All Revelator clients using the Revelator Spotify deal are eligible for Spotify Discovery Mode (SDM) submission.


WHAT IS SPOTIFY DISCOVERY MODE?

With SDM, artists and labels can prioritize specific songs, and Spotify will use this signal to influence algorithms that determine personalized listening sessions, such as Radio, Autoplay, and Spotify Mixes (known as Discovery Mode contexts). This signal increases the likelihood of selected songs being promoted, but does not guarantee it.



WHY IS DISCOVERY MODE EFFECTIVE?

SDM is based on listeners' tastes, prioritizing music from their listening patterns rather than relying on sponsored promotion. This enhances authentic discovery aligned with genuine preferences. However, it only works if fans love the music, as Spotify tracks listener engagement and incorporates it into future recommendations.



WHICH TRACKS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR SPOTIFY DISCOVERY MODE?

Content automatically excluded from SDM: Spoken word, audiobooks, podcasts, videos, karaoke.



WHAT KIND OF RESULTS CAN LABELS/ARTISTS EXPECT FROM DISCOVERY MODE?
Spotify claims that Discovery Mode provides:

+50% increase in saves

+44% more user playlist adds

+37% growth in follows during the first month

+58% first-time discoveries from listeners outside the home country.


Revelator Pro users are seeing a significant boost in their Spotify catalog revenue, with Discovery Mode increasing streams and audience engagement.



HOW DO I GET STARTED AND SUBMIT TRACKS TO DISCOVERY MODE?

If you're a Revelator Pro client using the Spotify-Revelator deal, you will receive a personalized Discovery Mode Dashboard. This dashboard allows you to easily opt in tracks for SDM campaigns each month and opt them out if they don't perform as expected.



YOUR DISCOVERY MODE DASHBOARD FEATURES:

  • A list of all SDM-eligible tracks in your catalog for the upcoming campaign

  • Spotify-Recommend track visibility: Identify the Highest Stream Lift Potential Tracks

  • Visibility on all currently promoted tracks with latest performance stats (first 10 days of current month)

  • Filter tracks by recent performance and bulk-remove any with negative results

  • Manual or bulk opt-in methods for convenience

  • Detailed instructions and best practices for easy navigation



WHAT DOES THE “RECOMMENDED” COLUMN SIGNIFY IN THE SDM DASHBOARD?

The contents of this column highlight if Spotify predicts that the track will see a lift in streams in Discovery Mode contexts if it is included in your upcoming campaign. This prediction is based on various signals, including: Song performance in Radio and Autoplay in the last 28 days, Artist metrics like followers, monthly listeners, and playlist adds Previous inclusion in Spotify personalized playlists.
While Spotify stands by its recommendations, they cannot guarantee specific outcomes. Use these insights alongside your strategy and goals to decide which tracks to include in a campaign.




HOW MANY ELIGIBLE TRACKS CAN I SUBMIT FOR DISCOVERY MODE?

Revelator Pro clients using the Spotify-Revelator deal can submit an unlimited number of eligible tracks for Discovery Mode.



WHAT ARE THE SPOTIFY DISCOVERY MODE TIME FRAMES?

Discovery Mode campaigns run on a monthly cycle. Key dates include:


  • 15th of each month (by EOD, GMT):
    Dashboard refreshed and ready for selection with new eligible tracks and performance metrics. You will receive an email notification and have about 10 days to opt-in or opt-out tracks. (Note: The dashboard may receive additional updates within 24–48 hours after the first update, and selections made during this timeframe are not affected.)

  • 25th of each month (by 12:00 GMT):
    Track selection deadline. Changes are allowed until the deadline. 



WILL I RECEIVE ANY NOTIFICATION ONCE I COMPLETE MY TRACK SELECTION?
No, you will not receive any notification after completing your track selection. Unlike the previous process, where you had to wait for confirmation of eligibility, the current system provides all eligible tracks in advance through the dashboard. This makes notifications unnecessary, as all your selected tracks will be included. Please note, however, that Spotify might still exclude tracks if their performance drops significantly between the selection date and the campaign start. These cases are rare.



HOW CAN I MONITOR THE PERFORMANCE OF MY TRACKS IN DISCOVERY MODE?

As mentioned in the “Discovery Mode Dashboard” section, whenever your dashboard is updated with new track selection information for the upcoming campaign (by the 15th of each month), it will include the latest and most relevant stats, from the first 10 days of the current month's campaign. This allows you to track early performance trends, while our system ensures underperforming tracks are opted out automatically, as detailed in the next section. Read more: Discovery Mode Reporting Guide


WHAT DOES NEGATIVE STREAM LIFT MEAN, AND SHOULD I REMOVE THESE TRACKS?

Tracks with negative stream lift are marked in orange, indicating that they are newly added – currently in the first month of the campaign, and gaining less boost than expected (less than +50% or negative) in the first 10 days of the campaign.

Should I opt them out?

No need - we handle this for you. Since these tracks are new to the campaign, some may need a full month to gain traction, so manual removal is not recommended. We have a system that automatically tracks and opts out underperforming tracks for you:

  • If a track continues to underperform after a one-month campaign, it will be removed from your dashboard and will not appear next month. 
  • If its performance improves, it will remain in the campaign and will be marked in Blue, signaling profitability.

This process ensures that only successful tracks stay in Discovery Mode, helping to maximize your earnings while eliminating the need for manual tracking. However, you can always still manually opt out any track you want.



WHAT ARE SPOTIFY’S COMMISSIONS FOR DISCOVERY MODE?

The service doesn’t require an upfront budget. When you opt in an eligible track to the campaign, Spotify applies a 30% commission to the recording royalties generated from streams in Discovery Mode contexts. This fee is deducted from your future royalty statements and delivered in a report separate from the standard royalty reports. Any other streams of tracks enrolled in Discovery Mode that occur outside of Discovery Mode contexts remain commission-free. To ensure the best results, our automated system removes underperforming tracks early, so clients only pay the increased commission on streams that deliver real value - making this a win-win service.

Furthermore, Revelator does not charge anything extra for Discovery Mode beyond your usual revenue share.



WHY DO DISCOVERY MODE ROYALTIES APPEAR AS A NEGATIVE AMOUNT ON STATEMENTS?

Discovery Mode royalties appear as a negative amount because tracks in the program earn a lower per-stream rate for plays from Autoplay, Radio, and other recommendations (see other sections for commissions and Discovery Mode context). This adjustment reflects the difference between standard and promotional rates, but it’s important to note that royalties themselves are not negative - this is just how Spotify displays the adjustment.



CAN I SUBMIT TRACKS FOR DISCOVERY MODE VIA SPOTIFY FOR ARTISTS?

No. While a Discovery Mode section might be visible on your (or your artist's) Spotify for Artists dashboard, tracks distributed by Revelator cannot be submitted or monitored through this platform. If you or your artist continue to see an SDM section in Spotify for Artists, it's likely due to past partnerships with distributors who used this method, or because existing tracks are still distributed by them.


The Revelator SDM program works differently and via a dedicated dashboard as outlined in this article. The program’s main benefit is that it avoids artist eligibility restrictions found on Spotify for Artists, such as needing a minimum of 25,000 listeners and three eligible songs. This means Discovery Mode is available for almost any eligible track in your catalog.



As always, we're here to help you succeed. For any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to us to support@revelator.com

 
Useful Links:

Discovery Mode Landing Page
What are 'Discovery Mode contexts'?
Discovery Mode Reporting Guide
Spotify's monetization eligibility criteria