What counts as a stream on Spotify?
A play counts as one stream once someone listens to your song for at least 30 seconds. That’s the rule on Spotify’s page about how streams are counted, and music videos work the same way.
The same page has a few details that trip people up:
- Offline plays count when the listener’s phone next goes online. Spotify makes them reconnect at least once every 30 days.
- Release totals add up every song on the release. A single that also sits on your EP adds to both totals.
- Credits matter. Your totals include songs where you’re credited as main artist or remixer.
- Removed songs keep their all-time count for 90 days. Bring one back after that and it starts at zero.
- Days run on UTC, and you can’t change that.
Repeats aren’t spelled out. Spotify’s page doesn’t say how it treats one person replaying a song. Read plainly, each play past 30 seconds is its own stream.
What doesn’t count is anything Spotify flags as artificial. Its artificial streaming guide says those plays “do not count toward public stream numbers or charts,” and it asks you not to organize fans to stream on loop. Our page on Spotify bots and fake streams covers the warning signs.
Counting and getting paid are separate questions. For the money side, read whether Spotify pays for streams or listeners.