Guide
How to get verified on Spotify: Registered Artist vs Verified by Spotify
Most advice about getting verified on Spotify is out of date. In January 2026, Spotify began replacing the blue Verified Artist check with a Registered Artist label, which only means your profile is claimed. In April 2026, it launched a separate Verified by Spotify badge with its own criteria.
Updated November 2, 2026
Short answer
There are now two things. To become a Registered Artist, claim your profile in Spotify for Artists, which needs music already delivered through a distributor. The Verified by Spotify badge has no application: Spotify reviews artists on a rolling basis, looking for at least 10K monthly active listeners over a consecutive 3 months, at least 1K followers, a clean policy record and signs of a real artist.
What to do, in order
Get your music on Spotify
You can't create a profile yourself. Spotify creates one automatically when your music is first delivered through a label or distributor.
Claim your profile
Submit a request through Spotify for Artists with a link to your website or social channels. Spotify reviews it by hand, which can take a few days. With a preferred distributor, access is automatic when you submit.
Complete your profile
Add an honest bio, images, social links, concert dates and merch. Spotify looks for public signs of authenticity like these.
Build lasting listeners
Spotify's listed thresholds are at least 10K monthly active listeners over a consecutive 3 month period and at least 1K followers. Spotify may also consider artists who have made important contributions to music culture and history.
Stay within the rules
Avoid spam, impersonation and other policy violations. Spotify can remove the badge if an artist later breaks its rules. A catalog also has to be mostly music, not mainly spoken word or noise.
Watch Spotify for Artists
Reviews happen on a rolling basis, and meeting the criteria doesn't guarantee immediate approval. After a review, you get a notification in Spotify for Artists.
Registered Artist and Verified by Spotify compared
The two labels are easy to mix up, but they mean very different things.
| Registered Artist | Verified by Spotify | |
|---|---|---|
| What it means | Your profile is claimed and actively managed in Spotify for Artists | Spotify reviewed the profile against its authenticity and trust criteria |
| How you get it | Claim your profile | Spotify reviews on a rolling basis, with no application described |
| Requirements | Music delivered, and your identity confirmed in the claim | At least 10K monthly active listeners over 3 consecutive months, at least 1K followers, policy compliance, profile authenticity |
| Where it shows | The About section of your profile | Your profile and Search |
From Spotify's help pages, checked 2 November 2026.
What happened to the blue check?
Spotify began the change on 28 January 2026. It said the old term suggested more than the check was built for. The switch doesn't affect visibility, discovery, royalties or access to Spotify for Artists tools, and you claim profiles and manage teams the same way as before.
What the Verified by Spotify badge looks like
It's a light green check with the badge text, shown on your profile and in Search. Spotify said that at launch more than 99% of the artists listeners actively search for would be verified. Not having it yet doesn't rule you out later. Profiles that mainly represent AI-generated or AI-persona artists aren't eligible.
How to make an artist profile
All music has to come through a label or distributor, and your profile appears when your first release is delivered. To claim it before that release is live, get your Spotify artist link from your distributor. Spotify's support team can then help using that link and the release's UPC or EAN.
Only one claim request can be active per profile at a time. If your profile is already claimed, ask the team's Admin to invite you, or contact Spotify if you can't reach them.
How Traxure helps
A badge shows listeners you're real, but it doesn't tell you when something changes on your profile. Traxure checks your Spotify profile every 12 hours and your full catalog every day, and it also checks Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, TIDAL, SoundCloud and Pandora. If a release stops showing or an unexpected one appears, you get an email with the details. Monitoring starts with a seven-day free trial.
Questions artists ask
How many listeners do you need to get verified on Spotify?
Spotify lists at least 10K monthly active listeners over a consecutive 3 month period and at least 1K followers for the Verified by Spotify badge. Meeting them doesn't guarantee immediate approval.
Can I apply for Verified by Spotify?
Spotify's help page describes rolling reviews, not an application. Be wary of anyone selling a guaranteed badge.
Is the blue check gone?
Spotify began replacing the blue Verified Artist check with a Registered Artist label on 28 January 2026. It means your profile is claimed and managed in Spotify for Artists.
Does being unverified hurt my streams or royalties?
Spotify says the change to Registered Artist doesn't affect visibility, discovery, royalties or access to tools. Not having the Verified by Spotify badge yet doesn't rule you out later.
How do I claim my Spotify artist profile?
Submit a request through Spotify for Artists with a link to your website or social channels. Approval can take a few days, or it's automatic if you use a preferred distributor.
Can I create a Spotify artist profile without releasing music?
No. Spotify creates the profile when your music is first delivered through a label or distributor.
Sources
Traxure
Know the same day, not weeks later.
Traxure checks your releases on Spotify and other platforms around the clock, confirms a change before alerting you and tells you what to do next. Seven-day free trial.
Pricing
Plans from $12 a month.
7-day free trial on every plan. Cancel anytime.
- Artist $12/mo
- Manager $69/mo
- Label $199/mo