

Build Hype Before Release Day with Spotify Countdown Pages

Cutting through the noise as an independent artist can be tough, but building momentum before your release goes live makes a huge difference. Spotify’s Countdown Pages make that process easier by letting you promote upcoming albums or singles right from your profile. Fans can pre-save your release, preview the tracklist, pre-order merch, watch video Clips you’ve shared, and even see a live countdown ticking down to launch day, all in one place.

Even better, the results speak for themselves. According to Spotify, more than 80% of fans who pre-save a release through a Countdown Page stream it within the first week. Plus, when the release drops, fans who pre-saved automatically get a push notification and have the project added to their library, making it effortless for them to hit play the moment it’s out.

To create a Countdown Page, follow these steps:

• Log in to Spotify for Artists.
• Go to the Music tab, then Upcoming.
• Select the release, and click Get started.
• Upload your Clips and tag your merch.
• Review and publish!

Once it’s published, fans can start pre-saving your release and watching your Clips right from your artist profile, the Now Playing view, notifications, and more.

📌 Note: Countdown Pages are currently available for albums and EPs (not singles) and are only available to artists who meet Spotify’s eligibility requirements.

Use SoundCloud Teasers To Give Fans a Preview

If you’re dropping new music on SoundCloud, a Teaser Campaign is a great way to build excitement before release day. This feature lets you share a short preview (up to 30 seconds) of an upcoming track directly on your profile, giving fans a taste of what’s to come. It’s a simple yet powerful way to keep your audience engaged and spark some curiosity before your song officially goes live.

Teasers also show up in followers’ feeds and playlists, helping you stay visible even when you’re between releases. For independent artists, that extra exposure can go a long way in keeping your momentum steady.

🛠️ How To Use It: When uploading a track, choose “Schedule release” and toggle on the Teaser option. You can select which 30-second segment of the song to preview and publish it to your followers. When the full track drops, your Teaser automatically updates to the full version, no extra work required.

Promote Your Music with In-Platform Ad Services

Most major DSPs now offer built-in advertising tools that let artists promote their releases directly to listeners within the platform itself. Instead of relying solely on social media or external ads, artists like you can use these in-platform features to reach people who already use the service and are more likely to engage with your music.

For example, Spotify Marquee sends full-screen pop-up recommendations about your new release to users who’ve recently listened to your music, encouraging them to stream right away. Pandora AMP works similarly, offering customizable campaigns that highlight new singles, albums, or events in a way that feels native to the listening experience.

This kind of promotion is especially useful because it combines audience targeting with real, reliable data. You can track who’s seeing your campaigns, how many listeners are clicking through, and what actions they take afterward. It’s a smarter way to re-engage fans, drive first-week streams, and reach new listeners, all without leaving the platforms your audience already uses.

Bring Your Tracks To Life with Spotify Canvas Visuals

This one isn’t brand new, but it’s become the new age of album artwork. This is that visual, looping visual that you can add to each of your releases on Spotify that plays while users listen. For independent artists specifically, a compelling Canvas can catch a listener’s eye, encourage shares on social media, and even influence how long someone listens to your track.

🛠️ How To Use It: If you’re a Symphonic client, you can upload your Canvas clips directly through your SymphonicMS account when preparing your release. If not, you can upload them via Spotify for Artists. Make sure your vertical clip is between 3 and 8 seconds and complements the mood or theme of your song. Once live, your Canvas automatically appears whenever your track is played.

Track Your Growth with Audience & Music KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)

Luckily, these days most DSPs include dashboards that show metrics like streams, saves, playlist adds, and listener demographics. These tools let you see which tracks are performing well, where your listeners are located, and how fans are actually engaging with your music.

For example, Spotify for Artists shows top playlists driving streams, Apple Music highlights listener cities and age groups, and YouTube Analytics tracks views and watch time. As a Symphonic client, you get access to our SymphonicMS, which aggregates this data across platforms, all into one place for you to see.

• By checking these KPIs regularly, you can better understand how your audience interacts with your releases and make more informed decisions about marketing, future releases, and even social media strategies, turning real data into actionable steps to improve your efforts.

🧠 Want to learn more about some of the best music analytics tools in the game for independent artists? // Check out this post. 

Pitch Your Music To Get Featured on Editorial Playlists

Getting your music featured in editorial playlists is one of the best ways to get more streams, reach new listeners, and grow your fanbase. Playlists can get you a ton of exposure, and most DSPs (like Spotify and Amazon) let you pitch tracks directly to their editorial teams. On Spotify, you can submit a track up to seven days before release via Spotify for Artists. All you have to do is include the genre and mood, the song description or story, and any relevant context (collaborations, inspirations, or campaign plans). Once submitted, editorial teams review the pitch and decide which playlists are the best fit.

Unlike relying solely on algorithmic discovery, pitching gives your music a chance to be evaluated by human curators who can match it to the right playlists. This feature is a favorite because it puts artists directly in the hands of playlist curators, increasing the chance of meaningful exposure and helping releases stand out on crowded platforms.

📚 We hosted a whole masterclass with SubmitHub on strategies to help you level up your playlisting game. If you missed it, check out this recap.

Make Every Release an Opportunity to Grow 🌱

Across the board, these features are the ones that artists and industry professionals alike rely on to get their music heard. Each of these badass tools provides tangible ways to reach listeners, increase engagement, and make your releases stand out. Leveraging these features effectively can help your music gain visibility, grow your fanbase, and turn every release into an opportunity to connect with more people. What could be better than that?

Good luck!