TuneCore, the Believe-owned digital distribution platform for self-releasing artists, says its Accelerator program facilitated 21 billion streams of participating tracks over the past year.
In its third Accelerator Report, which you can read in full here, TuneCore said nearly 450,000 artists have signed up for the program – up from 80,000 reported a year ago. Of those artists, 110,000 have had songs selected to be promoted via Accelerator.
TuneCore credits Accelerator with 2.5 billion “artist discoveries” (the total number of times TuneCore Accelerator was the source of a listener discovering an artist) over the past year, and 5.5 billion “track discoveries” (the total number of times Accelerator was the source of a listener discovering a track).
Launched in 2023, Accelerator was launched “to help artists find new audiences and propel their fandom.” It offers services such as promotion and marketing, and enables access to digital service provider (DSP) programs such as Spotify Discovery Mode and YouTube Creator Music.
The program divides artists into four “development plan segments”:
START, for artists seeking their first listeners, provides services for tracks garnering less than 1,000 streams per year.
AMPLIFY, for emerging artists with tracks garnering 1,000 to 9,999 streams per year.
BREAK, for artists in the accelerating stage of their development (10,000 to 99,999 streams per year).
MAXIMIZE, the top stage of development, for tracks garnering 100,000 to 1 million-plus streams.
TuneCore says one in five artists in the Accelerator program advanced to a higher segment over the past 12 months, with median royalties increasing five-fold for those artists.
“Accelerator artists have seen a 351% increase in streams on songs released more than 18 months before joining the program, significantly boosting their streaming royalties,” TuneCore said. “We’re proving that great music can always tap into new audiences, no matter when it’s released.”
As part of the latest report, TuneCore surveyed 600 Accelerator participants to better understand their needs as artists.
The survey found that artists are prioritizing discovery and development of their creative skills while facing the challenge of breaking through the noise of a deluge of new music uploads. Market monitor Luminate’s latest music report found that 99,000 new tracks were uploaded to DSPs every day in 2024.
“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.”
Andreea Gleeson, TuneCore
“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 CEO Andreea Gleeson said.
“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.”
As an example of Accelerator’s utility to artists, TuneCore highlighted the career of Nashville-based country artist Alexandra Kay, a TuneCore member since 2015 who saw a 152% lift in streams on participating platforms since joining Accelerator.
Of the 100 million-plus streams she’s racked up, 12 million came via Accelerator, TuneCore said. Through the program Kay landed on more than 60 editorial playlists, driving some 2.5 million streams.
She was featured on Pandora’s “Country Artists to Watch 2025” list and was handpicked as one of six artists to launch TikTok’s “Fan Spotlight” initiative. Her debut album, All I’ve Ever Known, reached No. 1 on the iTunes All Genre Album US chart.
“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,” Kay said.
“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.”
“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.”
Janani K. Jha
The report also highlighted the career of Canadian R&B singer, songwriter, and producer K. Forest, who saw 3.5 million new streams via Accelerator, and landed on more than 50 playlists.
Also noted was Janani K. Jha, a California singer and songwriter who has clocked some 3 million streams via Accelerator. The program accounts for one in five of Jha’s streams on Spotify.
“Between including me in initiatives for women in music and cross-platform opportunities, I’ve felt supported by TuneCore every step of the way,” Jha said.
“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 report broke down Accelerator’s streaming numbers by region and genre and found the largest increase in West and East Africa, with 155% growth in streamed tracks over the past year. That was followed by Southeast Asia (up 138%), Latin America (up 88%), Germany (up 74%), and India, up 70%. US streams through Accelerator rose by 36%.
Broken down by genre, Latin music streams increased by 2.7 billion, hip-hop grew by 2.6 billion streams, pop rose by 1.4 billion, and country music increased its stream count by 1 billion over the past year.
“TuneCore Accelerator artists across all genres are seeing their stream numbers skyrocket,” the report said.Music Business Worldwide
