Are you a music fan or an artist? If so, you may have wondered why Spotify streams and monthly listeners differ from one another. Each of these measures is important for assessing your influence and popularity on the platform, but they are different from one another.
I’ll explain the meaning of both phrases, how to identify them, and why they matter for your musical career.
Photo by John Tekeridis.
How Does Spotify Count a Stream on a Particular Song?
Spotify gives one stream to your track if it is played for at least 30 seconds. Thus, every time someone crosses the 30-second mark of the same song, the number will increase, and the following day, you will notice a new stream for that song on your artist profile on Spotify for Artists.
However, you shouldn’t do anything sketchy because Spotify can take away your streams and even delete your track and account! Remember that buying Spotify streams and followers is not the right path for your career.
On a happy note, for every artist who wants to make a living from their art, streams are essential for your Spotify royalties! The more streams you have, the bigger your earnings are!
FAQ: Do Spotify Plays Count When the Song Is Muted?
Muted song plays are not counted by Spotify. The music must not be muted while being streamed in order for the stream to be counted.
FAQ: Does Spotify Count Streams on Repeat?
Spotify counts one stream anytime a track is listened to for 30 seconds or more. If people listen to music for 30 seconds and then another 30 seconds, Spotify counts it as two streams.
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What Do Monthly Listeners on Spotify Mean?
There are a few things you always see when you visit an artist’s page on streaming platforms like Spotify, as you have likely already noticed. It’s their name and photo, a blue checkmark if they are verified artists, and the number of monthly listeners. You may have asked what Spotify really counts as a monthly listener.
So how does Spotify calculate monthly listeners? Monthly Spotify listeners refer to the “unique individuals” who stream your music at least once within a 28-day timeframe. It should be noted that the term “unique listeners” is the key in this context.
Listening to a particular artist’s song frequently does not impact their monthly listenership since it is based on the number of distinct listeners rather than the frequency of plays.
What Is the Difference Between Spotify Streams and Spotify Monthly Listeners?
Let’s make it simple:
- Spotify Streams: How many times people listen to a song;
- Monthly Spotify listeners: How many people listen to an artist in 28 days?
Imagine you just put out your song on Spotify, and one fan streamed it on repeat for two whole weeks. Meanwhile, another fan listened to the album just once and moved on to other music.
Despite the difference in their listening habits, both of them were counted as two monthly listeners. The first fan’s dedication and love for the album boosted its overall number of streams, but it did not have a significant impact on the number of monthly listeners.
On the other hand, the second fan’s one-time listen still contributed to your monthly listener count. This is because the monthly listener count is based on the number of unique individuals who stream the album within a 28-day timeframe rather than the frequency of plays.
As you can see, both of these fans are important in their own ways. Every listener matters; even one-time listeners could help increase your monthly listener count.
Additional tips to remember:
- The same audiences are continuously playing your music if your monthly listeners stay the same while your Spotify streams rise.
- Although the number of Spotify listeners varies, the number of Spotify streams is always cumulative.
- The greatest thing that can happen is to see a consistent rise in Spotify listeners and streams. This indicates that more people are becoming aware of you and your music.
Photo by Danish Saifi.
How to Check the Number of Your Monthly Listeners?
You can learn more about how your fans respond to your music over time by keeping track of your monthly listeners.
With this in mind, you could establish goals and plan a release schedule to keep those figures rising. View your monthly listeners on your artist page, which is updated every day.
One thing you should know about monthly listeners is that, unlike the number of streams, this number will not rise over time. To prevent a decline in your monthly listenership, you must work very hard.
How Do Spotify Streams and Spotify Monthly Listeners Affect Artists?
Since they affect how much artists are paid by Spotify and how high up on Spotify charts and playlists they appear, Spotify streams and Spotify monthly listeners are crucial numbers for musicians.
Spotify compensates musicians according to the number of streams their songs get compared to all streams on the service. The precise compensation for each stream varies according to the subscriber’s country, currency, and subscription type. You can use the Spotify royalty calculator on the SoundCampaign website.
The number of monthly listeners on Spotify is also crucial for musicians since it shows how many followers they have there and how much exposure they get.
An artist is more likely to get included on popular playlists, which might increase their streams and followers, the more monthly listeners they have.
An artist’s position on Spotify rankings like Top Artists, and Top Tracks is also influenced by their monthly listenership, which may improve their exposure and reputation.
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Which Is More Important: Having More Streams or Having More Listeners?
It’s essential to have more streams than listeners, without a doubt.
Below are the reasons for this:
- Your fans are likely listening to many of your songs if there are more streams than listeners.
- Your fans are likely playing your song repeatedly if there are more streams than listeners.
- A favorable listener-to-stream ratio is beneficial for the Spotify algorithm and, ultimately, your success.
Both are undoubtedly significant, but you should focus on your listener-to-stream ratio or repeat listen rate.
The more times your music is played repeatedly by listeners, the more positive signs are delivered to Spotify’s algorithm. Your likelihood of appearing on Spotify playlists like Release Radar and Discover Weekly rises as a result.
How Many Spotify Monthly Listeners Are There?
According to recent data, Spotify currently hosts over 11 million artists and creators. As of Q1 2023, there are 515 million monthly active Spotify users, and 210 million are premium subscribers.
