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saiming

🎧 Case Study: SAIMING – From 12K to 350K+ Monthly Listeners in 12 Months

Saiming - from 12K to 300k+

Artist: SAIMING
Platform: Spotify
Campaign Duration: 12 Months (May 2024 – May 2025)


🎯 Goals at Campaign Start

  • Scale Spotify monthly listeners from 12,000 to over 300,000
  • Drive consistent engagement across releases (saves, streams, follows)
  • Land placements in key editorial + niche playlists
  • Build a sustainable international presence and fanbase

📊 Initial Metrics (May 2024)

  • Monthly Listeners: 12,000
  • Followers: ~3,500
  • Top Track Streams: Under 25K across all songs
  • Playlist Placements: Less than 3 minor user-curated playlists
  • Save/Add Rate: ~2% of total streams

🔧 Strategic Campaign Overview

1. 🎵 Consistent, Smart Release Schedule

  • Deployed a well-paced release cycle (new single every 6–8 weeks) to trigger Spotify’s Release Radar and keep fans engaged.
  • Highlight projects like “what’s the alternative?” and singles “LMNO”, “WOOF MEOW”, and “know us.”

2. 📣 Targeted Playlist Outreach

  • Built strong relationships with 100+ playlist curators in alt-rap, UK experimental, chill-hop, and electronic-infused genres.
  • Secured placements in over 20+ playlists, including a few editorial placements by Spotify.

3. 📲 Paid Media + Spotify Marquee

  • Invested in Marquee campaigns at every new release, helping drive post-release engagement by targeting existing listeners and new fans.
  • Supplemented with Instagram, Reels, and YouTube Shorts ads showing studio sessions, performances, and behind-the-scenes content.

4. 🌍 Geo-Focused Growth

  • Focused expansion in UK, Australia, Netherlands, and South Africa top Spotify listener regions based on early data.
  • Ads and playlist targeting followed geo-performance metrics.

5. 🧠 Branding & Fan Engagement

  • Crafted a consistent artistic identity genre-bending sound, deep lyrics, and strong visual themes.
  • Encouraged fan interaction via exclusive content, lyric snippets, and save-to-unlock perks on social media.

📈 Results After 12 Months

MetricMay 2024May 2025Growth
Monthly Listeners12,000355,000++2,858%
Total Streams (All-Time)~15,00015M++99,900%
Followers~3,50019,800++465%
Playlist Placements<3 minor20+ placements (incl. editorial)6x+ growth
Save/Add Engagement Rate~2%~9.5%+375%
Most-Streamed Track (“WOOF MEOW”)~5K5.6M+Core anchor track

🔥 Key Wins

  • “WOOF MEOW” became a viral track, boosting algorithmic placements across Discover Weekly and Radio.
  • SAIMING’s live and visual content strategy on social channels significantly drove pre-save and follow rates.
  • Reels and Marquee campaigns drove low-cost conversion rates and were scaled gradually with each release.
  • Canvas engagement helped reinforce branding and increased track saves from passive listeners.

🧗‍♂️ Challenges Tackled

  • Limited Initial Traction: Had to build momentum from a nearly cold start. Focused on playlists, visuals, and CTA-heavy canvases.
  • Genre Fluidity: Navigated the challenge of categorizing SAIMING’s unique sound by identifying micro-niche audiences.
  • Saturation: Worked around market competition by positioning SAIMING as a standout visual and live performer.

🧠 Final Insights

  • Consistency = Credibility: Regular, well-branded releases signaled professionalism and drew Spotify’s algorithmic attention.
  • Small Playlists, Big Impact: Micro-playlists with loyal listeners often drove higher retention than major editorial slots.
  • Organic + Paid Combo: Leveraging both short-form content and Spotify Marquee created a balanced, scalable funnel.
  • Fan-Centric Messaging: “Save to support the next release” messaging increased action-based loyalty from casual listeners.