Pre-Save Me: Show.co’s Clever New Way to Encourage Fans to “Pre-Save” Upcoming Releases on Spotify

CD Baby’s music marketing platform has a new, proprietary perk that labels, managers, and musicians can add to the marketing mix

Show.co, CD Baby’s marketing platform, will now allow users to run marketing campaigns that offer “pre-saves” on Spotify. This means fans can hit save on an upcoming release, before the tracks are publicly available, and get the music right in their library come release day. For labels and managers, this means more direct engagement with and access to fans, plus a potential boost when fans start listening on that special Friday.

Pre-saves are the streaming music-era answer to the pre-sale link. Via Show.co, these campaigns roll over automatically to save, once the album is released. “The automatic switch from pre-save to save is a proprietary feature,” explains Rebecca Bateman, Senior Marketing Manager at CD Baby, who has an extensive background in programming and development. “Pre-saves are not built into Spotify. We figured out how to both create a pre-save campaign and then turn it into a regular save campaign automatically once the release goes live, so the campaign stays relevant.”

All an artist needs to launch a pre-save campaign via Show.co is a Spotify URI, the service’s internal links, and the date the release is slated to go live, information musicians can easily get from their distributor. Then they can go to Show.co and create a Social Unlock campaign. “On the date it is released, your music will magically appear in their library,” says Bateman.

These Social Unlock campaigns trade fan emails for goodies and access to favorite artists’ latest work or special assets created just for the campaign. “There’s a layer of distance between fans on social media and music or video platforms, and artists,” explains Kevin Breuner, VP of Marketing at CD Baby. “Show.co helps musicians bridge that gap, connecting directly with fans via email, which is still one of the best means to reach and keep an audience.” In return, fans get more exciting experiences, an early chance to hear a long-awaited new album, a discount to a show, or other perks.

Meanwhile, Show.co is continuously searching music and social media services for hidden opportunities for artists and for ways to use these opportunities quickly and easily. “Show.co is streamlining its plans, and we are focused on providing cutting-edge features,” Bateman states. “As digital service providers build out more capability in their APIs, we are always looking for ways to incorporate those changes and upgrades into Show.co's tools. Our goal is for this to be a best-in-class service for audience-building campaigns, turning them into real revenue generating opportunities for musicians.”