Best Instagram Stats Tracker Tools for Music Pros

Travis Mckenzie

Jan 23, 2025

Instagram has become a prime platform for discovering emerging talent, and labels and A&Rs (Artist and Repertoire) can leverage Instagram analytics to make data-informed decisions when scouting new artists. This social media channel offers a direct view of an artist's growth, engagement, and creativity, helping labels identify promising talent more effectively. Here’s how Instagram analytics can aid labels and A&Rs in finding new talent:

Tracking Follower Growth and Engagement Rates

Labels and A&Rs often look at an artist’s follower growth as an indicator of their rising popularity. Consistent growth signals that an artist is gaining traction and attracting new fans. Engagement rates—likes, comments, shares—are equally important, as they reveal the strength of an artist’s connection with their audience. An artist with a high engagement rate, even with a modest follower count, often signals potential, indicating dedicated fans who may support future releases and events.

Analyzing Content Performance

By analyzing which posts perform well—such as live performance clips, original music snippets, or interactions with fans—A&Rs can gain insight into an artist’s strengths and how they resonate with followers. Posts with high engagement, particularly for music-related content, indicate audience interest in the artist’s work and style, making them attractive prospects for labels.

Evaluating Story and Reel Performance

Instagram Stories and Reels provide a glimpse into an artist's creativity and ability to engage followers with short-form content. Strong performance in Stories and Reels indicates that the artist is actively experimenting with trending formats, keeping up with platform changes, and connecting with audiences effectively. For A&Rs, an artist’s willingness to engage with these features showcases adaptability and creativity—key traits for success in today’s dynamic music industry.

Follower Demographics and Audience Insights

Demographic data, such as age, gender, and location, helps labels assess if an artist’s fan base aligns with their target market. If an emerging artist has a large following in a specific location or demographic that the label is aiming to reach, it signals a strong market fit and potential for collaboration or signing. Audience demographics also reveal if the artist has cross-cultural or international appeal, which can be valuable for global labels.

Spotting Viral or Trending Content

Some artists might create content that unexpectedly goes viral, such as a cover song, challenge, or unique rendition of a popular trend. Tracking these trends through Instagram analytics helps labels see if an artist is capable of capturing mainstream attention and creating a buzz. Viral content can signal an artist’s potential for mass appeal, a trait many labels value highly.

Assessing Engagement Through Hashtag Analytics

Artists often use hashtags related to their genre, location, or specific communities. Hashtag analytics reveal the reach and effectiveness of these tags, showing how well the artist connects with particular audiences or niches. For labels and A&Rs, an artist’s ability to penetrate niche communities or gain visibility on popular music-related hashtags indicates an understanding of their market, making them more appealing as a potential signing.

Comparing Instagram Analytics Tools for the Music Industry: Chartmetric and Viberate

When it comes to tracking Instagram statistics, Chartmetric and Viberate stand out as two of the most comprehensive analytics tools for the music industry. Both platforms offer insights tailored to understanding an artist's growth and engagement, allowing labels and A&Rs to make informed decisions when scouting talent.

Chartmetric Instagram Analytics Breakdown

• Instagram Overview: Chartmetric presents an overview of key metrics, such as total followers, posts, comments, and engagement rates. This offers a concise snapshot of an artist's Instagram presence, allowing A&Rs to evaluate their performance at a glance.
• Follower Growth Trends: Chartmetric's visual representation of follower growth trends makes it easy to understand changes over time. Metrics for 1-month, 3-month, and 1-year growth are all available, providing comprehensive insights.
• Audience Demographics: The platform includes gender and age breakdowns, as well as ethnicity and language data, which are crucial for understanding the artist's audience composition.
• Audience Cities and Countries: Chartmetric maps out audience locations, showing top cities and countries by follower count. This is useful for identifying regional interest and planning potential engagements in those areas.
• Top Posts and Engagement: Chartmetric highlights the artist's top posts based on engagement metrics, offering insights into the type of content that resonates most with followers.
• Mentions and Hashtags: Like Viberate, Chartmetric also provides data on popular mentions and hashtags, showing how well an artist's posts are being received and circulated within their target audience.

Viberate Instagram Analytics Breakdown

• Summary Statistics: Viberate provides a thorough overview of an artist's Instagram presence. It features metrics such as total followers, average likes per post, average comments, and an overall engagement rate. A line graph also displays follower trends over customizable time frames, providing insight into long-term growth.
• Followers Trend: The platform gives detailed insights into follower trends, including monthly and yearly changes, which can be particularly useful for tracking an artist's performance over time.
• Audience Demographics: Viberate breaks down audience demographics with details on gender and age. This allows labels to quickly determine if an artist's audience aligns with their target market.
• Top Cities and Countries: A highlight of Viberate is its geographical analysis, showing cities and countries where most followers are located, along with their growth metrics. This feature is beneficial for determining potential touring markets or specific regions where the artist is gaining traction.
• Notable Followers and Audience Similarity: Viberate also highlights notable accounts following the artist, giving a glimpse into industry interest. It lists artists with similar audiences, helping labels identify artists within the same niche.
• Top Posts, Mentions, and Hashtags: Viberate provides insights into the artist's most popular posts, mentions from notable accounts, and commonly used hashtags, offering a clear picture of how the artist is engaging with audiences.

Pricing Comparison Summary

• Chartmetric: $160 per month or $1,600 per year.
• Viberate: From €19.90 per month, billed annually at €239.

Both tools offer robust Instagram analytics capabilities, but Viberate is significantly more affordable, making it an attractive option for labels or A&Rs who need in-depth analytics without a steep price tag.

Final Verdict

Both Chartmetric and Viberate are strong contenders for labels and A&Rs seeking to harness Instagram analytics in the music industry. Viberate excels in its detailed reporting, with granular breakdowns of follower changes and audience demographics, while also offering a superior user experience (UX) that makes navigation intuitive and efficient. On the other hand, Chartmetric provides a unique advantage with its deeper insights into follower affinity, which helps identify similar artists and pinpoint niche audience connections, making it a powerful tool for strategic talent discovery.

Given the pricing and the feature set, Viberate appears to be the better choice for labels or A&Rs looking for an affordable yet comprehensive tool for tracking Instagram engagement and audience demographics. The platform strikes a balance between detail and usability, making it a versatile option for discovering new talent in the competitive music landscape.