The crossover collaboration is considered one of music’s nice traditions. When artists from totally different genres, areas, or just totally different profession phases deliver their skills collectively on a observe, it’s certain to seize fan consideration. It may even breathe new life right into a track or group.
When Run-D.M.C. linked up with Aerosmith within the ’80s to reimagine the latter’s single “Walk This Way,” it resulted in a world smash hit. It additionally helped delivery the rap rock subgenre and nonetheless stands as Run-D.M.C.’s largest hit. Decades after its launch, the track has racked up lots of of hundreds of thousands of streams on Spotify so far.
More just lately, we’ve seen main crossover collaboration moments from the likes of SZA and Phoebe Bridgers on “Ghost in the Machine,” PinkPantheress and Ice Spice on “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2,” and Taylor Swift and The National on “The Alcott.”
While these collaborations supply new avenues for artistic exploration, in addition they deliver collectively every artist’s distinct fan bases, offering a possibility for everybody concerned to develop their audiences.
“I think one of the biggest things is how music collaborations can connect genres,” explains John Stein, Spotify’s North America Head of Editorial. “We see a lot more of these collaborations, and I think each artist’s core audience seems to be more open to these moments than in the past.”
It’s straightforward to see why artists love this strategy, however how do followers reply? Are they listening extra on Spotify once they uncover a brand new artist on considered one of these songs?
We took a have a look at greater than 40 of the most important crossover collaborations from the final 12 years and located that six months after the collab was launched, 75% of artists concerned noticed a rise of at the very least 10% in total Spotify streams throughout their catalogs in comparison with the six months prior. More than 50% of those self same artists noticed their variety of streams develop by at the very least 50% in that very same time interval, whereas 30% noticed their variety of streams rise by at the very least 100%.
And whereas many of those collaborations are effectively obtained, a few of them have been very effectively obtained.
There are few examples that paint this image extra clearly than Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus uniting on “Old Town Road – Remix.” In the six months following the track’s launch, the rise in shared listeners between the 2 artists skyrocketed by almost 390,000%.
For additional proof, you may also look again to 2017, when Latin music icon Luis Fonsi joined forces with reggaeton godfather Daddy Yankee on “Despacito.” The track shortly caught on with followers world wide, however its reputation went into overdrive and the track turned an inescapable tour de pressure when Justin Bieber hopped on the “Despacito (Remix)” three months later.
Luis particularly noticed his fame attain unexpected heights, and within the six months following the discharge of the unique model, streams of Luis Fonsi on Spotify jumped by greater than 2,600% (in comparison with the six months prior).
But it was the remix, particularly, that helped to develop the Puerto Rican singer’s attain in English-speaking markets. Spotify streams of Luis Fonsi within the U.S., U.Okay., and Canada mixed spiked by greater than 4,300% within the six months following the discharge of “Despacito,” with most of that enhance coming after the remix dropped.
“When the ‘Despacito’ remix came out, it felt like a huge and rare moment to have artists from such different backgrounds and genre spaces collaborate and experience such success,” John says. “Now it feels like it happens all the time, and there’s almost a level of expectation that artists are going to mix it up and work with artists from different spaces. And I think we see that reflected in the data on the platform and in the reaction on our playlists.”
Such is the case with Nigerian afropop star Rema and American pop star Selena Gomez, who created a cross-continental connection on the 2022 hit “Calm Down.”
“When Rema dropped the solo version of ‘Calm Down’ last year, it was doing really well in terms of streams, especially in Africa,” John explains. “Then, at the exact right moment, Rema teamed up with Selena Gomez on a new version of the track.”
In the six months following the collaboration’s launch, every day Spotify streams of Rema in North America elevated by greater than 230% in comparison with the six months prior. Meanwhile, every day Spotify streams of Selena Gomez in sub-Saharan Africa elevated by greater than 120% in that very same time interval.
“With Selena being such a big pop star globally, I think the song reached an audience that checked it out to see what Selena was doing,” John says. “But they kept coming back because it was such a good song.”
And very like Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus, the respective fan bases of Rema and Selena Gomez began to merge collectively. In the six months following the discharge of “Calm Down,” the variety of followers who listened to each artists elevated by over 600%.
A springboard to success
For rising artists, the crossover impact will help them break by means of in beforehand untapped markets, or assist them outline their musical identification on their very own phrases.
