Spotify has announced a new feature that will enable fans to donate directly to artists on the app. 

Last month, the streaming platform rolled out several initiatives designed to support artists in the times of COVID-19. One such initiative, the Artist Fundraising Pick, has been launched on 22 April 2020. 

"Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Spotify has engaged our partners across the industry to discuss how we can support artists and the creative community who have been deeply impacted by the effects of the devastating virus," they write in an official statement. "We also felt we could uniquely help by providing the global reach of Spotify to artists who are fundraising during this challenging time (...) And we've been really inspired by fans that want to help the artists they love and have been making direct donations."

"Just like artists can select any piece of music to highlight on their profile as an Artist’s Pick, they can now highlight a fundraising destination (in addition to their Artist’s Pick)," they explain. 

This feature allows artists to raise funds for themselves and their crew by adding a link to Cash App, GoFundMe, and PayPal.me on their artist profiles. They can also direct donations to any fundraising destination of their choice from a list of charities participating in the Spotify COVID-19 Music Relief project. 

To submit their Fundraising Pick, Spotify for Artists admin users can select 'Get started' on the banner at the top of their dashboard. Get more information on the individual fundraising partners and how best to make use of the feature here.