Developers · API | Before The Data

The Before The Data API.

The Before The Data API gives labels, management companies, and platforms programmatic access to the same scouting intelligence that powers the BTD dashboard. Every artist currently on the shortlist, every daily data point, every spike alert, over HTTPS, in JSON.

This isn't a dataset of every artist on Spotify. It's a curated, editorially-filtered shortlist of unsigned artists with real early momentum, updated daily. About 40–100 artists at any given time. Quality over coverage is the whole point.

Base URL: https://beforethedata.com/api/v1

Format: All responses are JSON. All requests must use HTTPS. UTF-8.

Authentication

Every request must include your API key in the Authorization header as a Bearer token:

# Example request
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer btd_your_api_key_here" \
     https://beforethedata.com/api/v1/artists

Keys are issued per organization. Do not expose your key in client-side code. If a key is leaked, rotate it immediately by emailing chad@beforethedata.com.

Endpoints

GET /api/v1/artists List all artists on the shortlist

Returns the current scouting shortlist. Response is an array of artist objects. Updated daily at 5pm after store turns.

GET /api/v1/artists

# Response
{
  "artists": [
    {
      "id": "ava-james",
      "name": "Ava James",
      "social_score": 67,
      "streams_today": 189300,
      "monthly_listeners": 743000,
      "tiktok_ugc": 1204,
      "instagram_followers": 28100,
      "added_at": "2026-04-01"
    }
  ],
  "count": 52,
  "updated_at": "2026-04-17T06:00:00Z"
}

GET /api/v1/artists/:id Detailed artist data

Full artist record including song-level data, 14-day trend history, and all social metrics.

GET /api/v1/spikes Recent spike events

Artists that crossed a threshold in the last 24 hours. Includes spike type (streams, UGC, followers), magnitude, and timestamp.

GET /api/v1/added Newly-added artists

Artists added to the shortlist in the last 7 days. Useful for daily ingestion into your own scouting pipeline.

Artist shape

Every artist object returned by the API follows the same shape. All metrics are updated daily unless noted.

{
  "id": "artist-slug",           # stable identifier
  "name": "Display Name",
  "social_score": 67,             # 0-100, proprietary
  "streams_today": 189300,       # Spotify, last 24h
  "streams_total": 12400000,
  "monthly_listeners": 743000,
  "tiktok_ugc": 1204,            # videos using sound
  "tiktok_followers": 28100,
  "instagram_followers": 9200,
  "songs": [...],                 # song-level data
  "trends": {...},               # 14-day deltas
  "added_at": "2026-04-01",       # when we added them
  "updated_at": "2026-04-17T06:00:00Z"
}

Error codes

Standard HTTP status codes. Error responses include a message field.

# OK
# Unauthorized, bad or missing API key
# Forbidden, key valid but endpoint requires higher tier
# Not Found
# Rate limit exceeded
# Server error, contact support if persistent

Rate limits

Default: 60 requests per minute, 10,000 requests per day. Enterprise tier has higher limits. Current rate limit status is returned in response headers:

X-RateLimit-Limit: 60
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 54
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1719954321

Getting access.

API access is not included with the standard Before The Data subscription. It's a separate tier, built for teams that need programmatic scouting intelligence integrated into internal tools, label CRMs, sync workflows, or scouting platforms.

To request a key or discuss enterprise pricing: chad@beforethedata.com

Request an API key.

Tell us about your use case. We'll get back to you within 48 hours.

Email Chad →

chad@beforethedata.com

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