Spotify Ads for Artists: Marquee, Showcase, Discovery Mode and Ads Manager
Spotify has three paid ways for artists to promote music on the platform. Marquee and Showcase are display campaigns you buy in Spotify for Artists and pay for per click. Discovery Mode has no upfront cost: Spotify takes a commission on the royalties from the streams it covers. Spotify Ads Manager, called Ad Studio until 2024, is Spotify’s self-serve ad platform.
Marquee and Showcase (display campaigns)
- Marquee is a full-screen recommendation on mobile for a new release. It runs for about 10 days and has to start within 21 days of the release date. You need 5,000 monthly active listeners in the market you target.
- Showcase is a banner on Home (desktop and mobile) and Browse (mobile), for new or older releases. It runs for about 14 days.
- Both need at least 1,000 streams in the last 28 days in a target market (Spotify for Artists).
The budget can be between $100 and $10,000 (or the same in local currency), and you pay per click. Saves count as clicks. Since February 23, 2026, the budget is spread evenly over the whole campaign (Spotify for Artists). Campaigns can be bought in 23 countries and aimed at 44 markets, and Premium listeners can choose not to see them.
How to set one up
- An Admin on your Spotify for Artists team adds a payment card.
- Go to Campaigns, Display, Create campaign.
- Pick the release, the format and a goal: grow your audience, deepen fan engagement or reactivate listeners.
- Choose markets and a budget, and check the forecast before you pay (Spotify for Artists).
First results appear 24 hours after the start, and the final report two weeks after the end. It covers reach, clicks, conversion rate, streams per listener and intent rate (Spotify for Artists).
Discovery Mode
With Discovery Mode you pick songs for Spotify to favor in Radio, Autoplay and Mixes. There’s no upfront fee. Instead, Spotify takes a 30% commission on the recording royalties from streams in those places (Spotify for Artists).
- To use it yourself in Spotify for Artists you need at least 25,000 monthly listeners and 3 eligible songs (released at least 30 days ago, with at least 20 Discovery Mode streams in the last 28 days). Otherwise it’s available through participating distributors and labels (Spotify for Artists).
- Campaigns run by month. You set up next month’s songs from the 11th until the last day of the month, and they start on the 1st.
- The report shows listeners, new listeners, saves, playlist adds and streams.
Spotify Ads Manager
Ad Studio was renamed Spotify Ads Manager in July 2024 (Spotify). You pick an objective, such as growing your audience on Spotify, then set targeting, format, placement, budget, schedule and bidding. Ads must be 30 seconds or shorter, and Spotify can reject them (Spotify Ads Help). For artist campaigns, reports show streams, listeners, new listeners and average streams per listener (Spotify Ads Help).
Countdown Pages
A Countdown Page is a page on Spotify for an upcoming album or EP. Singles aren’t eligible, you need 5,000 monthly active listeners, and the option appears within 72 hours after your distributor delivers the release details (Spotify for Artists).
Which one fits your release?
- A new release, with enough listeners: Marquee reaches people in the weeks around the release.
- An older song, or a smaller budget: Showcase works for catalog releases too.
- Songs with steady streams: Discovery Mode costs nothing upfront, but you give up part of the royalties.
- Ads with your own audio or video: Spotify Ads Manager.
For what streams pay out, see how much Spotify pays for 1 million streams, and for the free tools, the benefits of Spotify for Artists.
FAQ
How much does a Marquee campaign cost?
Display campaign budgets run from $100 to $10,000, and you pay per click.
Is Discovery Mode free?
There’s no upfront cost, but Spotify takes 30% of the recording royalties from the streams it covers.
What happened to Spotify Ad Studio?
It was renamed Spotify Ads Manager in July 2024.
Can I see who clicked my campaign?
No. Reports show totals such as reach, clicks and streams, not individual listeners.