About one in three Spotify listeners attends at least one concert each year, but streams don’t guarantee sold-out shows. Talented, hardworking musicians with impressive Spotify numbers can still struggle to get people to come to live gigs. 

If you’re wondering how to get more people to come to your gigs or how to promote a concert, you’re in the right place. 

It can be disheartening to see thousands of monthly listeners and still play to 15 people. But the key is knowing which data signals real fans and how to use that knowledge by acting intentionally.

• Why Streams Don’t Equal Ticket Sales
• How to Gauge Demand For Live Gigs
• How Do You Get More People To Come To Your Gigs?
• How To Get More Gigs As A Musician
• How Can You Tell if Your Spotify Fans Are Showing up to Your Shows?
• Does Playlist Placement Help Sell Tickets?

Why Streams Don’t Equal Ticket Sales

Streams are great, but they don’t tell you the whole story when it comes to live shows. If you’re trying to figure out whether people will actually show up for your gigs, you need to dig deeper into your data. The good news? Platforms like Spotify for Artists give you rich metrics that help identify your best opportunities.

How to Gauge Demand For Live Gigs

There are some key metrics that can give you a clearer picture of real demand and save you from relying on assumptions.

Key Insights to Track on Spotify

• Top listener cities (Look for locations with 500+ monthly listeners)
• Your most-streamed songs (Great for shaping your setlist)
• Tracking follower growth and saves over time
• Playlist placements for grassroots fan growth 

Other Sites to Use

• Chartmetric: Combine Spotify data with trends from social media
• Soundcharts: Monitor playlists, social activity, and radio traction.
• Revelator or Viberate: Learn more about fan behaviour across cities.

Marie Ulven, better known as Girl in Red, used Spotify analytics to pinpoint her top-listening cities, then built a tour around that information, hitting Dallas, Houston, and Austin. By leaning on the insights from Spotify, she tapped directly into where her audience was most engaged.

This is how you take the guesswork out of tour planning. 

How Do You Get More People To Come To Your Gigs?

Getting people to come to your live gigs means making it easy to find you and where you’re playing. There are a few ways to go about this, depending on the platform. 

Promotion on Spotify

Make sure your Spotify profile works as hard as you do. Update it with all your upcoming shows so fans know exactly when you’ll be in their city. Spotify’s built-in tools make it easy to list your tour dates. Your listeners are already on the app, and this is your chance to turn passive streaming into active support at the door.

While you’re at it, use your Spotify bio to guide fans toward your email list. Offer incentives like free downloads, unreleased tracks, or exclusive content and use tools like Linktree or SmartURL to make signups easy.

Whether it’s through a link to your website, a sign-up landing page, or both, the point is to give them an easy way to stay connected. Why? It’s better to have a direct line to send out tailored show announcements and timely reminders.

There’s also a slew of options for people who want to use Spotify Live Events. Here are some ways it helps you promote your show. 

Promotion on Meta Ads and Social Media

Geo-targeted ads on platforms like Instagram and Facebook can be a powerful way to tempt Spotify fans to attend your shows. Tailor your content to the city you’re promoting in, and add RSVP links directly to your ads. Make it feel local. Something as simple as, “Hey Denver, I’m playing next weekend. Don’t miss it!” 

Take it from Canadian indie artist Eric Kane, who mastered the art of hyper-local, personal marketing to sell out multiple shows. With just $5-a-day geo-targeted ads for each town on his tour route, he created buzz on TikTok and Instagram. He posted about his shows, asked followers to “comment below for ticket links," and then personally messaged everyone who engaged.

The results? He sold 70 tickets for a venue where he’d only played to 5 people the last time he visited. One TikTok hit over 100,000 views and drove 20% of his ticket sales. He used the profit to market the next round of shows, turning one win into another.

Is it a lot of work? Absolutely. But this kind of grassroots approach may be the future for DIY artists. 

Promotion on Bandsintown

Bandsintown can be a game-changer for promoting your concerts. If you haven’t claimed your Bandsintown profile yet, now’s the time. Once you’ve got it, sync it up with your Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify profiles so fans can track you seamlessly across platforms. The more connected, the better.

Once you have your profile set, add the details for the show and write a description that grabs attention. Keep it personal and exciting, like: “Catch me live in Toronto, one night only!” Make it clear why fans can’t miss this.

Encourage your fans to click Track Artist. That way, they’ll automatically get push notifications whenever you add new shows to your schedule.

Other Tools For RSVPs

Eventbrite, Bandzoogle, or HyperFollow can help capture valuable fan data while encouraging seamless ticket purchases.

