TuneCore, the Believe-owned digital distribution platform for self-releasing artists, says its Accelerator program, has helped generated 50 billion streams for participating artists since its launch in 2023.
The company released its fourth annual Accelerator Report on Wednesday (March 25), which you can read in full here, showing how its artist development platform has performed since launching three years ago. TuneCore says the program helped facilitate 15 billion track discoveries, with 515,000 independent artists currently enrolled. That’s up from 450,000 reported a year ago.
TuneCore Accelerator runs on proprietary catalog optimization technology developed by Believe. It was improved to more effectively select artists and tracks “with a higher likelihood for success,” TuneCore said in a press release.
The report shows that tracks from over 150,000 artists have been selected and activated on the platform, a 36% increase from the prior year’s report.
In the 12 months covered by the latest report, Accelerator generated 24 billion new streams for selected artists, up 17% from a year earlier. TuneCore attributed the improvement to the continuous refinement of the program.
The report comes amid the increasingly saturated streaming landscape for independent artists. TuneCore notes in the report that while more than 100,000 tracks are uploaded to digital service providers every day, its Accelerator program employs Believe technology in partnership with DSP marketing programs to make it easier for independent artists “to stand out from the noise” and connect with listeners who are likely to become loyal fans.
“While simply releasing music no longer guarantees that it will be heard, the fourth installment of the TuneCore Accelerator report shows that TuneCore continues to provide the resources necessary for artists who are ready to grow their audience to stand out in a sea of releases, find listeners, increase their streams, and build sustainable, long-term careers.”
Brian Miller, TuneCore
Brian Miller, Chief Revenue Officer, TuneCore, said: “In the 20 years since TuneCore was founded, the industry has changed repeatedly—listeners have moved from downloads to streaming, music discovery has shifted primarily from blogs and magazines to playlists and social media trends—but our mission has stayed the same; to help independent artists get their music heard. While simply releasing music no longer guarantees that it will be heard, the fourth installment of the TuneCore Accelerator report shows that TuneCore continues to provide the resources necessary for artists who are ready to grow their audience to stand out in a sea of releases, find listeners, increase their streams, and build sustainable, long-term careers.”
The data showed that more than 14,000 artists earned streaming royalties for the first time through Accelerator, and another 14,000 crossed 1 million streams. A total of 500 artists surpassed 100 million streams and nearly 25% of artists who hit those milestones attributed at least half their total streams to the program.
TuneCore also reported back catalog data, with tracks released more than 18 months ago generating 24% or more revenue than releases not in the Accelerator program.
Geographically, Mexico posted the sharpest growth among key markets at 63%, followed by Brazil at 35% and the US at 33%.
The report also included case studies that show how Accelerator works across different career stages.
Houston rapper Bfb Da Packman saw more than 20 million additional streams over the past year from 69 activated tracks. His track Syrup Damage generated 1.9 million streams directly attributed to the program.
Bfb Da Packman said: “Man, TuneCore helped me stay independent for real. Getting my money fast kept my whole grind funded, and they’ve been a big part of helping my songs catch fire online.”
“Man, TuneCore helped me stay independent for real. Getting my money fast kept my whole grind funded, and they’ve been a big part of helping my songs catch fire online.”
Bfb Da Packman
Latin electronica pop artist Elsa y Elmar, who had opened for Coldplay and received two Latin Grammy nominations, saw TuneCore Accelerator account for 44% of streams on her track Grecia, which has 66 million total plays on Spotify, and 50% of streams on Planeando El Tiempo, which generated 64 million Spotify streams.
She has since been signed by Believe directly. Elsa y Elmar said: “I am an independent artist, and forging my own path has never been easy. Since my first EP in 2013, TuneCore has been the partner behind the distribution of my music, opening doors that once seemed closed to me. Working with them has allowed me to learn, with full transparency, how the music industry truly works.”
“Since my first EP in 2013, TuneCore has been the partner behind the distribution of my music, opening doors that once seemed closed to me.”
Elsa y Elmar
“Their tools—such as TuneCore Accelerator—have been key in helping me reach a wider audience and, in the medium term, generate more income. Being an independent artist was something that seemed impossible just a few years ago, but in my business vision, recorded music is our greatest asset and we must protect it. I am deeply grateful to them.”
London-based indie pop trio Zola Blood moved their music to TuneCore after 12 years of building their catalog and touring. Through Accelerator, they saw an additional 4.5 million streams from 31 activated tracks. Their track Get Free saw one in three streams from Accelerator, making it one of Zola Blood’s most streamed tracks ever.
“We moved our back catalogue over to TuneCore just ahead of releasing a new EP earlier this year, and instantly saw a spike in streams. The platform helped put us back on people’s radar after a relatively quiet period of writing/studio time.”
Zola Blood
Zola Blood said: “We moved our back catalogue over to TuneCore just ahead of releasing a new EP earlier this year, and instantly saw a spike in streams. The platform helped put us back on people’s radar after a relatively quiet period of writing/studio time. Because of that boost, our streaming income has gone up too, which has given us more freedom to record new music and get back out touring. Seeing those songs get a second life has been really exciting. It feels like the program has opened the door for new fans.”
“Returning to your audience after a period of writing and recording can be fraught, and the worry is that the algorithm will have ‘forgotten you’. This is where TuneCore Accelerator proved its worth for Zola Blood, one of the most phenomenal indie/electronic acts in the UK.”
Sarah Wilson, TuneCore
Sarah Wilson, Head of TuneCore UK/IE/AUS/NZ said: “Returning to your audience after a period of writing and recording can be fraught, and the worry is that the algorithm will have ‘forgotten you’. This is where TuneCore Accelerator proved its worth for Zola Blood, one of the most phenomenal indie/electronic acts in the UK. The security offered by the additional streams meant less pressure and an entry path for new fans ahead of fresh material. The best of all worlds!”
In November, TuneCore said self-releasing artists have earned more than $5 billion via its platform since it was founded in 2006. TuneCore described the milestone at the time as “the first public achievement of its kind” among distributors for self-releasing artists. The milestone came over a year and a half after TuneCore crossed the $4 billion threshold.
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