Smart link
Also known as Pre-save link, Fan link, Release link
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Short answer
A smart link is a single shareable URL for a song or release that leads to a landing page or redirect sending each listener to the version of it on their preferred streaming service. More advanced smart links route by country, device or referring site, and report which services and places the clicks came from.
How it works
A release exists at a different URL on every service. A smart link replaces that list with one address. When it is opened, the link either shows a page with a button per service or redirects straight to the one the listener's context suggests — the app installed on their device, a store that operates in their country, or a destination chosen for traffic arriving from a particular site.
Click analytics
Because every click passes through the link, it can be counted: by service chosen, by country and by referring site. That tells an artist where a rollout is working before the streaming services' own dashboards update. How those analytics are collected varies widely — some services set tracking cookies and record IP addresses, others aggregate without either — which matters under privacy law in many countries.
Pre-saves
Before release, many smart links act as pre-save pages that let a listener add the release to their library ahead of time, so it appears for them on release day. After release, the same link becomes the normal listening link.
Questions
What is the difference between a smart link and a link in bio?
A smart link is for one release and routes to that release on each service. A link-in-bio page collects many links — releases, merchandise, tour dates — on a single profile page.
Do smart links affect streaming royalties?
Not directly. They change where listeners end up, not how a service pays for the stream.