Color Theory Got 1,019 Spotify Follows From 1 Giveaway
Musician Brian Hazard teamed up with ROLI to give away a Seaboard Block. 2,227 Entrants completed 1,019 Spotify follows and 1,692 email signups.
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Color Theory and ROLI ran one giveaway for a Seaboard Block. 2,227 Entrants completed 5,738 Actions, including 1,019 Spotify follows.
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Musicians across the world are gunning for a big Spotify playlist placement, but it’s really tough to build momentum on such a closed platform.
Brian Hazard
Musician, Color Theory
Giving Away a Seaboard Block
You can run a giveaway in Gleam’s Competitions app and ask Entrants to follow you on Spotify, SoundCloud or YouTube.
Brian Hazard runs Color Theory, a one-man synthpop act. He partnered with music technology company ROLI to give away a ROLI Seaboard Block keyboard and his entire discography, with Spotify follows as the main goal.
Spotify’s follower graph shows Color Theory at 3k followers on June 4, up 1,063 in the previous 28 days. The climb starts around May 27.
One Musician, 20 Years of Synthpop
Color Theory is the name of Brian Hazard’s one-man electronic music act. For over 20 years Hazard has been making a unique brand of nostalgic synthpop originally inspired by the 80s holy trinity of The Cure, Depeche Mode and The Smiths.
Color Theory still releases regularly, with a new studio album out earlier this year.
You can find out more about Color Theory on his website or check out his music on Spotify, SoundCloud or YouTube.
Hazard wanted more Spotify followers and decided to run a giveaway with Gleam.
One Prize, Five Ways to Enter
Hazard was active on Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. His Spotify audience stood at about 2,000 followers.
Hazard built the giveaway around Spotify. The Actions report counts 1,019 Follow Color Theory on Spotify completions.
Musicians across the world are gunning for a big Spotify playlist placement, but it’s really tough to build momentum on such a closed platform.
Brian Hazard
The prize was a ROLI Seaboard Block and Hazard’s full discography (all 9 Color Theory albums, per the widget). Entrants earned entries for Actions that helped both Hazard and ROLI.
ROLI supplied the Seaboard Block, a prize bigger than his albums alone.
The albums appealed to people who already knew Color Theory. The Seaboard Block appealed to people who knew ROLI.
Partnering with ROLI was integral to the campaign’s success. They put up the prize, a Seaboard Block, which is s super-expressive keyboard that players across the world lust for. Fortunately it’s not just for synth-heads! Anyone can pick one up at an Apple Store to make music on right out of the box.
Brian Hazard
It made perfect sense for my audience, as ROLI gear and the Seaboard Block in particular appear in several of my little performance videos.
Brian Hazard
Hazard had already used the Seaboard Block in several of his performance videos.
Entrants could earn entries by completing five Actions:
Sign up for ROLI email updates
Sign up for Color Theory email updates
Follow Color Theory on Spotify
Download ROLI’s music making app NOISE for iOS
Refer Friends For Extra Entries
Two Actions served Color Theory directly. They were Follow Color Theory on Spotify and the Color Theory email signup.
When fans follow you on Spotify, your new tracks are automatically added to their Release Radar playlists, which can provide a big boost in streams and visibility.
Brian Hazard
Entrants completed 2.6 Actions each on average (5,738 Actions from 2,227 Entrants). A typical Gleam campaign with 1,000 to 2,500 Entrants gets about 4.7 (Gleam campaign data, 2026).
Hazard said Gleam made entry easy:
Gleam made it painless. I expected to have to walk people through the entry process or even record a video demonstration, but I didn’t receive a single question or complaint.
Brian Hazard
Email, Social and a Blog Sidebar
Hazard promoted the giveaway on email, social and a widget in his blog’s sidebar.
We blasted a link to the contest out on email, our social channels, and even as a widget in the sidebar of Passive Promotion [Hazard’s Blog].
Brian Hazard
Refer Friends For Extra Entries (Viral Share) was completed 154 times. Each referral earns 5 extra entries once the friend completes an Action.
ROLI supplied the prize and promoted the giveaway on its email list and social channels. 2,081 Entrants signed up for ROLI email updates.
ROLI offered not only a compelling prize, but the reach of their mailing list and social networks. Our audiences were a perfect match.
Brian Hazard
2,227 Entrants, 5,738 Actions
The giveaway drew 2,227 Entrants, who completed 5,738 Actions. 1,019 completed Follow Color Theory on Spotify and 1,692 signed up for Color Theory email updates.
ROLI’s two Actions drew 2,081 email signups and 792 NOISE app download clicks.
Spotify’s graph shows Color Theory moving from about 2,000 to 3,000 followers, a 50% rise, between roughly May 27 and June 4.
Our Gleam competition boosted my Spotify following by 50%, from 2,000 to 3,000 followers, in a week. I expected a dropoff in the months that followed, but it never happened! I’m up to 3130 now.
Brian Hazard
The Color Theory email Action was completed 1,692 times.
Hazard emailed his new subscribers a 50% Bandcamp discount on all his albums.
Key Growth Takeaways
Split a Prize With a Partner
You can partner with another artist, an influencer or a brand your audience already follows.
Hazard did this with ROLI, and 2,227 Entrants completed 5,738 Actions.
A partner gives you a bigger prize. Your own music still makes a good prize because it attracts people who like it.
Add something your target audience wants, such as apparel, festival tickets or equipment.
A partner can cover the prize in exchange for dedicated Actions in your giveaway.
Your partner promotes the giveaway to their own audience as well as yours. ROLI did this on its email list and social channels.
Pick a partner whose audience likes your kind of music.
Hazard paired his electronic music with an electronic instrument brand.
1,692 Email Signups, Then a 50% Discount
After the giveaway you have a list of people who showed interest.
You can offer discounts on music, tickets or merchandise.
Hazard offered his new subscribers 50% off his music on Bandcamp.
We emailed our new subscribers to announce the winner and to offer a discount code, since they obviously expressed an interest in the Seaboard Block and/or my albums.
Brian Hazard
You can time the giveaway to an album launch, tour or festival.
Hazard’s Spotify Action Came Third
Decide on one goal before you pick Actions.
You can ask Entrants to:
If you want one outcome, offer only the Actions that deliver it.
Hazard offered five Actions, aimed at Spotify, his list and ROLI.
Put your top Action first. In this campaign the email Action came before the Spotify Follow Action, and it was completed 1,692 times against 1,019.
Put your most desired actions first!
Brian Hazard
Hazard on the order:
I would have put the Spotify action first instead of email subscriptions.
Brian Hazard
With Entry Weighting you choose how many entries each Action earns, so you can award more for the Action you care about most.
You can add a Bonus Action to award extra entries to Entrants who complete every Action.
Learn More About Promoting Your Music
Read the Gleam guide to growing your audience as a musician.
Refer Friends Was Completed 154 Times
Viral Share awards extra entries when a friend follows an Entrant’s link and enters.
What I love about the Viral Share action is that it doesn’t count as a share unless someone else actually follows the sharer’s link and enters the competition. As a result, every share is legit!
Brian Hazard
The Viral Share action was completed 154 times.
I love giving people the option to earn potentially unlimited entries!
Brian Hazard
Run Your Own Giveaway
Start from the template below.
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