Glossary / Streaming

Industry terms

30-second rule

On Spotify, a play counts as a stream once someone has listened to a track for 30 seconds or more.

Also called: what counts as a stream, stream count rule

By Aulto · Last reviewed

Why 30 seconds?

It separates real listening from accidental taps and quick skips. Plays shorter than that don't count as streams.

What does it mean for songwriting?

The opening matters. A long intro gives listeners time to skip before the play counts, which is one reason many streaming-era songs get to the hook quickly.

Do other services use the same rule?

Many use a similar threshold, but each service sets its own rules, so check the one you care about.

Example

A track with a 40-second instrumental intro sees many plays end before 30 seconds; a shorter radio edit keeps more of them as streams.

  • Streaming royalties

    Streaming royalties are the money streaming services pay out when your music is played, split between the owners of the recording and the owners of the song.

  • Hook

    A hook is the part of a song, or the first seconds of a video, built to grab attention and make people stay.

  • Monthly listeners

    Monthly listeners is the number of different people who played an artist's music on Spotify in the last 28 days.

  • Algorithmic playlist

    An algorithmic playlist is made automatically for each listener from what they play, like Spotify's Release Radar and Discover Weekly.

  • DSP

    DSP (digital service provider) is the industry's name for streaming services and digital stores, like Spotify, JioSaavn, Apple Music and YouTube Music.

  • Editorial playlist

    An editorial playlist is a playlist picked by a streaming service's own team of editors, as opposed to one generated by its algorithm or made by users.

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