In a recent podcast appearance with Billboard, Luminate CEO Rob Jonas revealed that close to 150,000 tracks are now being uploaded to streaming platforms every day. According to Jonas, around 20% of all music on streaming platforms has received almost no listenership in recent quarters.
AI and catalogue both increase competition: AI tools can generate huge numbers of songs, while older music resurfaces via TV and social, capturing listener time.
Independent artists still find routes in: Spotify data show DIY artists remain a significant portion of mid-earning creators, and programmes like Fresh Finds Forward provide discovery resources.
Strategy must focus on discovery over release day: pre-release buildup, playlist pitching, short-form content, sync opportunities and data-driven follow-up improve long-term chances.
RouteNote Blog Nearly 150,000 tracks are now uploaded to streaming services every day. Luminate CEO Rob Jonas explains why breaking through is getting harder and what it means for independent artists. That's exciting for independent artists, but it also makes getting noticed a much bigger challenge.
There's more competition for listeners The sheer volume of new music is a big part of the problem. Older music is competing for attention too New releases aren't only competing with other new releases. Don't write off a release because it has a quiet first week.
Is it getting harder for independent artists to break through?. There's more music available to listeners than ever before. Jonas was pretty direct about what that means for artists.
The music industry has never had fewer gatekeepers. Independent artists are increasingly releasing music without traditional label deals, while established acts have more options for retaining ownership and control over their recordings. In 2025, more than a third of artists who generated at least $10,000 in Spotify ro
Getting heard was never the same thing as building an audience… For the better part of the last decade, independent musicians have participated in one of the strangest rituals in modern music marketing. We make a record, spend months or years getting it right, release it into the world and then immediately begin beggin
WASHINGTON — For independent recording artists, producers, and sonic architects navigating today’s hyper-saturated streaming landscape, breaking through corporate walls often feels like an impossible trial. Between algorithmic suppression, retail aggregator fee traps, and black-box royalty deductions, the path from cre
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As streaming becomes increasingly personalised, listeners may be looking back to radio for something algorithms can't quite replicate: human curation. Could this create new opportunities for independent artists? The post Could radio be making a comeback as a source of music discovery? appeared first on RouteNote Blog .
Releasing your music is only the beginning. Learn how to promote your music online, reach new listeners, build an audience and make the most of every release as an independent artist or label. Making and releasing music takes time, but getting it in front of people is another part of the process. Whether you’re releasi
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