Use Your Email List Segment For Local Fanbases

Forget the generic “Hey, I’m on tour” email to your entire mailing list. You’re smarter than that, and your fans deserve more. Segmenting your lists into smart, focused engagement saves you money, time, and makes your fans feel seen and valued.

Try some of these strategies:

• Create segmented geo-based email lists (e.g., #ChicagoFans, #LAHeads).
• Send early ticket access to superfans in your top cities.
• Offer location-specific bonuses: exclusive demos, merch, or VIP access.
• Use smart links (like ToneDen or Linkfire) that capture location-based fan data.
• Share a casual “Hey, I’m playing near you!” message to fans in that area.
• Invite local influencers or collaborators for special events in the same city segment.

Example: "Chicago fans, sign up to get exclusive early-bird access to my next live event. You'll get an unreleased acoustic EP as a bonus!"

How To Get More Gigs As A Musician

Gigs for musicians can be tricky, but independent artists can get started without a manager or agent. 

So, how do you get gigs? Here’s how to get started:

Do Venues Care About Spotify Stats?

The short answer? Yes, and more so than ever. 

Spotify fan location data can make or break your chances of securing a spot. Venues want proof you can draw a crowd, and your Spotify stats (monthly listeners, playlist features, follower growth) are solid indicators of your reach. 

When pitching venues or booking agents, include your streaming metrics as part of your pitch. Venue managers often ask to prove fan demand, and positive engagement can make it clear that you’re a draw for customers.

Make sure to include:

• The number of city-based Spotify listeners (e.g., 800 monthly listeners from NYC).
• Your segmented email list size (e.g., 200 subscribers tagged from Toronto).
• Fan engagement proof (social mentions, previous ticket sales).

Pitch Example:

“I currently have 1,000 Spotify listeners in Portland, plus 300 fan email subscribers in the area. I’d love to book a show at [Venue Name] with a local opener.”

Collaborate Locally to Build Buzz

The fastest way to attract new fans to live events that Spotify listeners care about? Partnering with local musicians or influencers who already have local draws.

Try co-hosting shows with popular hometown artists, promote your show with TikTok duets or IG cross-promos, and reward fans for bringing their friends to the gig.

How Can You Tell if Your Spotify Fans Are Showing up to Your Shows?

If you want to know whether your streaming audience is actually turning up at your gigs, you’ve got to track the right data. Post-show insights are key, so here are a few ways to measure your success and see how many Spotify listeners are making that leap from streams to seats:

1. Analyze Ticket Sales
   Take a close look at where your ticket sales are coming from. Go a step further and ask attendees directly how they heard about the show. Sometimes, just knowing what led them to buy can give you valuable insight.
2. Collect Emails or Tie Purchases to Fan Data
   Set up systems at the venue to collect key fan info. You can grab emails at the door or use ticket scanning to connect purchases with specific groups of your audience. (Pro tip: Some artists take this to the next level by placing a QR code on stage that fans can scan during the show. It’s simple and super effective.)
3. Track Social Media Activity
   Pay attention to social engagement from each city you play in. Who’s tagging your shows, checking in at the venue, or buzzing about your performance online? This can help you match the energy in the room to the people streaming your music.
4. Use Platforms to Incentivize Fans
   Platforms like Linktree Pro can gate rewards like exclusive content or early access to merch behind Spotify follows or other fan actions. That way, you can build a direct link between your streaming fans and your live events.

Does Playlist Placement Help Sell Tickets?

Landing on a good playlist can boost your streams and help you grab the ears of new listeners, especially in cities you’re aiming to hit on tour. That’s powerful. Back in the day, fans would have to buy your music just to hear it. If you didn’t already have a fanbase, you weren’t getting paid. But streaming has flipped that model on its head. Now, people can discover your music first, listen to it without any upfront commitment, and then become fans later. And you’re still getting paid for every play, regardless of whether they’ve hit “follow” or joined your mailing list yet.

It’s a different way to think about building an audience. Streaming offers a chance for independent artists to monetize discovery, turning casual listeners into future superfans.

For example, Ed Sheeran says he owes everything he has to Spotify by expanding his pool of fans with streaming, then milking the converts with huge shows.

Use that playlist momentum strategically. Announce your shows while the buzz is fresh, and connect the dots for fans with clear calls to action. “Loving the track? Catch it live: tickets are on sale now.” Don’t assume they’ll figure it out on their own.

Streams Are Just the Start

Every great live show is an opportunity to transform casual listeners into lifelong superfans. They’ll keep your Spotify streams climbing, snag your merch, and show up for your future tours. It’s a cycle that feeds itself. Gigs are a powerful tool for turning listeners into a dedicated community around your music. 

If you’re interested in starting the cycle, check out our playlist promotion service.