How Spotify Plays affect your royalties
Spotify is a Swedish music streaming platform, and there’s no need to say that it’s also the world’s music giant and one of the most critical players in today’s music industry.
For the last ten years, Spotify has been the central figure in how music is streamed all around the world. I guess there’s no need to explain why. With its more than 400 million monthly active users and the highest market share over any of the other major streaming services, it’s not a surprise that Spotify is the all-time leader in the music streaming industry.
So, taking into account its popularity, there’s no doubt every artist wants to succeed on Spotify, get as many plays as possible, and see that its number of royalties is growing consistently.
In this article, we’ll tell you more about Spotify plays, why they’re so crucial for any artist who wants to build a successful career, and how exactly they are related to your royalties.
Why Spotify plays are important
Spotify made a real revolution in the audio streaming domain. It uses its extensive dataset to understand users perfectly, help its artists grow their audiences, and make people more involved in their art with the help of tools like Spotify for Artists and many others.
But of course, Spotify is just a fantastic platform that is supposed to help you with your career. Still, if you want to get the most out of it, you must visualize its key metrics, understand how they are being aggregated, and learn how to influence them to grow your popularity ultimately. By saying that, I mean that you have to learn as much information as possible about its most essential data points and what are the best ways for you to influence them.
And I think now is the best time to clear the fog and read as much as possible about Spotify plays.
For starters, you must realize that streams are the holy grail of data. They result from all the hard work you put into your music. Plays will let you know if you did a good job or not and if you worked enough on both your release and the marketing part of it all.
Besides that, they are the exact metric that actually transforms into your growing revenue.
Well, now, when you understand the importance of music streams, let’s see what exactly is considered as a stream on Spotify. Even though the specifics of how royalties are calculated on the platform are not always so clear and easy to get, we know for sure that if a person listens to your track for 30 seconds or more, it’s already considered as one play on Spotify.
Why 30 seconds? I’ll only say one word – retention. Yes, in our technological world, people’s attention span is shorter than ever before, only 8.25 seconds. That’s why, if someone listens to the first 30 seconds of your song, it’s already catchy enough for them. That’s why 30 seconds is essential for plays to count and for listeners to come back for more. So, your track has to start strong if you want to keep listeners and not make them drop or skip it.
That’s why it’s better to remember the 30 seconds rule while editing your song. Sometimes it might be better to avoid doing several bars of intros or starting sparse with instrumentation. If you want to get through these 30 seconds, your song has to hook up the listener from the very first seconds. But, of course, it’s always your choice and vision of how your music must sound.
What are music royalties?
Now, let’s talk more about the basics. In order to explain how royalties are related to Spotify Plays, you gotta understand what royalties are and how they work.
Long story short, music royalties are compensatory payments received by rights holders (songwriters, composers, recording artists, and their respective representatives.) They are received in exchange for the licensed use of their music.
Of course, royalties are also generated for various types of licensing and usage. But, there’re four main royalty types: streaming royalties, public performance royalties, digital performance royalties, and mechanical royalties.
- Streaming Royalties
Because of the growing popularity of streaming services, every artist understands the importance of monetizing its music on these platforms. Recordings are licensed to streaming platforms, and the payments they receive are royalties. - Public Performance Royalties
This type of royalties is earned when a song of some artist is played in a commercial environment like TV, radio, clubs, restaurants, venues, etc., (and the royalties are paid by streaming services.) - Digital Performance Royalties
Any radio that is not AM or FM needs to get a license from SoundExchange (royalties collection society) to use licensed music, as well as labels and recording artists need to register to be able to collect the royalties.
- Mechanical Royalties
To make it as simple as possible, mechanical royalties are generated whenever music is played digitally or physically via on-demand streaming or download-to-own services.
How much do artists earn for Spotify Plays?
This question is essential for every artist, I guess. How much do I get for 1000 plays? And for 100.000? And what about the million plays?
Well, here’s what statistics tell us.
Usually, artists get paid between $0.001 and $0.008 per stream by Spotify.
What does it mean? This means that if your song is streamed one million times on Spotify, you can expect to earn between $1,000 and $8,000.
In the US, the average fee for streaming on Spotify in the US is $0.004. So basically, you’ll get paid $4,000 for 1 million views if your song is played for at least 30 seconds. Sounds pretty good, right?
So, you might ask why is it so confusing, why they pay you from $0.001 to $0.008? How much are you going to get at the end of the day?
Well, it’s tough to say because it all depends on several different factors like location, the number of subscribers you have, how often they play your tracks, etc. Also, the revenue from the royalties is usually split 70/30 – so that’s 70% to the artist/rights holders and 30% to Spotify where the rights holders can include the publisher, songwriter, and the master recording owners (i.e., the artist and/or label if they’re signed to one).
