Spotify will allow artists to promote their music for a cut in royalties. The feature will affect playlists, Spotify Artist Radio, and Autoplay, which plays similar music after a playlist has run out of tracks. The result is an algorithmic boost.

“Artists and labels can identify music that is a priority for them, and our system will add that signal to the algorithm that determines personalised listening sessions,” the company said.

“This allows our algorithms to account for what’s important to the artist – perhaps a song they are particularly excited about, an album anniversary they are celebrating, a viral cultural moment they are experiencing, or other factors they care about.”

“To ensure the tool is accessible to artists at any stage of their careers, it will not require any upfront budget,” Spotify says. “Instead, labels or rights holders agree to be paid a promotional recording royalty rate for streams in personalised listening sessions where we provided this service.”