
1. What Counts as a Stream?
Spotify counts a stream when a listener plays a song or music video for at least 30 seconds. This 30-second threshold is crucial, as any play shorter than this won’t contribute to your overall stream count.
- Song Streams: Each time a listener plays your song for 30 seconds or more, it is counted as one stream.
- Video Streams: Music video streams also contribute to your total streams if the video is watched for 30 seconds or more.
2. Release Stream Count
The release stream count aggregates all song streams within a particular release. For example, if your album has 10 songs, and each song gets 100 streams, the release will show a total of 1,000 streams.
3. All-Time Streams
Spotify tracks all-time streams to provide a cumulative total of your music’s performance on the platform.
- Song Streams: Includes both audio and video streams lasting 30 seconds or more.
- Music Video Streams: These are also reflected in the all-time streams for the associated song and any release the song appears on.

4. Multiple Releases
If a song appears on multiple releases (e.g., a single, an EP, and a greatest hits album), streams from all releases contribute to the song’s overall stream count. This ensures every play is accounted for, no matter the context.
5. Downloaded Music
Spotify also tracks streams from downloaded music. When a listener streams your music offline, Spotify counts the stream once they reconnect online, provided they do so at least once every 30 days.
6. Streams in Spotify for Artists
In your Spotify for Artists dashboard, your total stream count includes all songs where you are credited as a main artist or remixer. This provides a holistic view of your contributions to the platform.