3 secrets to the O'Neill Brothers' streaming success
How the piano-playing siblings have racked up big numbers via Spotify and other digital music sites.
November 8, 2019 at 5:03PM
![The O'Neill brothers, Tim and Ryan O'Neill at Creation Audio in Minneapolis. ] GLEN STUBBE • glen.stubbe@startribune.com Thursday, October 24, 2019 A recent list of the most-played Minnesota artists on Spotify included Prince, Owl City, Atmosphere and... the O'Neill Brothers? Middle-aged, admittedly nerdy brothers Tim and Ryan O'Neill explain how they've racked up huge streaming numbers with piano instrumental versions of other people's hit songs and romantic interludes. The duo is being](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/4IQEZVZPSVCR6COESEWXC2DFUM.jpg?&w=712)
The piano-playing O'Neill Brothers are one of the Minnesota music acts played most heavily on the Spotify streaming service — joined by Prince, Trampled by Turtles, Semisonic and Soul Asylum. Here's how they've been so successful.
2. Finding the sweet spot for search-engine hits. Their straight-ahead song and album titles often come up in search queues, like when someone types in "romantic love songs" (they have an album with that very title). And people trying to find "Candle in the Wind" or any one of the thousands of popular songs the O'Neills have interpreted might hit on their versions.
3. Playlist pitching and behind-the-scenes marketing. Anybody can assemble a playlist on Spotify or other streaming sites, and the popular ones can provide a big boost for artists. When one of the O'Neills' holiday songs was added to a Christmas playlist in the Philippines, it earned thousands of extra spins that season. "Just like everything in the music industry, there are ways" to get a leg up on streaming sites, Tim acknowledged.
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