Spotify just changed a rule that affects how pre-saves work for your fans. It’s not a Rise thing, and it’s not a music-tool thing. It’s every app that connects to Spotify. Here’s exactly what changed, what it means for your releases, and what we’ve already handled for you.

If you run pre-saves as part of your releases, this matters to you. Rise’s Conversion Campaigns are built on fans following, saving, and opting in to pre-save your future releases, so we want you to hear this straight from us, in plain English.

What actually changed:

Spotify used to let apps stay connected to a fan’s account forever. Once a fan gave permission, that permission just… stuck around. Not anymore.

As of a recent update from Spotify (they announced it on their developer blog), that connection now has to be renewed every 6 months.

This applies to every app and smart device that connects to Spotify, from music promo tools (like us) to the smart speaker in someone’s kitchen. It’s a platform-wide change, not something aimed at pre-saves specifically.

In practical terms: When one of your fans opts in to pre-save your future releases, they’re giving permission to save your new music to their Spotify automatically. That permission used to last forever. Now it runs out after 6 months, unless the fan says yes again.

Note: Your follower count is unaffected by this change. 

What we’re already doing about it

Long-story short: you don’t have to do anything.

Rise already emails the fans who opted in to your pre-saves with music recommendations via our Tout platform. That part hasn’t changed. What’s new is that this email now also gives them a one-click option to reconnect their Spotify. A fan who’s still into your music taps once, reconnects, and their pre-saves keep rolling for another 6 months. It happens on its own, no extra steps on your end.

We’re also giving you a clearer picture of your fan base. Your “Total Rise Fans” shows the count of your cumulative Spotify Followers gained through all Rise campaigns. “Active Pre-Save Bank” is your total followers who have connected or re-connected to our Spotify app within the last 6 months making them eligible for pre-saves. That way you always know what to expect on release day.

To be transparent, reconnecting does require fans to open our emails and take the time to sign in with Spotify again, every 6 months.

What to expect going forward

Fans who go quiet, stop opening emails, and drift away will eventually drop off after 6 months. That’s the downside of Spotify’s new rule, and it’s true across the board, not just at Rise.

But here’s the part that matters: your active fans, the ones who actually care about your music, keep saving your songs. And saves are one of the strongest signals you can send Spotify that real people love what you’re making.

Our goal is to keep your active fans connected and engaged with each release, so your numbers keep climbing even with this change in place.

The bottom line

If you’re building a real, lasting fan base on Spotify, this change actually rewards you for doing the right thing: releasing consistently and keeping your true fans engaged.

A one-off pre-save spike from fans who forget you exist was never the goal. Steady saves from people who stream every release is.

Should I keep running Conversion campaigns?

Yes! Conversion campaigns are as effective as ever at driving follows, saves, and pre-saves. This is a crucial part of the release process, and real engaged fans will continue to opt-in for the long-term.

There are many reasons to run Conversion campaigns beyond banking pre-saves. The value of a Spotify follower is within Release Radar, as they’ll get recommended your new music directly from that playlist. The music that those users saved is still in their libraries as well.

Conversion campaigns also send positive signals to Spotify’s algorithm because of increased followers and song saves throughout a campaign. Algorithmic play is powerful because your music continues to be recommended & discovered long after a campaign is over.

TL;DR

• Spotify now expires an app’s connection to a fan’s account after 6 months. This affects every app on Spotify, not just Rise, and not just pre-saves.
• Your fans’ pre-save permission now needs to be renewed every 6 months instead of lasting forever.
• You don’t have to do anything. Rise’s music recommendation emails now let fans reconnect Spotify with one tap.
• You’ll be able to see how many fans are still opted in, so you always know what to expect.

As always, keep Rising!