Whether it’s how to get on Spotify playlists or how to get more followers on Spotify, Joyride Management is always looking for ways to help their artists grow on the world’s largest streaming platform. And with success stories like indie acts The Shadowboxers and Local Nomad, Joyride has clearly figured out the secret to supporting their artists.

“When I was younger we used to jump into my car and just drive around knowing that the destination wasn’t a place, but it was actually just a sense of family amongst friends with one aux cord connecting us,” Joyride founder Matt Ryan Schwartz tells ToneDen. “We would pass the iPod  around the horn for hours and it always felt like a safe place to open up and be vulnerable. That's where the name Joyride comes from and that's the air I want my artists to breathe—it's a safe place for an artist to develop and grow.”

Schwartz knows that for artists to develop and grow today they can’t ignore Spotify. And that’s why he believes ToneDen’s Spotify Growth Playbook is such a necessary tool. “All indie artists should use ToneDen over paying for a marketing company,” says Schwartz. 

Nerding Out on Zoom Calls 

At Joyride Management, that Oyster Bay spirit informs everything that the managers and the artists do. “We are all on a team at Joyride,” says Schwartz, “so the mindset is athletic.”

Any athlete knows that practice, dedication, and ongoing education are key to success, and the same is true for artists—and their marketing efforts.

That’s how Schwartz discovered ToneDen. Through the Artist Managers Connect Facebook group, he learned about ToneDen’s growth playbooks and was instantly intrigued. 

“That was right in line with the way I operate as a manager,” he says. After doing some research, he connected with ToneDen support guru—as Schwartz puts it, “the legend that is Sam Jameson. Nobody in this industry spent time with me one-on-one like he did,” says Schwartz. “We nerded out for hours on Zoom calls about ToneDen’s tools and ways to experiment with it. I was hooked.”

Now, Schwartz’s marketing efforts go beyond the Facebook Ads platform and micro-tweaks to the copy. With ToneDen, Joyride can execute a pre-built campaign and customize everything from creative to messaging to targeting. And the platform’s straightforward reporting lets Schwartz use the platform as an education tool with his artists: “You make mistakes that are vital to your growth at discovering your own audience. I share statistics with my artists weekly so they understand the numbers behind the growth.”

How Local Nomad Grew His Monthly Listeners by 591x (and Won the Editorial Playlist Lottery)

Dreamy, alt-rock pop, mellotron. However you describe Local Nomad, the alt-rock pop artist’s sound is utterly unique—and irresistibly catchy.

With the release of Local Nomad’s five-track EP, Joyride Management saw the perfect opportunity to use ToneDen’s Spotify Growth Playbook. Designed to help artists grow their followers on Spotify and land on algorithmic playlists, the Spotify Growth Playbook is perfect for artists who are new or established, on or off cycle. How does it work? 

“All indie artists should use ToneDen over paying for a marketing company.”

With the Spotify Growth Playbook, Joyride Management creates and automates paid marketing campaigns on Instagram Stories. These campaigns target fans of artists similar to Local Nomad. With ads that showcase Local Nomad’s album art or music videos, the campaign sends fans who swipe up to Local Nomad’s artist page on Spotify. From there, it’s easy to listen, save tracks, and, of course, follow Local Nomad. And that’s not all. Fans who engage will get notified whenever Local Nomad drops a new record and his tracks will be added to Release Radar and other algorithmic playlists (i.e., Discover Weekly and Daily Mix).

Sounds complicated? It’s not, says Schwartz. “Setting up new campaigns is actually a lot of fun. On the most basic level you target related artists that are either proven or projected. You upload your content. You set a budget. Done.”

Of course, it’s especially fun when the returns are good. Local Nomad, as Schwartz admits, “was truly born and bred via the ToneDen tools. We began our journey on the platform with 220 monthly listeners and under 55 followers. Now he's at ~130K+ monthly and ~7000 followers and climbing.”

Spotify Growth Playbook — Campaign Insights for Local Nomad
Spotify for Artists Dashboard for Local Nomad — Followers Growth

And because his artist page showed such significant growth, Local Nomad saw his debut Local Nomad EP land on a coveted Spotify editorial playlist, The New Alt

Schwartz is convinced. He knew it when another act, The Shadowboxers, gained ~5,000 followers on a ~.27 cents per follower average cost. “Slow and steady wins the race with indies,” Schwartz says, especially, “if you don't have huge marketing dollars to flood the market. Slow growth over time is better than a huge spike one week and nothing the next. Of course a viral Tik Tok video works too, but Addison Rae can’t decide which song is her favorite yet.”

Spotify Growth Playbook — Campaign Insights for The Shadow Boxers
Spotify for Artists Dashboard — Followers Growth for The Shadowboxers

“Nothing Has Compared to the Spotify Growth Playbook”

Consistent growth is what helps artists grow their ranking on Spotify, which leads to placement on playlists. And that’s why Joyride Management recommends ToneDen. “The journey on the platform will continue for the other artists we have in development at Joyride such as theater-pop sister duo Delune and alt-rock r&b infused Penny Lame.”

“Nothing has compared to the Spotify campaign,” he says. “I would recommend this to any artist or company who wants a comprehendible interface to understanding and growing their audience.”

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