Spotify is one of the major platforms artists use to reach more listeners. However, it does seem confusing how streams are counted. Whether you are a music enthusiast or in the music industry, this blog will help you as we discuss what will Spotify count as a stream and how they consider real streams or fake streams.

Minimum Listening Time

A stream on Spotify is counted when a song is played for at least 30 seconds. This counts as one stream. This rule ensures that only significant listening sessions from unique listeners are counted as one stream and excludes brief or accidental plays. It doesn't count if you jump or skip to the 30-second mark.

Furthermore, if you listen to a song for 30 seconds, and listen again for another 30 seconds on the same song, it will count as two streams.

Repeated Streams

Streams are counted each time a song is played for 30 seconds or more, even if you play the same song repeatedly. This applies regardless of whether the song is played from the same or different accounts, or you have played the song multiple times, as long as the listening time of thirty seconds is met.

Streams from Multiple Releases

If a song appears on multiple albums or releases, or the song is in multiple popular playlists, each play contributes to the stream count for every release it is featured on. This shows how popular a particular song is across different releases.

Downloaded Music

Streams from downloaded music are counted when the listener goes online. The listener must be online at least once every 30 days to ensure that offline plays count in the stream counts.

Detection of Fraudulent Streams

Spotify has sophisticated systems to detect and filter out fake streams generated by bots, click farms, or any artificial means. Streams that are found to be fake can be removed, and the associated artists page or accounts may face penalties.

Muted Streams

Spotify counts streams even if the music is played on mute, as long as you still listen to a song for thirty seconds. However, doing so excessively might trigger Spotify's fraud detection systems.

It is important to note that Spotify counts streams from free users and premium users alike. The important thing is to actually listen to the song, ensuring that only genuine and significant plays contribute to an artist's stream count.