Does remastering a single reset its play count?

Not if you swap the audio on the existing release. A remaster uploaded as a new release can start from zero, and a new ISRC almost guarantees it.

Swapping in place. The release, its ISRC and its play count stay put, and only the file changes. On DistroKid that’s Audio Swap, which keeps your stats and playlist spots. It’s covered in our FAQ on changing a song after upload. Other distributors handle audio replacement differently, so ask their support before you assume it’s possible.

A new release with the same ISRC. The code itself is fine. IFPI’s ISRC FAQ says a remaster can generally keep the original ISRC, since it’s “fundamentally the same recording,” unless the remaster adds significant new creative input.

The catch is Spotify’s grouping. Spotify’s page on label teams says it groups tracks with “identical - or very similar - audio and metadata” into one song. It doesn’t say how different a new master can sound and still count as very similar. So the new release may join the old count, or may not. Keep the title and artist spelling identical to give it the best shot, as with a single moving onto an EP.

A new ISRC. That’s a separate recording with zero plays. Spotify’s monetization page says each ISRC has to reach 1,000 streams in 12 months on its own before it earns royalties.