TuneCore Accelerator Report 3.0 Showcases Breakthrough Artist Success

February 5th, 2025 – TuneCore, the leading independent development partner for self-releasing artists—owned by Believe, one of the world’s leading digital music companies—has released the third edition of the TuneCore Accelerator Report, highlighting increased utilization of the TuneCore Accelerator platform and the substantial streaming and fanbase growth experienced by self-releasing artists as a result of TuneCore Accelerator promotional programs.

 Launched in 2023, TuneCore Accelerator is a powerhouse platform designed to help independent artists find new audiences and propel fan discovery at every stage of their career. The cutting-edge growth platform offers access to promotional and marketing programs with clear objectives to drive music discovery, build audiences, and promote deeper fan engagement. To further refine these efforts, TuneCore’s research team distributed a survey to gather feedback from over 600 respondents on key areas, including market trends and career priorities for artists and B2B partners. The survey found that artists are prioritizing the promotion of their music on streaming platforms and developing their creative skills, while also facing challenges such as breaking through the noise to reach real fans and securing financial resources, among others. TuneCore Accelerator is strategically designed to address these needs, offering tailored promotional tools, audience-building programs, and expanded revenue opportunities that align with artists’ career goals. By focusing on music discovery, fan engagement, and diversifying income streams, TuneCore Accelerator provides the comprehensive support artists need to thrive at every stage of their development.

Andreea Gleeson, CEO, TuneCore, commented, “When speaking with TuneCore artists about their needs, I most often hear two things: Artists need help breaking through the sea of music that gets released each day, and they want more opportunities to promote their music on digital streaming platforms so that they can reach new fans. TuneCore Accelerator is built to help independent artists not just gain listeners, but attract the right listeners—and turn them into loyal fans. Since its launch in 2023, the platform has driven real, measurable growth, offering artists the resources necessary to amplify their reach and build a lasting fanbase. With our latest report showing the largest expansion yet, TuneCore Accelerator has proven to be an essential aid for self-releasing artists who are ready to scale their careers and achieve sustainable success in a crowded music industry.”

TuneCore has been diligently working to refine the TuneCore Accelerator platform to best respond to the specific needs of independent artists, including helping them promote their music on digital stores and streaming platforms, targeting listeners to better stand out against competing releases, increasing access to editorial playlist opportunities, and more. As a result, since the platform’s launch last year, adoption of TuneCore Accelerator has markedly increased, with the number of artists utilizing the platform to grow their audiences nearly doubling since the previous TuneCore Accelerator Report’s publication in September 2024. Believe Group’s proprietary catalog optimizer has been refined to more effectively select artists & tracks with a higher likelihood for success within TuneCore Accelerator marketing programs, resulting in more than 1 out of 5 artists within TuneCore Accelerator experiencing enough streaming growth to advance to the next development plan segment[1]. The steady refinement of TuneCore Accelerator has provided artists with top-of-the-line resources to help them build sustainable careers, cementing the company as the industry’s top audience growth and development platform for self-releasing artists.

Key findings from the third TuneCore Accelerator Report include: 

• TuneCore Accelerator is driving billions of streams and discoveries

• Over the past year, TuneCore Accelerator has racked up more than 21 billion new streams for participating tracks. What is even more impressive is that the program sparked over 2.5 billion artist discoveries[2] and 5.5 billion track discoveries[3] to connect independent music with eager new ears.

• TuneCore Accelerator is developing careers and helping artists thrive

• Nearly 450,000 independent artists worldwide have signed up for TuneCore Accelerator, with tracks from 110,000 artists selected. Nearly half of these artists (53,000) were new to the program.

• Thanks to improvements in our catalog optimization technology, the Accelerator program now includes more frontline releases and developing artists than ever before. This program has helped one in five artists advance to a higher segment over the past 12 months, with those artists seeing their median royalty earnings increase fivefold during that time.

• Back catalogs are getting a new life through TuneCore Accelerator

• Accelerator artists have seen a 351% increase[4] in streams on songs released more than 18 months before joining the program, significantly boosting their streaming royalties. We're proving that great music can always tap into new audiences, no matter when it's released.

• TuneCore Accelerator is connecting artists to global fans

• ​​Music knows no borders, and neither does TuneCore Accelerator. This past year, tracks within the program saw streaming growth far and wide — from a 36% boost in the U.S. to even larger increases in West & East Africa (155%), Southeast Asia (138%), LATAM (88%), Germany (74%), and India (70%). Finding new fans spanning the globe, Accelerator artists are taking their music to places they’ve only dreamed of.

• TuneCore Accelerator is elevating every style and every genre

TuneCore Accelerator artists across all genres are seeing their stream numbers skyrocket. Hip Hop (+2.6 billion streams), Latin (+2.7 billion), Pop (+1.4 billion), and Country (+1 billion) tracks have seen particularly impressive gains from the program in the past year. Whether it’s an upbeat anthem or a heartfelt ballad, TuneCore Accelerator can help amplify it.

Case studies:

Alexandra Kay 

Nashville-based country artist Alexandra Kay has been a TuneCore artist since 2015, charting an extraordinary path as one of country music’s most captivating rising stars. The impact of TuneCore Accelerator has been transformative, contributing to a remarkable 152% uplift in Alexandra Kay’s streams on select streaming platforms, demonstrating the program’s ability to significantly enhance artist exposure and streaming performance. With over 100 million streams, including 12 million generated through TuneCore Accelerator, Alexandra Kay’s music continues to resonate deeply with fans worldwide, solidifying her place as a powerful and enduring force in modern country music.

