Discovery Mode Recommendations in Anthology
Raw performance data can be overwhelming. Our latest Anthology feature makes it easier to understand how tracks enrolled in Spotify Discovery Mode are performing and identify which tracks may need further review.
Discovery Mode gives selected tracks a greater chance of appearing in Spotify’s personalised recommendation contexts. In return, Spotify applies a 30% commission to the recording royalties generated by streams in those contexts. Streams generated elsewhere on Spotify are not subject to this commission. Learn more about Discovery Mode contexts.
This makes it important to regularly assess whether Discovery Mode is delivering enough engagement, reach and revenue to justify keeping each track enrolled.
How Anthology recommendations work
Anthology assigns each track one of three recommendations:
KEEP - The track is performing well, or there is not yet enough data to assess it reliably.
MONITOR - Performance is acceptable but should be reviewed again after another campaign period.
REMOVE - The track has a low conversion rate and may no longer justify continued enrolment.
Recommendations are primarily based on how effectively promoted streams lead to playlist adds and saves.
Other metrics to consider
Conversion rate is not the only measure of success. Anthology also provides the following metrics to help you assess each track in more context:
Promoted streams - Streams generated through Discovery Mode during the campaign.
Non-promoted streams - Streams generated outside Discovery Mode. These are not subject to the 30% commission.
Total streams - Promoted streams plus non-promoted streams.
Dependency - Promoted streams as a percentage of total streams. A high percentage means the track currently relies heavily on Discovery Mode.
Dependency MoM% - The month-on-month change in the track’s dependency on Discovery Mode.
Non-promoted MoM% - The month-on-month change in non-promoted streams, showing whether activity outside the campaign is growing or falling.
Adds + saves - The total playlist adds and saves attributed to the campaign.
Conversion rate - Playlist adds and saves divided by promoted streams. This is the main metric used to calculate the recommendation.
Why you might keep a low-converting track enrolled
A REMOVE recommendation only means that the track has a low playlist-add and save conversion rate. It does not necessarily mean that Discovery Mode is providing no value.
It may still be worth keeping the track enrolled if:
Discovery Mode is generating a meaningful number of additional streams or listeners.
The main objective is reach, awareness or catalogue reactivation rather than saves.
Listeners are going on to explore other tracks by the artist.
Non-promoted streams are growing.
The estimated additional revenue or audience growth justifies the commission.
The track supports an upcoming release, tour, anniversary or wider campaign.
Spotify states that Discovery Mode can encourage further, commission-free exploration of an artist’s catalogue, although this is not guaranteed. Read Spotify’s Discovery Mode overview.
Recommendations, not instructions
Anthology recommendations are designed to flag tracks for review and support data-driven decision-making. They should not be treated as definitive instructions.
Campaign objectives, wider marketing activity, stream growth, reach and overall commercial performance should all be considered before changing a track’s enrollment. The final decision always remains with the client, regardless of the Anthology recommendation.
If you have any questions about Spotify Discovery Mode or your campaign results, please contact your label manager.