Why You Should Use Spotify Canvas Video For Your Song

When “video killed the radio star” the lesson was learned! In a highly visual world, videos accompanying music can only make things more appealing and compelling. It’s well known that streaming services such as YouTube are among the most popular when it comes to music listening. It is safe to assume that people prefer enjoying music in a multimedia environment such as music videos rather than indulging in audio-only formats. You see, Spotify played it smartly by creating an interactive experience called Canvas (in the following text referred to as Spotify Canvas Video) that lets you upload videos for each song on their platform. The best part is that it’s completely free!

When deciding what to add as the visual illustration of your song, you should keep in mind a couple of things and try making the best out of it. We are here to help you, so keep reading our blog post below to learn more about how you can get started using this incredible feature. And remember this, if you are looking for more educative posts about music, you should totally check out other blog posts on our music promotion platform SoundCampaign. I promise you won’t regret it!

Advantages Of Adding Video Loops To Your Songs On Spotify

Having the opportunity to show many faces of your music and yourself as an artist is very important. You should use every possibility you are given and help Spotify users step into your artistic world, understanding your ideas more thoroughly. For a music artist, the visual aspect is not the first thing on the list, but it sure can draw listeners deeper into your magical world. So if you could use video to tell the full story, grab that chance and don’t let go! In case you’re interested in some complimentary reading, here are some ideas for making your song go viral on TikTok.

A video gives you the power to convey your thoughts more expressively. Fill your Spotify Canvases with just the right colors and take your music to another level. Its expressive value can create a bond between artists and listeners, and creating such a bond is vital for being recognized and accepted by many. Taking your time to make short videos that accompany your music demonstrate that your music is worth being explored and expressed on more than one artistic level.

Also, it shows that you care about your listeners, so give them the best experience when enjoying your music. You see, this is the perfect chance to consider representing your musical ideas in various artistic ways.

By Ivan Samkov

What Kind Of Video To Choose For Spotify Canvas?

The space you are working with is not large. You have up to 8 seconds to show us all you’ve got, but the possibilities are endless! Here are just a few suggestions to help you make some cool video features.

• Make custom Canvas videos with your fresh ideas. Record and edit some amazing videos and use them in your Canvas. Remember, you can also choose an image or an animation.
• You can also partner up with other amazing visual artists to help you bring out those ideas easier.
• Use pre-made templates that can be easily found online, even for free.
• Use animated text, e.g. related to your lyrics. Remember that the track title and artist name are already visible on the screen, so you can reconsider using them in your Canvas feature.

A Few Additional Things To Keep In Mind

• Spotify specifies that you must be the rightful owner of all videos used in your Spotify Canvas and that it may not contain any promotional materials.
• If you use the artwork of others, buy a license or find license-free videos, animations, or pictures (there are many of them on the Web).
• You must be a verified artist to be able to choose the Canvas option in your Spotify for Artists dashboard.
• Unfortunately, users in the Middle East, North Africa, Russia, India, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Moldova don’t have the Spotify Canvas feature in their app yet.
• Here are some additional tips for making the most of your Spotify Artist Profile, which is really important to do at the same time you add your Spotify Canvas.

By George Milton

Tips For Making The Most Out Of Your Spotify Canvas Videos

Spotify has shared some helpful tips for making just the right looping video for your track, and here are some of them:

• Don’t try synchronizing the short video with the song’s lyrics because you can only use one loop throughout the entire track. It won’t be in sync with the rest of the songs. It’s best to use shots without mouth movements (singing, rapping, or talking).
• Fast video cuts or flashing effects are not appealing to Spotify users.
• Carefully center the main object of your video by considering the placement of player controls overlying the lower half of your screen in the Spotify app.
• Connect your visual ideas across the profile or the album. If specific visual motifs appear in your Spotify profile picture, header image, or album art, try using them as a part of your Canvas video. Additionally, you can use similar motifs for all of the tracks of an album. Again, possibilities are truly endless.
• Change your Canvas video whenever you feel like it!

It Is Very Easy To Upload Your Spotify Canvas Video

Go to Spotify for Artists, login, and voilà! You are already halfway through the process! It is really easy to upload videos! If you are using the mobile app, see the following steps.

1. Select the desired track within Spotify for Artists and select ‘+’.
2. Select a video from the cameral roll.
3. Cut the video if necessary to be up to 8 seconds long.
4. Review the video and check if you have all the rights to post the video content.
5. Select ‘Next’ and wait for the upload to be done. Now everyone can watch your masterpiece.

If you are on the desktop, the process is similar.

1. Open your Spotify for Artists account and go to the ‘Music’ tab.
2. Choose ‘Releases’.
3. Select the desired track and click ‘Add Canvas’.
4. Now select your new visual loop and go to ‘Next’.
5. Agree to all terms and click ‘Post’ to finish your uploading journey!

By cottonbro

Frequently Asked Questions About Spotify Canvases

• What is the minimum length of a video loop?

No less than 3 seconds.

• What is the ratio of your Spotify Canvas?

It’s the 9:16 ratio. The video only shows in a vertical format, similar to other online platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, etc.

• What is recommended resolution of a video?

At least HD (720p). Better quality gives a better visual experience!

• What are the supported file formats?

Only two file formats are supported: MP4 and JPEG files.

• What are different video looping techniques?

Besides using standard hard-cut loops, you can consider using rebound to create an interesting bouncing effect, i.e. playing clip forward and then reversing the second half. This effect is similar to the ones you see in Instagram stories. Also, you can use those continuous loops that give you a satisfying feel and seem to have no ending or beginning. Those are created by carefully matching the end to the start of the video.

• Why should I bother making Spotify Canvas video?

If you are still not convinced that you should work on the visual presentation of your music, then let the stats speak for themselves. Spotify has shared some amazing findings when beta testing the Spotify Canvas feature. Numbers show that using the visual loop accompanying your track can significantly influence the listeners. It boosts the visit to your profile page by 9%, playlist adds by 20%, and track sharing by 145%. Impressive stats indeed!