To be honest, many music community representatives believe that Spotify royalties should be more significant, and the details of how they are calculated aren’t always well understood.
How Spotify plays are related to royalties
It’s always really important for creators to understand how Spotify Plays become royalties. To make its financial benefits as clear as possible, I’ll explain to you how stream on Spotify turns into publishing royalties and how to get those royalties into your pocket.
Spotify works with this known “pro-rata” or “platform-centric” distribution model. What does it mean? It means that the revenue that artists get is based on four main factors:
- Spotify’s total streaming revenue pool
- The negotiated global payout as a percentage of that revenue
- Total number of streams on the platform
- The number of your streams on the platform
So in the harsh music streaming world, it’s impossible to find such a thing as an all-in-one revenue pool. Instead, artists deal with every kind of subscription in every local market, country, and so on. This means not every stream is equal. Every pay-per-stream rate is a flux for any artist. It happens because there are hundreds of factors affecting the overall revenue.
If you’re still curious about what is a ‘pay per stream’ is, it’s the amount of money, generated every time someone listens to your song.
I know we discussed this topic a little bit before, but let me go back to it for a minute. Out of all the existing types of royalties, the ones that bring you income on Spotify are streaming royalties (meaning the performance and mechanical royalties.) They are both generated when your song is streamed on some digital services like Spotify, because a music stream is a public performance and a mechanical reproduction of your work simultaneously. And the payout always depends on what type of user is listening to your track. The platform takes into consideration everything: what country they’re from, if they’re premium, free, family, student, users, etc.
Performance royalties
They can be paid to both publishers and artists in multiple situations. So let’s dive deeper into how it works.
You have to understand that a public performance is some broadcast or stream placed on network or cable TV played on broadcast or satellite radio, or distributed on streaming services like Spotify. All these can generate a performance royalty for the songwriter and publisher every time they are being played. So, if you have your music anywhere on Spotify, you’re entitled to collect your royalties.
Again, you can see that these royalties depend on the number of times your track was played.
Mechanical Royalties
The second type of Spotify royalties is paid to you when your songs are reproduced (whether physically or digitally). This is how mechanical royalties work. Imagine you get a record deal, and your album sells 10,000 physical and download copies. Your record will report these sales to you and your publisher and, accordingly, pay you out your royalties. Every time a copy of a musical composition is made, you get your revenue.
So, for artists releasing their music on this (or any other music streaming platform), the amount of money you will get for your work basically depends on the number of plays and copies you get. Still, have any doubts whether streams are essential or not?
So yeah, no matter if you are an independent artist or one signed to a major label, you will be gettin’ your $ every time your track is played for at least 30 seconds. (Even if you play it yourself:)
Tips on How to get more Spotify Plays
So, since you did a little research and now you know a lot about the royalties, how they’re calculated, and what an enormous impact Spotify plays have on your income, it’s time to concentrate on the ways of getting as many Spotify plays as possible.
Don’t worry; every artist, at some point in their career, faces the same problem. Getting over this obstacle of gathering plays is challenging, that’s true. But if you put more thought into it, your songs can get more recognition.
So, if you understand that your goal is to promote your music and get more plays, you will need to ensure that you are taking the right actions. There’re many things that you can do to boost your numbers on the platform, and they all are centered around promotion. You should let more people know about your music, share it with others, and create a buzz around your tracks.
So, I know you’re wondering how to do that. Well, here’re some tips you should take a look at:
Claim your Spotify for Artists profile. This one will never get old. Yes, I’m sure you might have heard this piece of advice before. But if you didn’t follow it yet, it’s time to do it. This is supposed to be the first key step to boosting your number of Spotify streams. With a Spotify for Artists account, you’ll be able to:
– customize your profile. Change your profile picture, and add your bio to let fans learn more about you, your brand, and any releases, shows, or projects you want to promote.
– get access to Spotify for artists’ tools. Follow all the updates about new features and useful resources for artists using the app.
Spruce up your Spotify profile. Once you’ve claimed your artist profile on Spotify, it’s time to make sure you’re taking advantage of all the benefits you can get to make your profile look as good as possible. When you have a high-quality profile on Spotify, you have more chances to attract the attention of people and turn this attention into new streams and new fans in the future.
A high-quality profile means you’ve got a correctly sized profile, a catchy bio, links to your social media, your track artwork, and a pinned ‘Artist’s Pick.’
Spotify is like any other social media platform, and you must treat it that way. Make sure that when people see your profile, they want to stay longer there rather than drop off because you have a weird profile picture or a boring bio.
And don’t forget to be active on the platform. The algorithm likes those who regularly update their accounts and make the most of what the platform can give them.
