What’s Changed in 2025 with Boost Collective?

“We’ve stepped things up.”

It’s a simple statement from Boost Collective’s team, but it carries the weight of years spent refining what works … and discarding what doesn’t.

As 2025 unfolds, Boost Collective is not the same company that started in Kitchener-Waterloo with a few indie artists and a shared frustration: breaking through as an independent musician was too hard, and the tools built to help artists grow were often vague, risky, or outright fake.

That gap still exists today, but Boost Collective is betting that its new model can close it further than ever.

A Bigger Team, Built for Real Growth

One of the clearest signs of change is the size and caliber of the team.

Boost Collective has brought in new people at every level, including music promotion veterans. A standout is Scott Steele, the new Head of Fulfillment, who now oversees campaign delivery and quality control.

Scott is part of a wider push to ensure artists receive consistent, real results instead of uncertain promises.

It doesn’t stop there. The curation and quality control teams have expanded too, with more hands and sharper eyes on the campaigns that run each week.

Teaming up with Scott are industry names such as Mike Bliss (Certified Gold Record producer for NAV, DC The Don, Anders) and a new wave of cutting-edge campaign strategists.

For artists, this means:

• Less time wondering where their music is going
• More confidence that it’s reaching genuine listeners
• Confidence knowing that an industry veteran is overseeing the campaign

As the team puts it, real fans are the only fans worth paying for.

Genuine Support  with New Live Chat Feature

Anyone who has ever run a promotion campaign knows that things can go wrong. In the past, slow response times were one of the biggest points of friction for independent artists. Boost Collective took this pain point seriously.

In 2025, Boost Collective rolled out a new live chat feature and a more robust ticketing system. It’s a direct response to feedback from artists who wanted faster, clearer updates when questions came up.

This new system is part of a wider promise: transparency.

Boost Collective now publishes a Transparency Center on its website so artists can see exactly how its services work, what to expect, and what’s changing. It’s a move designed to cut through confusion and help artists protect themselves from the fake services that still lurk on platforms like Fiverr.

Direct to Song: Ads That Actually Matter

One of the biggest updates in 2025 is Boost Collective’s Direct to Song ad product. It’s a shift that redefines how the company helps artists find listeners.

Boost Collective’s Direct to Song: instead of focusing only on playlist pitching, Boost offers a full-stack advertising service (ad creation, media buying, fan retargeting).

The aim is to drive real people to listen — not just glance at a link.

A dedicated team of creative strategists, video editors, and ad buyers collaborate on each campaign. They run Meta Ads that don’t just generate cheap clicks. They target fans who will actually stream the song, follow the artist, and come back for more.

For Boost, vanity metrics like impressions are worthless if they don’t lead to real engagement.

This isn’t limited to Spotify either. The direct-to-song campaigns now reach audiences on Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and other DSPs. For artists trying to build a diverse listener base, it’s a welcome change.

Moving to Toronto and Investing in Canadian Indie Talent

In May, Boost Collective settled deeper into its Toronto base. It’s a city that was and still remains central to its identity as a team built by artists, for artists. Boost Collective’s team has grown 3x since the move.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/samirahmadshah_boostcollective-startuplife-scaling-activity-7346237519933427714-dec9?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAB3tdWwBC7vCzOXSPcJsJ17ZuPb-na5sk3I

The founders still stand by their original mission to make honest promotion accessible. And that means sticking to one principle above all:

No bots.

Fake streams remain one of the music industry’s biggest fraud problems. Some services promise overnight fame for a suspiciously low fee. Bot traffic can get artists banned, have songs taken down, and damage a reputation before it has the chance to grow.

Boost Collective’s campaigns continue to focus on organic growth, backed by careful curation and paid ads that reach real listeners. Not click farms.

Faster Placements, More Reliable Results

Alongside new services, Boost Collective’s classic playlist pitching process has also evolved.

The turnaround times are faster now, thanks to a more streamlined internal system. Once an artist starts a campaign, songs get reviewed and pitched quickly. Often within 24 to 48 hours.

This matters. In the early days, some artists had to wait up to a week to see if their music would get added to the right playlists. Now, those same campaigns move faster and come with clearer reporting, so artists can track exactly where their streams are coming from.

And if no matching playlists can be found? Artists can choose a refund or pivot their campaign in a different direction. This kind of flexibility reflects Boost Collective’s broader promise to protect artists from the guesswork that so often defines music promotion.

A Clear Line on Ethics

For a company that built its reputation on helping independent artists steer clear of stream fraud, ethical standards are more than marketing copy. In recent statements and transparency content, Boost Collective has made its position plain: real growth takes time. There are no shortcuts.

If a service promises guaranteed streams, artists should think twice.

There’s a reason Boost Collective does not tolerate bot streams: Spotify and other DSPs penalize it. Bots distort payouts for every other artist and damage the credibility of honest promotion. Boost’s new services are designed to help artists build traction that lasts, instead of quick fixes that (more often than not) backfire.

The company’s FAQ, case studies, and rebuttal content all emphasize this. Real fans come from real exposure, not bots. If there’s no audience for a song yet, a good campaign can amplify it.

But it can’t manufacture interest where none exists.

Why This Matters for Independent Artists

For a generation of artists trying to break through algorithms, playlist fatigue, and unpredictable trends, Boost Collective’s changes reflect a deeper understanding of how the industry works in 2025. The message is clear: what used to be enough isn’t enough anymore.

A generic playlist drop might help a song spike for a week, but that won’t build a loyal fan base. Ads that chase impressions alone won’t drive streams. And a support system that goes dark when things go wrong isn’t worth much to an artist with deadlines to meet.

By combining smarter ads, faster curation, better support, and a hard line against fraud, Boost Collective is trying to give artists a platform that won’t disappear when streams come under scrutiny.

The Bottom Line

So what’s changed in 2025 with Boost Collective?

A lot.

TLDR: A bigger team, clearer policies, faster results, and a more sophisticated approach to ads are all part of the story. But what hasn’t changed might be even more important at its core. Boost Collective remains driven by a simple idea: real streams, real fans, real results. The tools have evolved. The fraud risks have grown. But the promise is the same.

Help artists get heard, stay safe, and grow in a way that stands the test of time.