Spotify rolled out a Verified badge this year, and it quietly sorted every artist into three groups whether they liked it or not. In Part 1, I break down the first thing the badge requires, ten thousand monthly active listeners, and why that number is completely different from the monthly listeners most musicians keep staring at. I also get into how saves and follows move you toward it, why playlists alone won't get you there, and how to build followers automatically with Action Pages.