From continuing his ongoing Discover Weekly streak, to seeing promising growth in his Spotify algorithmic pushes, to gaining access to new and even more effective advertising tools, to the promising of future projects, J. Anomaly has accomplished a lot since our last update. We here at Elm to Ivy Records are here to go through these accomplishments one by one!
Just over a month after release, J. Anomaly’s latest song “H2” feat. Caleborate started getting pushed by Spotify’s Discover Weekly algorithmic playlist! To remind readers, Discover Weekly is an algorithmic playlist that updates for Spotify users each Monday with new songs that they might enjoy based on data Spotify has collected on their music taste. This playlist is a major way that artists on the rise can reach more listeners, so the fact that Anomaly’s last four releases in a row (“H2,” “Theory to Fact,” “Notes App,” and “Lily Dove”) have all made it is a promising sign that new ears are coming along for the ride with each release.
When it comes to the way J. Anomaly’s music has gotten pushed by both Spotify’s Release Radar and Discover Weekly algorithmic playlists this time around, his future on the platform looks even more promising. The Release Radar algorithmic push for “H2” was nearly quadruple that of “Theory to Fact” in terms of max opening day streams across the four eligible weeks, and his largest “H2” Release Radar week in terms of total streams across the seven days was sextuple that of the largest “Theory to Fact” Release Radar week. Moreover, not only has “H2” been placed on Discover Weekly more times than any of Anomaly’s previous releases, but it also has received the most total number of streams by far (and it’s not even close). And, “H2” is still in position popularity score wise to receive future Discover Weekly pushes. Put simply, J. Anomaly’s Spotify algorithm is stronger, getting more hip-hop/rap oriented by the day, and is on a trajectory of growth that incentivizes the release of more music.
Accordingly, more music is in the works. Across the board, the mix and master of J. Anomaly’s work with audio engineer Alex Reverberi (whose credits include Outkast and Eminem) was lauded as high quality and industry-level. In fact, when “H2” was shopped in front of playlist curators and blog writers notoriously known for being highly critical, many went out of their way to compliment the beautiful sound design. Accordingly, the song was added to over 16 high quality and highly sought after 3rd party playlists.
With the ball in his court, two future releases are on J. Anomaly’s mind. In the very near future, Anomaly plans on dropping a shorter project more along the lines of an EP or mixtape tentatively titled “Graffiti Over the Lies of Men.” “Graffiti Over the Lies of Men” in its formative stage was inspired by a line of thinking that we think crosses most rappers’ minds after hearing MF DOOM’s “Madvillainy” or even Lou the Human’s “Humaniac”: Drop a Boom Bap/Underground classic. Bar heavy. Who cares about a hook. Instrumentals classic on their own. Such a project has been on Anomaly’s mind since the 2010s, even before he formally started releasing music. While “Graffiti Over the Lies of Men” was rooted in this initial vision, the project has since evolved to be more of a showcase of Anomaly’s musical prowess in general without having to be so burdened by any one specific concept, style, or message. While double entendre, boom bap style songs will be on this upcoming project (including at least one self-produced one), so might a smoother and more laid-back love song or a more soulful Kanye-esque track.
The free-flowing style of “Graffiti Over the Lies of Men” is direct preparation for what is to come after. We know we’ve previously teased that Anomaly was working on an album. This work has since been scrapped for all the right reasons. Major academic discoveries, the opportunity to continue to nurture a growing relationship with a music distributor connected to the major label system who has the power to help unleash the Spotify editorial playlist floodgate, and increasing capital ready to flow into producing and promoting a magnum opus are all reasons why J. Anomaly, who hasn’t dropped a full length album since late 2021 and is extremely eager to follow up “A Moment Lost to Find Blue,” is strategically timing the creation process and release of his next album. While “Graffiti Over the Lies of Men” will be more artistically unrestrained and fluid, Anomaly’s planned album will be bound by a strict and purposeful concept and a more uniform sound. This contrast should be fun to witness, and both projects will hopefully meaningfully add to Anomaly’s catalog.
Finally, through studying the current state of the industry, we here at Elm to Ivy Records have meaningful goals to chase that will hopefully allow J. Anomaly to maintain a sizable and comfortable income stream from music for life. Industry insiders have said that once an artist reaches about 30k monthly listeners on Spotify, Spotify goes out of its way to push you more. A push also comes to those who achieve editorial playlist status, which can come way before 30k monthly listeners. By riding these pushes and dropping quality music consistently, an artist can realistically grind their way to 100k monthly listeners. Once an artist reaches 100k monthly listeners, Spotify is said to push you in a way that will never allow you to fall under 100k monthly listeners. This type of income stream for life is a very sought after one. After reaching 100k monthly listeners, an artist can try embarking on the super competitive climb to stardom level. However, making this jump is truly an uphill battle because, by design, Spotify’s ecosystem is basically the shape of a pyramid in terms of how many people they allow to rise to different tiers. This is a business first and foremost, so you truly have to stand out, be marketable, and invest in yourself to keep rising.
And, investing in ourselves we are. Now at our disposal is an advertising mechanism that allows us to target not just those on social media who are interested in Spotify and Apple Music, but from there specifically those who are interested in hip-hop acts such as Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Chance the Rapper, Kanye, Kid Cudi, etc. This tool allows us to deliver ads of J. Anomaly’s music directly to these consumers on social media. These ads feature a clickable link that brings consumers to J. Anomaly’s Spotify profile should they be interested in hearing more. We have finally mastered how to run such ads at a cost effective rate, with test batches showing a true space for J. Anomaly’s music in this conscious hip-hop market. With all this being said, it is safe to say that even more momentum will be behind J. Anomaly’s releases going forward.
Thank you for taking the time to read this update. We hope to be back as soon as possible with more great news.