Small Wins, Real Lessons
April turned out to be one of those months, part predictable, part eye-opening for Lipcrack.
This time, the mission was simple: get Demolition Man onto Spotify playlists. Not just any playlists, ones with real listeners. Crack even a few with 1,000+ followers and suddenly you’ve got a genuine shot at growing the fanbase.
So we gave it a try.
There are plenty of music promo services out there now, all promising to push your tracks into playlists and in front of new listeners for a price. You’ll also hear warnings that this kind of thing goes against platform policies and could get you banned. Honestly, I’m not buying that entirely. We tested a paid service, and while the results weren’t massive, we did land some placements.
That alone made it worth exploring.
I’m not diving deep into each service just yet, we’re planning to test a few and see what actually delivers. But one thing hasn’t changed: our own email campaigns still bring in the most traffic. That said, this space shifts quickly, so that could change.
What hasn’t changed is the bigger reality. There are bands pulling millions of streams, and then there are bands like Lipcrack, fighting for visibility. And it’s not about track quality. It’s record contracts, advertising, algorithms… and a fair bit of luck.
Still, there’s progress.
We picked up placements on three playlists, which is a strong start. One in particular stood out, the Riot playlist by Helius. That one hit right. I’ve always believed Demolition Man is built for the mosh pit, and it’s good to see that land without needing to explain it.
We also landed on Ecstatic Rock and Music Victory, covering both rock and metal angles. See Below.
Not everything worked, we got knocked back from plenty of lists but that’s part of the process. Interestingly, we haven’t really pushed into punk playlists yet, which is something we’ll test next. The track has punk roots, so now it’s about seeing who else hears it that way.
The goal now is simple: stay on these playlists as long as possible and build from there. With more tracks on the way, these could turn into solid promotional leads.
Overall, for a first attempt beyond Spotify’s editorial system, it’s a win. When you’re starting from zero, any movement is momentum even if it comes with a few frustrating realities along the way.
On another front, the mailing list work is working well. March and April each brought in over 2,000 visitors to the site. YouTube remains the next strongest channel, but like everything else, growth comes at a cost—and right now that’s not being offset by track sales.
One interesting discovery: to even become a Spotify playlist curator, you need at least 1,000 listeners. So curators are fighting their own growth battle too. And like radio before it, it’s often easier to play the safe, familiar tracks than take a chance on something new.
That’s the system. So we work with it as best we can.
For a band that doesn’t play live, there are obvious limits but playlists are shaping up to be one of the best paths forward. So we’ll keep pushing, testing, and knocking on doors.
As promised, the video for Fucked Up My Life is available on the site, check it out below. One thing that surprised me while digging through playlists: just how many tracks lean heavily into the “F***” theme. Not something we’re planning to chase but there’s an interesting angle there I’ll share more on that later.
Looking ahead, there should be a new track available next month. It’s tight with everything else going on, but that’s the target.
Until then keep spreading the word about Lipcrack. There’s still a long road ahead, and success in this game comes down to one thing:
Ears.
Lots of ears.
Lipcrack
PS Don’t ask us why you can’t hear the video, we did test it and it seemed to work okay at the time it was loaded but having a brief look online once again it seems as though there could be issues with media in blogs which is becoming the norm in terms of the various formats required. If you haven’t seen it already check it out at You Tube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpCCFvP9ug4