Quite often, we look at the bigs of the scene as nothing lesser than “Divinities”: it’s a commonplace phenomena, considering their unequalled success and reputations. But don’t forget that there are key-figures whose influences are way more far-reaching in the chain than thought.
Meet Austin Kramer.
You may know him, as many artists show their sheer gratitude to him on the social media, from time to time. If not, visit his profile and see the incessant queue of blue-ticked stars that constantly comment under his posts. Just them. An army of unusual fanboys. It’s a fun hobby I have: observing these opportunistic (and sometimes pathetic) interactions helps me boosting my self esteem, to say the least.
But who is Kramer, and why are so many EDM producers drawn to him like a moth to a flame?
He’s none other than the Global Head of Dance & Electronic Music on Spotify: in particular, he directly manages one of the leading playlist, “Mint” (5,8 Million followers), and his team curates the other official playlists like “Main Stage” (1.4 Million) and “Housewerk” (1.5 Million). All of the editorial EDM playlists in Spotify, having colossal amounts of listeners, are directly under Kramer’s influence. As you may know, Spotify shows its editorial playlists in the users’ related sections, thus they are extremely significant and active.
A track included in one of Kramer’s official playlists can generate thousands of dollars of revenue in a single day. It’s an unhindered gold mine for artists, and, their placements in there is a crucial promotion for each release they do.
Kramers’ decision are not seemingly random: curating a playlist is an intricate marketing process, where every choice is carefully calculated in order to emphasize the potential attention of the listener. We may explore the brass tacks involved in another episode perhaps, but for now, be aware that his job is not a facile one, and hence comes with tons of responsibilities.
Today, before conclusion of this article, we leave you with this question: is it unanimously agreeable that such a huge amount of dividends be left in the hands of a specific individual? Kramer’s choices can affect the lives of many artists and workers in this industry, and brands in the business are well-aware of that, constantly thanking his majesty for his benevolent gifts.
In the following episode, we’ll try to explore more about the mentioned personage… And his friends.
What do you think?
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