Pre-saves, where fans sign up to add a new release to their streaming library in advance – have become a standard part of the music landscape.
They date back to Kobalt’s groundbreaking Laura Marling Spotify campaign in 2017, and for years labels and artist teams had to build pre-saves themselves for that platform.
Apple Music then built a similar feature within its platform, and Spotify has since followed suit. Now YouTube Music is getting its own pre-save feature courtesy of its partnership with Linkfire.
It will work through Linkfire’s pre-release links, where fans can give YouTube Music permission to add an album to their library on release day, while also sharing data with the artist’s team.
Linkfire says it’s the first time pre-saves have been available for YouTube Music. The new feature builds on the two companies’ existing partnership, which dates back to a deal in 2020 giving Linkfire customers ‘attribution’ data to see how their smart-links had paid off in terms of YouTube Music streams.
There has been talk about an official pre-save feature on YouTube Music before, in 2020, but this time it’s official.
“We know how important the pre-release phase is for an artist and we hope this feature helps YouTube Music artists grow their fan base and create deeper connections with their listeners,” said its director, product management T. Jay Fowler.
“Pre-saves are an incredibly powerful tool for artist teams as it gives them a more direct
connection to their fans, enabling them to build anticipation for their upcoming releases while
providing valuable insights into who’s engaging with their music,” added Linkfire CCO Jeppe Faurfelt.
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