Spotify Canvas Marketplace: Designers Can Now Sell Looping Artwork

Spotify has revealed it is utilizing its acquisition of SoundBetter to introduce a platform connecting artists with creators of brief, looping visuals for Canvas. This functionality, which became broadly available last year, represents an effort to utilize technology to develop a more captivating alternative to conventional album artwork.

As previously noted, initial responses to this feature were varied; however, Spotify is now highlighting new data concerning user interaction with Canvas. The platform reports that listeners are:

• 145% more inclined to share the song
• 5% more inclined to continue listening
• 20% more inclined to save the song to their individual playlists
• 9% more inclined to explore an artist’s profile

The introduction of a marketplace is intended to encourage wider use of the technology, providing access to accomplished visual artists who have previously created content for prominent musicians, including Kanye and Billie Eilish. Spotify is also expanding Canvas availability to a greater number of artists internationally as part of this initiative.

“Given that Canvas is a format exclusive to Spotify, our goal is to simplify the process for artists seeking visual creators to help them develop compelling imagery,” the company stated. “Once an artist chooses a designer, they provide information about the sound of their music and their artistic concepts, which the designer uses to produce a customized Canvas specifically designed to fulfill their requirements.”

Any initiative that provides income for artists is generally beneficial. However, with costs potentially reaching hundreds of dollars per track, this service can become quite costly. Musicians will need to consider this expense in relation to the existing challenges surrounding streaming revenue. The investment could, under certain circumstances, prove worthwhile depending on the artist’s reach and stream count.

Historically, record labels have typically covered these types of expenses (unless they employ their own in-house visual artists), though current conditions in the music industry mean nothing is guaranteed.