What Are Spotify Singles? The Invite-Only Program Explained

The confusion that costs artists time

The phrase "Spotify Singles" circulates in music communities as if it means any single track released on Spotify. That reading is wrong, and operating on it leads artists toward a goal that does not actually exist for them.

Spotify Singles is a specific program that Spotify runs internally. It is invite-only, studio-based, and formatted around a pair of exclusive recordings. An independent artist uploading a track through DistroKid or TuneCore is releasing a single to Spotify. They are not participating in Spotify Singles, which is something different entirely.

The distinction matters because the realistic path to Spotify discovery runs through tools every artist can actually use, and understanding that path clearly is what this article is for.

What the Spotify Singles program actually is

Spotify launched the Singles program in December 2016 as an original recorded music initiative. The format draws loosely on the old vinyl single: two tracks, one original and one cover, produced in a single session at a Spotify facility.

When Spotify invites an artist to participate, the artist comes to one of Spotify's studio facilities, located in New York City, Los Angeles, London, and Stockholm, and records two tracks. The first is a reimagined version of one of their own existing songs. The second is a cover of a song of their choosing, serving as an homage to a musical influence or peer. Recordings have also taken place at historic outside facilities including Abbey Road and Electric Lady Studios, according to Spotify Newsroom.

The recordings are released under the Spotify Singles brand and made available on Spotify. Critically, the artist and their label retain ownership of the recordings. Spotify distributes the tracks but does not own them. That point was confirmed publicly by Spotify's own production team, who noted the recordings are artist-owned and creator-owned.

Scale and history of the program

Since its launch, the program has become Spotify's longest-running original music franchise. As of early 2025, according to Spotify Newsroom, the program has surpassed 10 billion collective streams worldwide. It has featured more than 750 artists across 45 markets, resulting in nearly 1,000 unique recordings.

Notable recordings from the program include Harry Styles' cover of "Girl Crush," Lewis Capaldi's version of Billie Eilish's "when the party's over," and Ed Sheeran's cover of "Baby One More Time." Snoh Aalegra's "DO 4 LOVE" became the first Grammy-nominated Spotify Single. Kesha's "Holiday Road" was the first Spotify Single to reach number one on a Billboard chart, as documented by Music Business Worldwide.

In early 2025, Spotify expanded the program by opening its Stockholm Studio to artists across Europe for the first time since its 2018 launch. The Stockholm Studio had previously hosted only Nordic artists.

The program has also been connected to Spotify's other artist development initiatives. Through its Fresh Finds program, Spotify has used Spotify Singles as a capstone experience for emerging independent artists selected for mentorship, as noted in Spotify Newsroom's 2021 Fresh Finds announcement.

Who gets invited and how selection works

Spotify does not publish explicit selection criteria for the standard program. What is clear from the program's history is that Spotify curates participation. Invited artists have ranged from major-label acts to emerging artists, across genres and global markets.

There is no public application process. Artists do not submit for Spotify Singles through Spotify for Artists or any other open tool. Participation comes at Spotify's invitation, and the program's scope at any given time reflects Spotify's own editorial and commercial priorities for original content.

For most independent artists, waiting for a Spotify Singles invitation is not a useful strategy. The program is a content franchise that Spotify manages for its own platform storytelling and listener engagement purposes. It is not a discovery mechanism open to the broader artist community.

The common confusion: "releasing a single" vs. the Singles program

When an artist says they are "putting out a Spotify Single," they almost always mean they are releasing a track to Spotify through their distributor. That is the standard release process available to every artist on the platform.

This is completely separate from Spotify Singles the program. A track released through a distributor sits in the same catalog as every other track on Spotify, competed for attention through editorial pitching, follower activity, and algorithmic signals. A Spotify Singles recording is produced by Spotify's own team, released under Spotify's program branding, and carries none of the access requirements of a standard release because Spotify itself is behind the production.

Independent artists who want visibility on Spotify have specific, real pathways available to them. None of those pathways involve the Spotify Singles program.

What independent artists can actually do

The tools available to every artist on the platform are the relevant ones. Spotify for Artists allows pitching unreleased tracks to editorial playlists before release. Pitching at least seven days before release also makes a track automatically eligible for listeners' Release Radar, the personalized weekly playlist that surfaces new music from artists a listener follows or has shown interest in, according to Spotify for Artists.

Beyond editorial pitching, the signals that drive algorithmic surfaces are the levers an artist actually controls: building a follower base so new releases reach listeners directly, earning strong save rates that tell the system listeners want to return, and sustaining high completion rates that signal the track is doing its job. Those mechanics are covered in detail in how the Spotify algorithm recommends music.

Discovery Mode is a separate paid tool within Spotify for Artists that allows artists to boost their priority in radio and autoplay contexts in exchange for a reduced royalty rate on those streams. It is not the same as Spotify Singles, and it is covered separately in Discovery Mode Is Not a Shortcut.

Operator framing

If you are building a release strategy, the Spotify Singles program is background knowledge, not a working variable. Know what it is so you can explain it accurately to clients and collaborators. Understand that artists who appear in the program were invited, not selected through a process you can replicate.

The levers you actually control are release quality, metadata, pitching timing, audience development, and engagement quality. A catalog built on consistent releases with strong listener signals compounds over time in ways that the algorithmic surfaces reward. That compounding effect is the realistic version of platform growth for independent artists, and it is entirely within reach without an invitation from Spotify.

FTSMusic analysis is based on anonymized aggregate artist data, internal campaign observations, and publicly available industry documentation. Individual outcomes vary by catalog, genre, audience quality, and release strategy.