Stay Ahead: DSP & UGC Platforms Updates April 2025

April was another big month for streaming and social platforms—packed with fresh tools designed to help creatives get their music heard, grow their fanbase, and increase revenue. From Spotify’s enhanced advertising and concert discovery features to Apple Music’s Dolby Atmos expansion, here’s a quick guide to what changed across key platforms—and exactly how to make the most of it.

Spotify

Spotify’s latest advertising features give you more control over how the music is promoted. With the launch of Spotify Ad Exchange (SAX) and free AI-generated audio ads, it’s now easier to create and scale campaigns across new formats.

Meanwhile, integrations with Skiddle (UK) and Stager (Netherlands) let fans discover events directly through an artist’s profile.

Also worth noting: Spotify Countdown Pages have expanded visibility. These pre-save pages display a live clock counting down to your album release and are now featured in the “Upcoming Releases” section of the Spotify mobile app. Albums are shown to Premium users most likely to engage, and any artist with at least 5,000 monthly listeners can create one in Spotify for Artists—boosting early momentum for new drops.

What to do next:

• Keep tour dates updated via Skiddle, Songkick, or Bandsintown.
• Encourage fans to follow your artist’s profiles to receive concert notifications.
• Activate Countdown Pages in Spotify for Artists to drive early engagement.

🔗 Spotify Artist Profile Best Practices

Apple Music

Apple Music is continuing its push for premium sound experiences. A new firmware update brings 24-bit lossless audio to AirPods Max, while Dolby Atmos support is now live for Windows users—bringing immersive listening to even more devices.

What to do next:

• For priority releases, deliver Dolby Atmos versions to fully leverage platform support and editorial opportunities.
• Promote the availability of immersive formats directly to fans.

🔗 Dolby Atmos on Revelator

🔗 Optimize Your Apple Music Presence

YouTube & YouTube Music

YouTube has started testing AI-generated background music. This new AI tool is available in the US through YouTube’s Creator Music marketplace and let creators instantly generate copyright-free instrumentals using text prompts.

Meanwhile, YouTube Music will soon roll out lyric-sharing visuals, allowing fans to post stylised lyrics with a customizable background and album artwork. Users can tap into the Lyrics tab, select their favorite lines from a song, and share them as a customizable graphic.

What to do next:

• Always remember to deliver complete, accurate lyric metadata to ensure shareability.
• Check out our YouTube Channel Best Practices 2025

Instagram

Meta launched Edits, a new standalone video app built for short-form content creation. It’s designed to make producing polished visuals quicker and easier—whether for Reels or cross-platform promotion. Instagram also enhanced its music search and fully rolled out Blend, a feature that lets fans share Reels with friends in DMs.

What to do next:

• Use Edits to speed up content creation.
• Encourage fans to use Blend and share your Reels to grow organic reach.

🔗 Check out Instagram Edits

Beatport

Beatport is refining how niche music is organized and discovered. It launched Brazilian Funk as a standalone genre and reorganized Ambient/Experimental and Downtempo categories for better tagging and editorial focus.

What to do next:

• Remember to check your genre tags to match Beatport’s latest classifications.
• Explore Beatport-specific strategies like genre-focused releases or exclusives to increase visibility.

🔗 More on Brazilian Funk on Beatport

TikTok

TikTok began quietly rolling out TikTok for Artists, a platform providing creators with analytics, insights, and tools to better manage and grow their music presence. Currently being tested in select markets, it signals TikTok’s growing support for artist development.

What to do next:

• Join TikTok for Artists to access audience insights and performance metrics.
• Use data to tailor your content strategy and grow your presence more effectively.

🔗 Explore TikTok for Artists

Qobuz

Qobuz introduced Label and Award Pages—new discovery hubs that highlight curated catalogs and critically acclaimed releases. These editorial features offer greater visibility for standout music and the teams behind it.

What to do next:

• Ensure your label metadata is up to date across all releases.
• If your catalog includes award-winning or highly curated releases, prioritize delivering high-res audio and rich editorial assets.

🔗 Qobuz Label & Award Pages

SoundCloud

SoundCloud has officially launched its full suite of subscription services in Mexico—a major step forward for both fans and creators. For the first time, listeners in Mexico can access Go, Go+, DJ, and Student plans, giving them licensed content from rights holders and an ad-supported free tier. On the creator side, Artist and Artist Pro subscriptions now come with localized pricing, enabling artists in Mexico to monetize streams from local fans.

This expansion opens new monetization opportunities in one of Latin America’s fastest-growing music markets.

🔗 More on SoundCloud’s Mexico Expansion

Stay Ahead, Stay Informed

DSPs and creator platforms evolve fast. Whether you’re preparing for a new release, engaging superfans, or expanding into new regions, staying informed keep you at an advantage. Apply these insights, adapt your strategy, and keep building momentum with your music.

We’ll be back next month with more updates to keep you ahead of the curve.