Spotify is rolling out a new feature that allows artists to raise money via their artist profiles. Spotify is teaming up with Cash App, GoFundMe, and PayPal for this initiative, which it hopes will help artists who are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The feature, called the Artist Fundraising Pick, allows artists to highlight a fundraising destination directly on their Spotify profile. Artists can raise money to support themselves, their bands, or their crews, as well as a variety of other organizations participating in the Spotify COVID-19 Music Relief project.
Spotify highlights a couple of examples:
- Tyrese Pope is fundraising through Cash App: “I’ve been using Cash App to raise money for a while but now that listeners can contribute through Spotify, it’s going to make a big difference. With touring now impossible, it’s never been harder for artists to make ends meet, so the extra contributions from Cash App and listeners alike will really help when we need it most.
- Boy Scouts is also fundraising through Cash App: “Like so many others right now, I am out of work as our tours have been cancelled or postponed because of COVID-19. Any help is appreciated as we keep in our efforts to find new ways to get by.”
- Marshmello is fundraising for MusiCares: “So many of us have been affected by the COVID-19 virus, and now more than ever we need to stand together and help each other. MusiCares is helping all working musicians, producers, songwriters, engineers and so many. Let’s all do our part to help those who need it most!”
When an artist joins this program, users will see the donation option on the artist profile and have the ability to donate via the artist’s preferred platform. There’s a clear explanation of where the money is going as well. There’s also an added bonus for Cash App donations:
We’re particularly excited about our partnership with Cash App, as they’ve generously established a $1 million relief effort for artists during these challenging times. Spotify for Artists users that submit their “$cashtag” username as their Artist Fundraising Pick — and secure at least one contribution of any size through Spotify — will receive an extra $100 in their account from Cash App, until a collective total of $1 million has been contributed.
For its part, Apple announced earlier this month that it has established a $50 million advance royalty fund to help indie labels affected by COVID-19. As we reported at the time, the music industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Concert tours and major festivals like Coachella have been delayed or canceled entirely.
You can learn more about this new feature in the full Spotify blog post here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments