01
Increase catalog listening from existing traffic
Listeners who visit an artist page are already interested. Artist Eras gives them a clearer next step, increasing streams beyond top hits.
A Spotify product concept by Sarah ElsharkawiArtist Eras
Reimagining Spotify artist pages around the chapters fans already recognize
About this project
I took a product I already love and explored a new feature opportunity for it, working end to end across research, strategy, UX, design, and a working prototype.
All ideas are my own, and this project is not affiliated with Spotify.
01 · Problem
Artist pages matter more than they currently deliver
2 in 100 listeners
Super listener
Other listeners
Spotify's Fan Study shows that super listeners, the ~2% of an artist's monthly audience who stream most intentionally, account for much of the real engagement.
18%
of monthly streams1
50%
of ticket sales1
9×
more likely to share music1
4×
more streams over six months from active listeners2
Artist pages are one of Spotify's most visited surfaces – people arrive with intent. But today they function as static catalogs, with little guidance for listeners who know a few songs and want a clearer way in.
02 · Solution
A new layer for artist pages, organized around eras
An era is a distinct creative chapter in an artist's career, usually centered around an album and defined by its sound, visuals, and themes. Artist Eras turns each one into a structured entry point.
Inside each era
Context
Start Here
Defining Moments
Era Essentials
Artist Voice
For fans
Start with the era you already know, understand what shaped it, and find what to hear next.
For artists
A better way to represent the story behind each period, not just release dates.
03 · Interactive Demo
See Artist Eras in action
Each era breaks an artist's career into chapters – capturing how their sound shifted, the moments that defined it, the tracks worth knowing, and other artists with a similar sound to that specific era.
Tap an artist, scroll to explore.
To switch artists, tap the home icon at the bottom.
This prototype features four artists; not all albums are shown for each.
Preview playing
04 · Strategic Value
Why Spotify should prioritize this
Artist pages are high-intent surfaces. Artist Eras converts existing curiosity into deeper listening using strengths Spotify already owns.
02
Grow more listeners toward superfan behavior
Listeners who save, follow, revisit, and explore deeply are more valuable over time. Better entry points can increase retention, repeat listening, and long-term lifetime value.
03
Strengthen Spotify's discovery advantage
Spotify already has listening history, personalization systems, and artist-page traffic at scale. Artist Eras turns those assets into a differentiated discovery experience competitors cannot easily match.
Competitive landscape
No single competitor combines listening depth, discovery, and artist identity in one destination. Spotify can.
Platform
Listening
Stream & replay
Discovery
Find new music
Artist Story
Identity & era
Strong
Limited
Weak
Spotify is uniquely positioned because it combines listening data, discovery systems, and artist identity in one surface.
05 · Product Strategy
How Artist Eras is scoped and validated
i
Ecosystem
Start on the listener side, where validation happens first
Artist Eras creates value across Spotify, but the MVP should be measured through listener behavior first.
Spotify ecosystem
For artists
Launch content could begin through Spotify editorial workflows, with future Spotify for Artists tools letting artists or their teams add eras, refine descriptions, and contribute context.
ii
User Focus
Who this MVP is built for first
Audience priority reflects familiarity with the artist, which grows with listening engagement.
Artist Eras targets casual fans – the layer where intent already exists but deeper exploration hasn't happened yet.
Primary audience
Casual fans
Know a few songs or one project, but have not explored much beyond that.
Why first
- Largest reachable audience with existing interest
- Highest upside to convert casual listeners into repeat fans
- Clear path toward more streams, saves, and long-term loyalty
Secondary
Superfans
Already know key releases, eras, and artist history.
Why second
- More self-sufficient today
- Values richer context and nostalgia
- Strong word-of-mouth if it resonates
Later
Potential fans
Little or no familiarity with artist.
Why later
- Discovery served by Search, Radio, and playlists
- Different problem than catalog navigation
- Natural expansion after core is validated
Current journey for casual fans
High
Medium
Low
01
Hears a song in a playlist or feed
02
Opens the artist page
03
Sees Popular tracks and recent releases
04
Plays familiar songs or picks something quickly
05
Leaves without exploring further
Pain point
Freq.
Sev.
No clear starting point
Familiar tracks dominate discovery
Large catalogs create decision friction
Release dates lack context
Exploration feels fragmented
The highest-friction moment comes when interested listeners are unsure where to start. Reducing that uncertainty can unlock broader catalog discovery, longer listening sessions, and stronger repeat engagement.
iii
MVP Scope
MVP: Guided Catalog Entry System
For casual fans opening a large artist page: where do I start, what should I play, and why does this era matter?
High
Medium
Low
Component
Impact
Effort
Rationale
Era Navigation
Chapter-based tabs that organize an artist's catalog into clear eras
Reduces overwhelm and unlocks deeper catalog exploration. Requires a new navigation layer integrated into the existing artist page.
Start Here
One recommended first track for each era
Removes start friction and lifts first-play conversion. Uses one selected entry track per era with minimal maintenance.
Era Essentials
A short set of key tracks that define each chapter
Reduces decision fatigue and drives multi-track listening. Requires curated track sets across eras, but no new recommendation systems.
Defining Moments
Major milestones from the era: chart success, sales, awards, cultural breakthroughs
Builds curiosity and extends session depth. Uses lightweight editorial content with infrequent updates.
Era Snapshot
Short summary, tags, and artist perspective that capture the era's identity
Improves confidence and speeds play decisions. Uses concise copy within the existing artist-page structure.
Operational model
MVP launches with editorially curated eras for top catalog artists, then expands using artist input and ML assistance.
Post-MVP · Expansion
Beyond the MVP
Personalized Start Here
Recommends the best first era for each listener based on familiarity and listening history
EraDNA
Like SongDNA, but for each chapter: collaborators, sound, themes, and influences
Cross-Artist Era Recommendations
Suggests similar eras or artists based on what a listener engages with
Era Mixes
Playlists built around the sound and mood of a specific era
DJ Era Mode
Spotify DJ guides listeners through an artist's chapters with commentary and recommended tracks
iv
Rollout Roadmap
Swipe to explore phases
Scope
Launch on mobile artist pages for artists with large catalogs and clear eras. Editorial-first rollout with lightweight implementation.
Ships
- Era Navigation
- Start Here
- Era Essentials
- Defining Moments
- Era Snapshot
Result
Users explore beyond one known song.
Scope
Use Spotify's existing taste and listening signals to improve relevance for returning listeners.
Adds
- Personalized Start Here
- EraDNA
Result
Higher repeat visits and better entry points.
Scope
Bring Artist Eras into broader discovery surfaces and new listening formats.
Adds
- Cross-Artist Era Recommendations
- Era Mixes
- DJ Era Mode
Unlock
Artist Eras becomes a discovery layer used across Spotify.
v
Success Metrics
What success looks like: More casual fans move beyond a few known songs into deeper catalog listening, and come back to explore again.
Primary metric
Casual Fan Listening Depth (7D)
For listeners identified as casual fans at visit: median minutes listened to that artist in the 7 days after visiting their Eras page.
Captures whether Artist Eras turns existing casual interest into deeper listening over the following week.
Supporting metrics
Early signals of engagement and deeper catalog listening among casual fans
- Era Entry Rate% of eligible visitors who open an era
- Cross-Era Exploration Rate% of era visitors who open 2+ eras in one session
- New Catalog Discovery (7D)New-to-user tracks played from the artist in 7 days
- Save / Follow Rate (7D)% of visitors who save a track or follow the artist in 7 days
- Repeat Listening Days (30D)Distinct days the user listens to the artist in 30 days
Guardrails
Measures that protect core listening and music discovery
- Time to First PlayMedian seconds from page load to playback
- Artist Page Bounce Rate% of visits with no playback
- Recent Release DiscoveryArtist-page plays of the latest release
- Superfan Listening TimeMedian post-visit listening time among superfans
- Negative Feedback RateRate of hides, dismissals, or complaints
vi
Key risks to validate
Prioritized by severity
High priority
Medium priority
Low priority
Severity
Risk
Description
Mitigation
Low feature discovery
Users may overlook Eras and continue using familiar paths like Popular tracks, Search, or playlists
- Surface Eras on eligible artist pages
- Trigger prompts after repeat artist listening
- Test Home and Search placements
Curation at scale
Eras require ongoing metadata, editorial judgment, and updates across a large artist base
- Start with top catalog artists
- Build internal creation tools
- Use ML-assisted recommendations
Limited era applicability
Some artists have smaller, newer, or continuously evolving catalogs that may not map cleanly to eras
- Launch where era signals are strongest
- Use lighter formats for emerging artists
- Expand coverage gradually
Artist page complexity
Eras could compete with existing modules if placement or hierarchy is unclear
- Use compact, expandable design
- Rank module contextually
- Test placement and engagement impact
In closing
Artist Eras turns passive interest into active fandom by making large catalogs easier to enter and more rewarding to explore.
A small change to the artist page, and a meaningful change to how fandom gets built.