23 tracks were activated in TuneCore Accelerator, including fan favorites like “Everleave”, “That’s What Love Is”, and “Painted Him Perfect”. TuneCore also supported the launch of her album All I’ve Ever Known, driving an impressive +5 million streams through TuneCore Accelerator. Through her participation in TuneCore Accelerator, Kay’s music has earned placements on more than 60 editorial playlists, driving +2.5 million streams from these high-visibility spots. Among her many achievements, Kay's debut album All I've Ever Known reached #1 on iTunes All Genre Album U.S, she was featured on Pandora's "Country Artists to Watch 2025" and handpicked as 1 of 6 artists to launch TikTok’s “Fan Spotlight” initiative. Her undeniable talent and hard work were further celebrated with prominent YouTube billboards in both Nashville and Los Angeles, solidifying her reputation as a standout artist.

Kay commented, "TuneCore has been instrumental in helping me build my career, from distributing my music to streaming platforms to helping me reach new audiences with TuneCore Accelerator, they have been with me through every step of my journey as an artist. TuneCore Accelerator has directly increased my streaming numbers by millions, allowing me to find new listeners and helping to push All I've Ever Known to the top of the iTunes album charts."

K. Forest

Canadian R&B singer, songwriter, and producer K. Forest has been a TuneCore artist since 2016—the year his track “Guidance” gained widespread recognition after being featured by Travis Scott on Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight.

K. Forest’s journey has been bolstered by his participation in TuneCore Accelerator, which has helped him connect with new audiences and achieve remarkable success. The program has driven over 3.5 million new streams, with 1 in 4 streams attributed to TuneCore Accelerator’s impact in the past year. Of these, more than 210,000 streams came from editorial playlist placements on major DSPs. Tracks like “Bonita,” “$weet n $our,” and “Thug Passion” secured spots on more than 50 playlists such as New Music Friday, Fresh Finds R&B, and Brand New Music, further solidifying his impact on the R&B scene.

K. Forest states, "With TuneCore, I have the freedom to create exactly what I want, collaborate with artists who inspire me, and release my music on my own terms.TuneCore Accelerator has pushed my career even further in the past year by securing playlist features, getting my music in front of new listeners, and helping me gain millions of new streams. It’s all about doing things my way and making sure my music reaches the people who truly connect with it."

Janani K. Jha

Janani K. Jha is a rising artist and songwriter whose bold creativity and determination have been supported by her participation in TuneCore Accelerator. The program has helped amplify her success, contributing more than 3 million streams and accounting for 1 in 5 of her Spotify streams in the past year. With placements on +40 editorial playlists, including 10 dedicated to supporting The Rest of The Laurels, TuneCore Accelerator helped amplify the release of her latest album, driving 155,000 streams through these playlist features.

Jha comments, “From the start of my career, TuneCore has provided my music releases with the care and attention they’ve needed to reach my core audience and beyond. Between including me in initiatives for women in music and cross-platform opportunities, I’ve felt supported by TuneCore every step of the way. TuneCore Accelerator has exceeded my expectations in introducing my music to new audiences. Every time I see a streaming report, I’m always shocked by the number of people discovering my music through TuneCore Accelerator and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

The full TuneCore Accelerator Report can be found HERE.

About Believe: 

Believe is one of the world’s leading digital music companies. Believe’s mission is to develop independent artists and labels in the digital world by providing them the solutions they need to grow their audience at each stage of their career and development. Believe’s passionate team of digital music experts around the world leverages the Group’s global technology platform to advise artists and labels, distribute and promote their music. Its 2,020 employees in more than 50 countries aim to support independent artists and labels with a unique digital expertise, respect, fairness and transparency. Believe offers its various solutions through a portfolio of brands including Believe, TuneCore, Nuclear Blast, Naïve, Groove Attack, AllPoints, Ishtar and Byond. Believe is listed on compartment B of the regulated market of Euronext Paris (Ticker: BLV, ISIN: FR0014003FE9). www.believe.com 

About TuneCore:  

TuneCore is the leading independent development partner for self-releasing artists to build audiences and careers – with technology and services across distribution, publishing administration, and a range of promotional services. TuneCore Music Distribution services help artists, labels, and managers sell their music through Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, TikTok, Tencent, and more than 100 download and streaming stores worldwide, while retaining 100 percent of their rights for a low annual flat fee. TuneCore Music Publishing Administration assists songwriters by administering their compositions through licensing, registration, worldwide royalty collections, and placement opportunities in film, TV, commercials, video games, and more. The TuneCore Artist Services portal offers a suite of tools and services that enable artists to promote their craft, connect with fans, and get their music heard. TuneCore, part of Believe, is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, with offices in Los Angeles and Nashville, and operates globally through local teams based in the UK, Germany, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, South Africa, India, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam and Singapore across 5 continents. www.tunecore.com 

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**Appendix**

[1] TuneCore Accelerator Development Plan Segments:

• START: Early stage of development (tracks garnering <1,000 streams per year) 

• Enables artists to find their first listeners  

• AMPLIFY: Emerging stage of development (tracks garnering 1K - 9,999 streams per year) 

• Builds artist discovery and listener engagement 

• BREAK: Accelerating stage of development (tracks garnering 10K - 99,999 streams per year)

• Levels up artists to break and accelerate their fan exposure 

• MAXIMIZE: Top stage of development (tracks garnering 100K - 1M+ streams per year) 

• Optimizes catalogs of artists whose tracks already have significant audience reach and streams to deepen fandom while also maximizing exposure and catalog value 

[2] Total number of times TuneCore Accelerator program was the source for a listener to discover an artist

[3] Total number of times TuneCore Accelerator program was the source for a listener to discover a track

[4] Total increase in algorithmic streams across DSPs where TuneCore is actively running campaigns