I spent $150 on Spotify Marquee. Here's what happened.

[@mightbefire]

Interesting to think about what you DIDN'T get: - Instagram followers - External validation of your song (Spotify knows you bought these listeners versus IG ads where they can't tell. I'm guessing external clicks have to lead more often to algorithmic play) - data you can use to retarget people - better control over who it gets shown to and the rate of the spend - a deeper introduction to who you are (IG video ads are at least 15 seconds long)

[@twostorymediamusic]

Totally. All that stuff is why I'd choose Meta ads over Marquee every time. That said... I do think they actually work well together, if you've got the budget. Marquee let's you hit a different type of listener and the results are just so straightforward.

[@toomworld]

Your theme song is very "Just the two of us"

[@twostorymediamusic]

Someone else actually mentioned that to me recently ha. I hadn't heard it until then... but now I totally do.

[@toomworld]

@@twostorymediamusic yeah, keeps getting it stuck in my head when I’m watching your videos. :)

[@sutitootimusic]

Long comment incoming...tl;dr I don't think Marquee is worth it unless you're a big artist with a big budget or running ads in Brazil lmao. Full analysis: Honestly man...I have no clue how to feel about Marquee or Showcase 🤣The statistics Spotify provide seem either 1) super cherry-picked (possibly in an intentionally deceptively way?) or 2) unintentionally useless/obvious lol . For example, using your data (just so everyone has a reference point), you spent $150 and got 430 clicks, meaning your cost per click (CPC) is $0.348 in the United States, which is actually below the guaranteed cost of $0.35 you're guaranteed in the Marquee setup screen. This *sounds* good until you realize this is just the cost per *click* on the AD, NOT the cost-per-conversion (i.e. cost for someone to click the Ad AND stream the song). You spent $150 & had 254 converted listeners, so the cost-per-conversion (CPR) is $0.55. All of us who've used Meta Ads & had a decent campaign in this US knows this is mediocre at best, and if we're being frankly honest, bad lol ( I know a lot of people say $0.50-$0.60 in the US is about normal, but I aim for ~$0.33 or less per CONVERSION). Assuming the song is good, you'd almost certainly get a better CPR using Meta Ads & like 2-3 ad creatives. Now that isn't to say that Marquee is completely useless -- the very bottom section about listeners that go on to stream your other releases is interesting. In your case, of the 254 converted listeners, assuming best case, you gained 6 super listeners listening at 8.33 streams per listener!! That's basically 50 streams from 6 people on your other songs, which is pretty cool, but... A) because the budget is pretty small, these 6 people are unlikely to have any impact on the success of the song (i.e. 50 streams spread across 6 listeners, maybe to 6 different songs isn't going to trigger any algorithmic playlists), B) you probably would've had 6 super listeners w/similar streams per listen (or more) if you ran Meta Ads & just befriended ppl who liked the song -- I anecdotally know this to be true, at least for me :P C) you gained fans, on Spotify, but it's unlikely that they've gone to socials to find you and really become a fan that you can connect with , which sadly devalues them into, effectively, just a stream...pretty cynical, I know. All this to say, I can only see Marquee ads being useful if... 1. You're a larger artists with a VERY large budget & would like to gain some super fans without having to directly talk to a bunch of individuals on social media 2. You're a small or large artists & want to run Marquee in a country with a low CPC (say Brazil at $0.13). You could then expect the CPR is at most what you'd ideally want from a Meta Ad (like $0.25 - $0.35). Apologies for the novel of a comment lol.

[@twostorymediamusic]

This is a super thoughtful and, imo, pretty much spot-on analysis. I think the one additional thing I'd note re: Marquee being useful - I do think it has the potential to expand you audience. In other words, the people who click on Marquee might not be the same people who'd click on an IG ad, so if you've got enough budget for both, it probably expands your reach. That said, yeah, if I have a smaller budget and have to choose between Meta / Marquee, I'm going with Meta every time. And you did a great job of laying out the rationale for that. Thanks for sharing.

[@DuoInfernaleBerlin]

Will you do Showcase too?

[@twostorymediamusic]

Actually did one about a year ago! kzbin.info/www/bejne/amnCiZh8ZtNrbac

[@DuoInfernaleBerlin]

@@twostorymediamusic Thank you...will check that

[@admincomments]

so which is better marquee or showcase ?

[@twostorymediamusic]

I'd say Marquee. Seen way higher save rates with it.

[@admincomments]

@@twostorymediamusic when is the best time to use marquee? The week your song is released? I thought Spotify would notify your listeners when you release a new song regardless of using marquee or not.