{"id":106710,"date":"2025-12-31T12:43:39","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T12:43:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/?p=106710"},"modified":"2025-12-31T12:43:41","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T12:43:41","slug":"why-followers-dont-matter-anymore-and-what-it-means-for-artists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/why-followers-dont-matter-anymore-and-what-it-means-for-artists\/","title":{"rendered":"Why followers don\u2019t matter anymore (and what it means for artists)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Social media follower counts are losing their power. Here\u2019s why algorithms now matter more, and how artists can make the most of it.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Do followers really matter?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s all changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to creator economy executives speaking to TechCrunch<\/a>, social media follower counts have never mattered less. Not because they don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, following a creator doesn\u2019t guarantee you\u2019ll see their content anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Amber Venz Box, CEO of LTK, told TechCrunch:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think that 2025 was the year where the algorithm completely took over, so followings stopped mattering entirely.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Algorithms are king<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Platforms like TikTok<\/a> and Instagram<\/a> have fully leaned into algorithm-led discovery. You\u2019re shown content based on what the platform thinks you\u2019ll be into, not just who you\u2019re following.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why our feeds are dominated by posts from creators we don\u2019t follow, and why some massive creators still struggle to reach their own audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Easier than ever to reach new audiences<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s why more creators are now flooding platforms with short-form content. In simple terms, more content means more chances to be discovered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some creators are using AI to speed this up, pumping out \u2018AI slop\u2019. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What this means for artists<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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TikTok launches \u201cSee Where Music Takes You\u201d campaign to highlight music discovery<\/a><\/blockquote>