Spotify hosted some of country music's hottest artists at Blake Shelton and Ryman Hospitality's newest Honky Tonk "Ole Red" on Broadway during CMA Fest, with artists like Hunter Hayes, Cole Swindell, Blake Shelton, Midland, and Jillian Jacqueline taking the stage.
"The crowd is awesome. Everyone's excited to be here," Jacqueline said after finishing up her set at Ole Red on Saturday.
Spotify works to connect fans and artists through their music streaming platform, and many fans have fallen in love with artists by using Spotify, including Jacqueline.
"I love being able to use it to put out my own music and to discover other people's music," she said.
The weekend was focused on "Hot Country" -- a playlist on Spotify that highlights songs that are popular coming out of Nashville.
While Spotify can inform fans about trending songs, it can also tell artists who's listening to their music and where.
"[My team] will tell me, 'Hey, so you played in Des Moines, Iowa last night, and we just saw a spike in listeners from Des Moines on Spotify,' which is so cool," Jacqueline said.
That technology and innovation allows artists to plan future tours based on where they have the most listeners.
"It's really exciting for us to try to be able to provide artists with those tools to understand who is listening to their music and also where they are listening," Brittany Schaffer, head of artists and label marketing for Spotify in Nashville, said.
Spotify has been helping artists share their music for years, but they're always looking to advance their goal of helping connect artists and listeners.
"We're starting to expand the way that people can interact and engage with music," Schaffer said.
In the end, the innovation and advancements benefit both the listener and the artist.
"I just loved the thought that someone in some random city or country I've never been to can pull up that song and hear it without even being for sale where they live," Jacqueline said.
Spotify hopes to expand their efforts even more, especially in country music, which is one of the most popular genres on Spotify.
