Open a big artist's profile on Spotify and scroll down: there is a row called Fans Also Like. Open your own and it may be empty, or full of artists you have never heard of. You can't edit that row and you can't ask Spotify to change it. But once you understand how it is built, you stop worrying about it and start using it.
What the section is
Fans Also Like is a row of other artists on an artist's profile, in the app and on the web. Older versions and many articles call it related artists. It sits among the first things a new visitor sees, so it feels important, and it does help people move from one artist to the next.
It isn't a list you fill in. It isn't picked by an editor either, and it isn't built from the genre or mood tags that you or your distributor attach to a release.
It is built from overlapping listeners
The idea behind it is simple. If many people who listen to you also listen to artist X, then X can appear in your row. It is about people, not about sound.
That has two consequences that surprise artists:
- Two artists who sound almost identical may never appear next to each other if their audiences never meet.
- Two artists who sound quite different may appear together if the same people love both.
So when a producer says "I sound exactly like this star, why am I not in their related list?", the answer is usually that the listeners don't overlap yet. Similar music is not enough. A shared audience is what counts.
Why a new artist's list is empty or strange
For a new profile there are several ordinary reasons.
- Not enough listening data. A pattern needs enough people with enough listening. A very small audience gives the system little to compare.
- Your first listeners have random tastes. Early plays often come from friends, family, classmates and curious followers. Their other listening has nothing in common, so the pattern points everywhere.
- Broad promotion. A giveaway or an ad aimed at everyone brings people with no shared taste. They listen once and leave, and they don't form a clear group.
- Mixed playlists. If your song sits in a playlist full of unrelated music, listeners from all over arrive.
- Delay. The section isn't updated the second someone listens. It can take a while for changes to show up.
One thing to avoid completely: buying streams or plays. Fake accounts pollute your audience data, break platform rules and can get your music removed. They will also never create a real, matching audience.
What actually changes it
You can't pull a lever, but you can change the conditions.
- Collaborations. A feature puts your music in front of another artist's fans, and the ones who like both start to overlap. Choose partners whose audience would genuinely enjoy you.
- A consistent sound and audience. If you release in a recognisable lane and promote to people who already like similar music, your listeners start to look alike. That is what the system needs to see.
- Targeted promotion. Pitch to playlists in your own niche instead of the biggest generic ones, and aim ads at fans of artists you truly resemble.
- Repeat listening. People who come back to your music, save it and also listen to the artists around your scene build the pattern. One-time plays don't.
- Time. Overlap builds slowly, release by release.
How to use it anyway
Even though you can't edit the row, it is useful as information.
- Look at your own Fans Also Like to see who the platform thinks your audience listens to. If it differs from what you expected, that tells you who is really finding you.
- Look at the lists of artists at a similar size to you. They are natural ideas for collaborations, shared concerts and playlist targets.
- Use the names as a guide for your pitch and your promotion language, but don't copy another artist's style just to appear next to them.
Other services have similar sections, each built in its own way, so check how each service describes its own and don't assume they work like Spotify's.
Quick answers
Can I ask Spotify to add a specific artist to my list?
No. The row isn't something you or your distributor can edit. Spotify decides how it is built, and its rules can change.
Does the genre I choose affect it?
Not directly. Genre labels help describe your music, but this section is built from what fans actually listen to.
How long until it fills in?
There is no fixed time. It depends on how many people listen, how much they listen and how alike they are. Keep releasing, keep promoting to the right people and check again after a few releases.