To shorten a Spotify link, copy it from the Share menu in Spotify, paste it into a link shortener and choose the ending yourself, for example linx.ly/night-bus. It takes about a minute, and the short link opens the same song, playlist or episode as the long one.
Look, nobody is going to type a Spotify link. A copied song link follows the pattern in this made-up example, which is already 73 characters, and most of it means nothing to a fan:
https://open.spotify.com/track/1aBcD2eFgH3iJkL4mNoP5q?si=a1b2c3d4e5f64789
It looks fine behind a button. In a caption, a story, a text message or on a gig poster, it does not. This guide covers the steps, what that ?si= part at the end is, why Spotify's own short links are not the full answer, and how to keep one link working from pre-save to release day.
How to shorten a Spotify link
- In the Spotify app, open the song, album, playlist, artist page or podcast episode.
- Tap the three dots, then Share → Copy link. On the desktop app, right-click it and choose Share → Copy Link.
- Paste the link into a URL shortener and replace the random ending with words people can read, such as
linx.ly/night-bus,linx.ly/sunday-playlistorlinx.ly/ep42. - Save it and share the short link instead of the long one.
Anyone who taps the short link reaches the same Spotify page the long link leads to. Nothing changes for your listeners. You get a link you can say out loud, a QR code and a click count.
What is the "?si=" at the end of a Spotify link?
It is a sharing tag Spotify adds when you copy a link. It does not change which song opens, it only makes the link longer and messier. You can delete the question mark and everything after it, but with a short link you do not need to: your fans only ever see linx.ly/night-bus.
Doesn't Spotify have its own short link?
Sort of. Some people now get links that start with spotify.link when they share from the phone app. In 2024 a Spotify community moderator called these links experimental and said they were being tested with a limited group of users, with no way to switch between the two formats. They have spread since, but plenty of artists still only ever get the long link, and nobody can pick which one they get.
Even when you do get one, spotify.link ends in a random string. You cannot turn it into your song title, you cannot point it somewhere else later, and it shows you nothing about how many people opened it or where they came from.
What about Bitly? In the same community thread, some users report that Bitly warned them Spotify links were branded and could not be shortened. Linxly shortens any Spotify link: songs, albums, playlists, artist pages and podcast episodes.
Before you share the short link, tap it on your own phone. What you see there is what your fans will see.
Keep one link from pre-save to release day
This is where a short link earns its keep for musicians. A Spotify song link only exists once the song is out, but you start promoting weeks before that.
Create one short link that does not belong to a single song, for example linx.ly/yourname-new. Before release, point it at your pre-save page. On release day, open the link's settings, paste the Spotify link of the new single as the destination and save. Every caption, story and video description you posted in the last month now sends people to the song, and you did not edit a single post. When the next single comes out, do it again. You can change the destination as often as you like, on every Linxly plan. The full release routine is in the guide on link in bio for musicians.
The same trick works for playlist curators and podcasters. A curator can keep linx.ly/sunday-playlist on a flyer for a year while the playlist behind it changes, or swap in next season's playlist. A podcaster can keep linx.ly/latest-episode pointing at the newest episode and update it each week. If your show lives on more than one app, the podcast link in bio guide covers putting Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube side by side.
The destination does not have to be Spotify, either. On the day the music video drops, the same link can open YouTube, and long YouTube links shorten the same way.
See how many people opened your link, and from where
A long Spotify link tells you nothing about who tapped it. A short link counts its clicks and shows the country and device type, on every plan. For an independent artist, country is the one to watch: if a third of your clicks come from a country you have never played in, that is worth knowing before you plan a tour.
To compare channels, give each one its own short link to the same song: linx.ly/night-bus-ig for your Instagram story, linx.ly/night-bus-tt for TikTok, linx.ly/night-bus-yt for the YouTube description. A week later you know which post sent people to the song. Starter includes 5 short links a month and keeps stats for 30 days. Pro adds the referrer and city, and keeps two years of history, which helps when you want to compare this release with the last one. The link click tracking guide explains what each click records.
Honestly, a click is not a stream. It means someone opened the Spotify page. Whether they pressed play shows up in your Spotify dashboard, not in your link stats.
Put your Spotify link on a poster or merch table
Linxly creates a QR code automatically for every short link. Put it on a gig poster, a flyer, the merch table or the back of a CD sleeve, and fans open your song with their phone camera. The code points to your short link, so it keeps working after you change the destination to the next single. Adding your logo and brand colors takes the Pro plan.
Spotify has its own scannable codes, and they look great on a poster. The catch: Spotify Codes can only be scanned from inside the Spotify app, not with the normal phone camera, and they always open the same thing. A regular QR code works for anyone with a camera, including people who do not use Spotify yet. For print sizes, see how to make a QR code for a link.
Should your bio link go straight to Spotify?
Only if almost all of your listeners use Spotify. Someone with Apple Music or YouTube Music on their phone will not switch apps for one song, so a bio that only links Spotify quietly loses them.
A better setup is two links. A Linxly bio page in your bio lists every service you are on, from Spotify and Apple Music to YouTube, and a short Spotify link goes into captions, stories and messages where you want people on one specific song. If you post on Instagram, here is where links actually work on Instagram and where they do not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the short link still open the song on Spotify?
Yes. The short link sends people to the exact Spotify link you pasted, so they land on the same song, playlist or episode as with the long link.
Can I make my own spotify.link link?
No. Spotify decides whether you get a spotify.link link when you share, and its ending is random. To choose the words yourself, use a separate URL shortener such as Linxly.
Can I shorten a Spotify playlist or podcast link?
Yes, the steps are the same for songs, albums, playlists, artist pages and podcast episodes. Copy the link from Share, paste it and choose the ending.
What happens to my short links if I cancel?
They keep working, and so do their QR codes. Changing the destination and collecting new click stats need an active plan.
How much does it cost?
Linxly starts at $0.99 a month, with 5 short links a month, custom endings, click stats and QR codes. There is a 7-day free trial, and you can cancel anytime.