Does Spotify Count Muted Streams? (We Checked)

Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming platforms out there; with its endless features and a huge range of content, it’s no surprise why.

If you are looking to understand the workings behind Spotify’s stream counts, volume levels, and other analytical data then this article is for you.

Here’s Everything you Need to Know About Whether Spotify Counts Muted Streams:

Spotify has zero ability to track users’ volume levels when listening to songs. Therefore, muted streams are always included in the song’s stream count and other listening data, meaning artists will still receive payment. This holds true for both free and premium plans on Spotify.

Do Artists get Paid when they’re Played on Mute?

Artists on Spotify get paid whenever their song or album is streamed by a listener.

Undoubtedly there has been some debate over the years as to whether songs played on mute will count towards the artist’s overall streams, with some claiming that they don’t.

However, to put confusion aside, muted songs are most definitely included within the artist’s stream counts and moderators on Spotify’s help forums have verified this information.

On Spotify, a stream is classified as a user listening to a song or podcast for more than a certain amount of consecutive seconds, regardless of whether it is muted.

As stated on artists.spotify.com, a stream is counted when “someone listens for 30 seconds or more.” 

Therefore, because muted streams do count, the artist will always be paid for them.

If you’re a budding artist, it’s also worth knowing that even songs played on repeat will count towards your listening stats – even if they’re muted.

How much an artist gets paid on Spotify is a little tricky to figure out, but on average, a single stream can earn them up to $0.005, so even those muted streams can slowly add up over time.

Is there Any Way to Check Stream Count on your Account?

As an artist on Spotify, it’s important to be able to understand and fully utilize the listening statistics available to you.

Checking the stream count on your Spotify account is incredibly straightforward and a vital tool in helping with growing your brand and building a fan base.

As long as you are a verified artist, you will have access to a wide amount of engagement analytics (not just your stream count), such as:

• The number of streams every song has
• The number of listeners per song
• How many followers are engaged with your profile
• What playlists your songs are included on
• Your listener’s age
• Your listener’s gender
• … and much more

If you’re looking to check your stream count, follow these simple steps:

1. Log in to your verified artist’s profile on your chosen device.
2. Navigate to the top Menu and tap/click on ‘Music’
3. Now all you have to do is select the first tab labeled ‘Songs’

From here, you will be able to see a list of all of your songs that are currently available to listen to on Spotify. Next to each individual song, you will be able to see how many streams or listeners it has gained.

Spotify also has a unique stream count feature for new songs. During the first 7 days of a song’s release, you will be able to see a live stream of stats for that particular song – this is updated every 2 seconds.

This is a great way of being able to fully analyze how your music is being received in the initial stages.

After the first 7 days have passed, your stream counts and other analytic data will be updated once a day at approximately the same time.

It’s worth noting that if someone has downloaded your music for offline listening their streaming habits will only be updated once they have come back online.

Whether the songs are listened to offline or online is unfortunately not tracked through the listening data collected by Spotify’s servers.

Does Spotify Know your Volume Level?

The hardware used by Spotify’s servers is not capable of tracking the volume levels of a particular device that individual listeners are using to stream music.

Whether they have a song on mute, or they are blaring it across the street, Spotify is not able to gain this information.

As stated by the folks at orpheusaudioacademy.com. Spotify moderators explain: 

“The minutes on mute will be counted towards listening stats. The app does not have the capabilities to track volume levels on the hardware it’s running, so the mute will not affect the stats.”

What are some Free Ways to Support Artists on Spotify?

Supporting upcoming artists on Spotify is incredibly important to help them grow their businesses and achieve their fullest potential.

Any aspiring artist out there will understand just how much support from their friends and family means to their success.

Giving support to artists – whether they are chart toppers or new to the scene – on Spotify doesn’t even have to cost you any money either. Supporting an artist is easy!

• The best and most simple way to show support is to follow their account on Spotify. This is because, understandably, when artists have a fair amount of followers, others will be more inclined to follow them too.
• Another way to help support artists is by checking out and following their other social media outlets. With a simple click, share, or like, people can really make a difference.

Obviously, simply listening to an artist will always help support them and is a way of ensuring that they receive more royalties, and thus, more financial gain.

If a musician is able to make a decent wage from the music that they produce, they can continue to create more tracks that you’ll hopefully enjoy.

Sources:

Does Spotify Count Plays on Repeat (What Counts As A Stream)?

How We Count Streams

How Much Does Spotify Pay Per Stream 2023