HigherLVL Case Study: Ivytide

In the recent months at Higher Reign Music, we have developed a new program for up and coming artists called HigherLVL which includes all label services and the support artists need alongside evolutive contracts. In today’s article, we’ll share with you how an indie band under our exclusive program grew from less than 5000 streams to more than 5 million streams. Here’s the journey of Ivytide based in Montreal, Canada.

1) We actually listen to everything

Back in January 2019, our A&R team was very intrigued by this random submission from a band called Ivytide. The band submitted their songs via our website and we loved the music right away. At our company, our A&R team actually listens to everything that gets sent to us even though we may not reply to everybody we do get in touch with those that we see the potential. The journey with Ivytide started with a standard agreement for a developing act not too long after they first submitted music.

2) The struggle (Year 1)

During our first year of releases with the band, we had to establish goals and how we would actually market their project. We sat down with the band members and discussed how many releases they were aiming for and we told them how a label and distributor like Higher Reign can do for them. The group was at 70 followers on Spotify, 200 on Instagram, and less than 5000 streams in total for all their previous songs when we first released the first single.

Prior to signing with us, the band never had any editorial playlists from any streaming platform. That’s where HR Music came into play for one of their first goals. With our multiple connections and relationships with the music editors at Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more, we are able to present and pitch the band’s project to get support. After the first and second releases, we didn’t get any support but it’s a normal process since the editors have to get accustomed to the artist. On the third release, we obtained support from Spotify and Apple. That’s where things started to change.

3) Keep growing and level up (Year 2)

The fanbase was another aspect that we needed to develop since the band was getting some early support from streaming platforms. We had to grow their following and engage more with potential fans. The group decided to release 4 singles and 1 EP in 2020 which was more than the previous year with only 3 releases. We wanted to give more to the fans so they kept coming back and streamed even more. By running optimized ads on social media to specific audiences, we were able to grow their followers at a rapid pace. The Spotify followers grew from 300 to 5000 in a span of 3 months and the Instagram following went from 200 to 4000.

While we were doing our due diligence with the fan base, Spotify was adding the songs to more playlists and added one of their songs to one of the biggest indie playlists called Chill Vibes with millions of followers.

The thing to remember here is consistency with releases and growing the fan bases. That way fans can also get new content at least every two months and you stay in people’s minds. By that time the band also grew their monthly listeners from 3000 to 140 000 in one month. It was now time to work even harder.

2019 - 2020 Spotify followers

2020-2021 Spotify followers

4) No time to play (Year 3)

Starting strong in 2021, we decided to go with the same volume of releases from the year prior since the band had success. This time around, every release was getting supported by the editorial teams at Spotify and Apple Music and they even landed on the cover of 3 playlists on Spotify! The band is now boosting 8000 followers alone on Spotify (Remember when we first signed them they were at 70). HR Music also told the band to start creating content on TikTok and just have fun with it. From funny videos to behind the scenes, in six months they went from 0 to 11 000 followers on the viral platform. They are now getting recognized by national media and blogs in their home country and internationally. With a solid fanbase now at their disposal, Ivytide is ready to tour on its own once the pandemic slows down. The music and the strategy was flawlessly executed in a partnership with the band members of Ivytide.

This was just a summary of this indie band’s journey with HR Music and how you can also have access to all the tools to propel your career to the next level with HigherLVL. Take a look at our exclusive program to see if you are eligible!