Photo by Mark Angelo Sampan.
How Many Monthly Listeners on Spotify Is Average?
About 80% (78.4%) of artists on Spotify currently have fewer than 50 monthly listeners, according to recent data.
How Many Monthly Listeners on Spotify Is Good?
It all depends on you, your goals, and how engaged your fans are.
However, If you have between 10,000 and 50,000 monthly listeners, and if the majority of them are devoted fans, you’re in good shape since you may make between $100 and $600 per month or more.
How Many Monthly Spotify Listeners to Make a Living?
Absolutely, let’s crunch some numbers together!
Suppose every one of your monthly listeners provides 4 streams individually; then, to sustain a monthly income of less than $2,000, you’d require 200,000 monthly listeners.
However, if each monthly listener only contributes two streams, your listener count would have to surge to 400,000 to maintain the same income.
In other words, doubling your active monthly listener base is needed in this scenario. So, anything above 200,000 would be a stellar achievement for you!
Again, these numbers fluctuate based on what your average number of streams is per monthly listener. Another very important point is to have active listeners who will listen to your song multiple times, not just once.
Photo by Wendy Wei.
How Many Monthly Listeners on Spotify Make an Artist Famous?
While fame is entirely a matter of perspective, there is no specific standard for what constitutes a person as famous.
What could be regarded as “popular” in one musical genre wouldn’t be regarded as so in another. Some musicians that have less than 100,000 monthly Spotify plays perform live before an audience of 30,000 avid supporters.
But popularity in itself is not a great predictor of an artist’s success and shouldn’t be chased after for its own purpose.
How Many Monthly Listeners Do the Most Famous Artists Have?
We might find it strange that the artist with the most streams might not also have the most monthly listeners.
This is because each additional 30 seconds of listening to your music count as a separate stream, and streams start to accumulate after a listener has listened to it for 30 seconds.
The number of monthly listeners is, however, a little different, as we are aware. One unique monthly listener is the same as someone who continuously plays your music for the entire month.
You may see an artist’s rank and monthly listener count on their Spotify profile. Yet the general public cannot see streams. Yet, we can discover which artists are streamed the most often daily and weekly due to Spotify charts.
Moreover, data from the Spotify charts are generated by various external charts. While there may be differences between them and real streams, they are not considered to be official metrics, so knowing how they function is helpful.
To get into numbers, let me give you a few examples:
- The Weekend has more than 106 million monthly listeners,
- Taylor Swift, over 90 million,
- Ed Sheeran, over 86 million,
- Miley Cyrus, over 77 million, etc.
Check List To Get 3,000,000+ Spotify Streams
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Craft High-Quality Music
First and foremost, make sure your music is top-notch, distinctive, and hit the right notes with your listeners.
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Leverage the Power of Spotify Playlists
Try to land your music on popular Spotify playlists, both Spotify-curated and user-generated. It’s a surefire way to gain more exposure. Underestimating the importance of a well-curated playlist is a mistake that should not be made.
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Spread the Word on Your Social Media Platforms
Be active on your social media profiles, share sneak peeks of your upcoming music releases and fun moments from your musical journey, and don’t forget to consistently remind people about your songs.
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Partner Up with Other Artists
Join forces with other artists in your genre for creating captivating new songs. It’s a great way to reach out to a broader audience. You can work on the song together, share each other’s music, make a collaborative playlist, and much more!
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Stay Connected with Your Fans
Make sure to reply to the comments on your songs, share stories or content from fans, and try hosting live performances or interactive sessions on social media.
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Consider Paid Advertisements
Paid promotions on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or Google could be a worthwhile investment to attract more potential listeners. This can help you get your music streamed much more than usual!
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Keep Your Spotify Profile Updated
Make your Spotify artist profile as appealing as possible, with up-to-date info, enticing visuals, and links to your social profiles and merch.
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Consistently Release Music
Keep your listeners on their toes by regularly dropping new songs. It could also increase your chances of being featured on Spotify playlists. Regular new music release is what you need!
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Make Use of Spotify’s Analytics
Spotify’s analytics on your Spotify for Artists page can be a goldmine of insights about your listeners. Use them to refine your music and promotional strategies.
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Get Some Professional Backing
A music promotion service specializing in Spotify could give you that extra push toward your goal of 3,000,000+ streams.
Keep in mind, that it takes time to build a significant streaming audience. Keep going, and remember, every stream counts. Best of luck on your journey!
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto.
Final Word
Understanding how Spotify calculates monthly listeners and streams is crucial for any music artist. Streams represent the frequency of your song plays, while monthly listeners are the unique individuals who tune into your music within a 28-day cycle.
These metrics not only affect your income but also determine your ranking on Spotify charts and your overall visibility. To enhance these figures, concentrate on producing top-notch music, make the most of Spotify playlists, actively promote your music on social platforms, and maintain a strong connection with your audience.
Remember, every single listener is valuable, and each stream contributes to your success. Stay persistent, constantly release new music and improve your skills!
Looking for a way to boost your music career and attract new listeners? SoundCampaign is the perfect solution! We specialize in connecting artists from all corners of the globe with the top playlist curators on Spotify, ensuring that your music gets the deserved recognition and secures a spot on some of the most popular Spotify playlists.
Join our community today so that you can conquer the music industry soon after!
by artists for artists