When Khalid had his breakthrough second along with his 2016 hit single “Location,” he was usually labeled as an R&B artist. But after his 2017 collaboration with Alina Baraz—an artist who floats between the strains of pop, R&B, and digital—on “Electric,” Khalid flashed his potential to be a pop star within the broadest potential sense.
And, like Luis Fonsi, Khalid is one other artist who benefitted from the crossover impact. Following the discharge of “Electric,” streams of Khalid on Spotify spiked by greater than 3,100% within the six months following its launch (in comparison with the prior six months).
Building on the momentum of “Electric,” Khalid showcased his versatility as he hopped between genres on numerous high-profile collaborations. At each flip, the singer gained over new followers, showing alongside Alessia Cara on Logic’s “1-800-273-8255” and connecting with EDM producer Marshmello on “Silence.” To date, each songs have been streamed greater than a billion occasions on Spotify.
“The editorial team used to have a lot of conversations about Khalid, and the general consensus was, ‘Wow, he is on everything,’” John displays. “He has a really unique voice that brings a special quality to songs, so it makes sense in a lot of ways that he was finding success with those collaborations.”
Khalid’s fruitful run even included an look on Billie Eilish’s 2018 chart-topping juggernaut “lovely,” which has been streamed greater than 2 billion occasions and stays his most profitable track so far.
Amplifying crossover collaborations
In the streaming period, followers’ entry to music isn’t restricted by what’s on the radio or TV, or by what’s out there on the document store. With a couple of faucets of the display screen, followers have instantaneous entry to the catalogs of hundreds of thousands of artists.
So when a collaboration comes alongside that catches the ear of listeners, there are a selection of options on Spotify that each improve the invention course of for followers and assist develop the attain of these songs even additional.
Many Spotify followers usually begin with search. And once they uncover a brand new artist by means of a crossover collab, we’ve seen a large bounce in searches for that artist.
When Grupo Frontera collaborated with Bad Bunny on “un x100to,” the star energy of Spotify’s three-time most-streamed artist confirmed Música Mexicana’s standing as an explosive style on the rise.
In the 2 weeks that adopted the discharge, every day Spotify searches for the Mexican sextet surged by greater than 330% in comparison with the 2 weeks prior. At their peak, searches for Grupo Frontera elevated by greater than 1,100%.
The National skilled an analogous bump from their collaboration with Taylor Swift, with Spotify searches growing by greater than 1,500% on the day of launch.
For Spotify’s world staff of editors, profitable crossover collaborations additionally supply up a invaluable sign that helps information their curation of playlists. Every week, our editorial staff sits down and discusses the newest cultural actions within the areas and genres they deal with. When a crossover collaboration begins to make waves, it could encourage editors to function them in playlists they won’t have appeared on earlier than.
“I know among our indie-focused editors, there was a discussion of the SZA and Phoebe Bridgers single and whether or not it was an indie track,” John explains. “While SZA might primarily be a pop or R&B artist, our editors overwhelmingly felt that it was an indie song, and having Phoebe on ‘Ghost In The Machine’ helped her open the door to Spotify’s core indie audience.”
Crossover collaborations may also seem on customized playlists like Release Radar and Discover Weekly if a Spotify listener follows or commonly listens to one of many artists concerned. When that occurs, followers can simply uncover the opposite artists.
“I think in the case of Ice Spice and PinkPantheress—with one being a rapper from New York and the other being a British artist who makes dance-oriented music—Release Radar has helped them both reach each other’s core audiences across genres and regions,” John says. “These types of collaborations can make listeners more open to checking out a new artist if they like what they hear.”
In the three months that adopted the discharge of “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2,” every day Spotify streams of PinkPantheress grew by almost 250% within the U.S. (in comparison with the six months prior). Ice Spice, in the meantime, had a breakthrough second within the U.Okay., with every day Spotify streams of her songs rising by almost 1,400%. At the height, every day streams for PinkPantheress and Ice Spice soared by greater than 400% and 1,900% within the U.S. and U.Okay., respectively.
Taken altogether, the numbers on show right here inform a strong story in regards to the crossover impact. This perception is invaluable, suggesting that the cross-cultural exchanges and expression of contemporary concepts can lead not solely to globe-expanding visibility, however the alternative to forge new profession paths. As the songs develop, so do the artists.