Spotify launched Fresh Finds Forward on 17 September. The program gives roughly 10,000 emerging independent artists a year a package of tools, studio access and support. It is free, and Spotify says it does not change royalty rates.
For producers the useful part is the software. Participants get premium access to LANDR Studio Pro and Splice’s Creator Plan for 12 months.
US-based artists get free studio time, including at Electric Lady in New York, The Lighthouse at Ocean Way in Nashville, and Spotify Studios in Los Angeles.
The rest covers early access to some Spotify tools, priority for tour and music video partnerships, a Fresh Finds badge on the artist profile, in-person and virtual events, and six months of free therapy through BetterHelp.
This is the catch. There is no open application. Eligibility runs through the playlists. Any eligible artist added to a Fresh Finds playlist from 1 January 2026 onward gets invited through Spotify for Artists, then has access for 12 months.
The only route in is pitching an upcoming release to Spotify’s editors.
Fresh Finds playlists have run for over a decade and have featured more than 80,000 artists across 127 countries. Laufey, Clairo, Ethel Cain, Omar Apollo and Royel Otis all appeared before they broke. Alumni have earned Best New Artist nominations five years running, including Doechii, Wet Leg and Japanese Breakfast.
Spotify says the playlists have driven 128 million new artist discoveries since 2024, and that close to 70% of their streams are a listener hearing an artist for the first time.
The program lands while Spotify is reshaping a lot else at once, from its AI licensing deal with Universal to mass removals of AI spam. Full details are in Spotify’s announcement, and there are plenty of free tools worth knowing if you are not eligible.
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