Why followers don’t matter anymore (and what it means for artists)
Social media follower counts are losing their power. Here’s why algorithms now matter more, and how artists can make the most of it.
Do followers really matter?
In times gone by, growing your follower count was the ultimate goal. More followers meant more reach, more impact, and hopefully more fans tuning in to your music. But now, that’s all changed.
According to creator economy executives speaking to TechCrunch, social media follower counts have never mattered less. Not because they don’t matter at all, but because algorithms have taken over. Now, your feed is shaped far more by what platforms think you want to see than by who you actually follow.
In other words, following a creator doesn’t guarantee you’ll see their content anymore.
As Amber Venz Box, CEO of LTK, told TechCrunch:
“I think that 2025 was the year where the algorithm completely took over, so followings stopped mattering entirely.”
Algorithms are king
Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have fully leaned into algorithm-led discovery. You’re shown content based on what the platform thinks you’ll be into, not just who you’re following.
That’s why our feeds are dominated by posts from creators we don’t follow, and why some massive creators still struggle to reach their own audience.
Easier than ever to reach new audiences
For artists and creators, there is an upside. Discovery is no longer locked behind years of slow follower growth. Instead, one clip is all it takes to reach new audiences, and that means producing more content matters more than ever.
Every clip, edit, or snippet is another roll of the dice with the algorithm. One video might flop, but the next could rack up thousands or millions of views. That’s why more creators are now flooding platforms with short-form content. In simple terms, more content means more chances to be discovered.
Some creators are using AI to speed this up, pumping out ‘AI slop’. Others are simply repurposing content they already have to create more content, or simply pumping out loads of shorter clips. Audiences are becoming more selective over this though. In fact, trust in real creator-made content has risen, as users become more turned off by AI-generated content. The takeaway from this? Quantity matters, but authenticity and quality is still crucial too.
What this means for artists
Algorithm-led feeds mean that artists need to switch up their approach too. Rather than relying on growing your follow count to boost your reach, producing more quality content matters more than ever.
Platforms like TikTok have become powerful music discovery spaces. Fans post edits with their favorite tracks, trends form organically, and songs can take off at any given moment. TikTok itself is known for breaking through new artists or resurfacing older tracks. In fact, TikTok has leaned so hard into this role that it even launched a major campaign this year highlighting its role in music discovery.
Now, artists should focus more on creating more content. Turn one release into dozens of posts, clip your performances into Shorts, and crucially, get your music onto social media music libraries with the help of RouteNote. That way, you can even let fans use your audio and do all the hard work for you.
Every post boosts your odds of your music landing in front of the right listener. So, if you’re planning a release, crafting the perfect content strategy is key. If you need help, check out our guide on how you can turn one release into a content goldmine.
The bigger picture
Of course, follower counts aren’t useless. Going viral and expanding your reach is made easier when you have a large following. However, it’s no longer as important as before.
Algorithms decide who gets seen, and every post is another chance to get seen by the algorithm and get your music in front of a new audience. For artists, that’s not bad news. In some ways, it’s now easier than ever to get seen.