Include links to your Spotify in all your marketing. If you really put thoughts into your work, you know how important it is to have a music release strategy that includes everything – email marketing, social media, music video, artist website, EPK, press release, etc. And while doing everything, you shouldn’t forget that all your marketing efforts directly link to your Spotify profile. Create direct links to your Spotify profile in:
- Your Instagram/Twitter bio
- Your music bio, EPK, or press release
- A Spotify pre-save link on your website
- Pin it as a comment on your YouTube vids
Embed your tracks into your website. If you have a website, and I really hope that you have one, make sure you embed the Spotify player and the Spotify follow button into your website. This is exactly how your website visitors can start streaming your songs and follow you as an artist—easy and genius.
Social media platforms. Your social media should always be up-to-date, and make sure you are engaging with your followers. When you have a new release, just let your fans know about it on IG, FB, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, etc. Make them notice it, and go to your Spotify to check it out. If there’s no new content, reshare some tracks you started out with, and make it a bit nostalgic.
Submit your releases in advance. Spotify suggests submitting your tracks at least seven days in advance of the release date. By doing that, you let the streaming service consider your tracks for playlists such as Spotify’s Release Radar. But just a little recommendation. It’s always better to submit your track as early as possible. Seven days might be a bit late. So, don’t lose your chances; apply to be included in curated playlists, and pitch your music.
Reach out to people with user playlists. User playlists on Spotify also have a huge influence, and they’re a lot of them out there. Just find the ones that fit your music genre and ask to be considered for inclusion.
Release consistently. Yes, one of the main secrets is to be consistent.
Spotify was built like that. Its algorithmic playlists & rewards schemes are based around your profile activity. The more people interact with your profile, the higher you’ll be in Spotify’s good books. So, if you want to generate more streams on Spotify, you’ll need to make sure you’re releasing more music on the reg. Your fans should have a reason to come back again and again. If you manage to do that, you’ll see the result in more streams.
Spotify ad studio. Spotify Ad Studio is an advertising platform allowing users to create and manage Spotify audio advertising campaigns easily. You can create your own ads for 30 seconds or less, and users will hear them during commercial breaks between songs. Each ad also contains a clickable image linked to the URL of your choice.
Buy plays on Spotify. While Spotify is the most famous music platform for listeners, it’s also viral among millions of other artists. What does it mean? It means you’ll have to maximize your efforts if you want to get your income from the streaming. So besides doing everything I’ve told you about before, I strongly recommend you buy Spotify Promotion. Because sometimes it costs money if you want to make money. Once you purchase real Spotify plays, you will reach more people that could be your next greatest fans.
So, let me give you more reasons why you should buy plays on Spotify.
Buy real Spotify Plays
One of the main reasons to start your music promotion by buying Spotify plays is that it is one of the fastest and easiest ways to reach your goals. All the tips written in this article will definitely help you to get more streams, but it will take you at least a few months to get the first results. You will be putting all your energy, soul, and blood into these promotion features, but it’s going to be really tough to do it on your own. By saying that buying plays on Spotify will definitely help you, I mean that this will be an extra boost for you. It’s like a beneficial thing that will make your way to success a lot faster and easier. In combination with all the other tips you’ve read in this article, you’ll be able to see the best results a lot sooner.
Nowadays, if you want to maximize your exposure on Spotify, you need to buy Spotify plays. Just producing amazing music is not enough anymore.
That’s why I’m telling you that it’s time to become proactive. Use all the tips listed above, and start buying plays on Spotify. Create a plan of all the needed actions and follow it. Our world is growing fast, and we don’t have enough time for all the tedious and time-consuming approaches.
Why you should buy plays on Spotify
If you still have any doubts, let me give you several reasons why buying Spotify plays will only benefit you.
In the old days, all you needed was one hit song, and the industry insiders would see you. Now, it’s a lot more complicated. It’s more about the people that you know and not your talent.
That’s precisely why buying Spotify plays will help you.
- They are like an excellent kickstart for your song. Instead of starting from zero plays, you can start from a few Thousand.
- This way, you will also strengthen your Social Credibility. In addition, a boost can make your song look very popular and will attract more people to listen to it.
- You can go viral.
- Encourage Conversation and get people talking. You can buy Likes and Comments as well to get people talking.
However, it doesn’t mean that if you buy streams, your promotion will be as easy as a walk in the park. No, it’s just an amazing additional boost for you to be seen by more people, by your target audience. This allows you to stand out from the crowd with your unique music.
In a world where millions of people are dreaming of achieving the same things as you, you need an extra boost that will make it work for you.
Before settling on any service provider in the market, you must understand the benefits that come with buying the streams.
1. It leads to the top charts
Once your track is played frequently, you will eventually gain more followers on the platform. This is a great turning point! Once you do it, you will see the progress in slowly getting more and more fans. This is the exact kind of popularity you need.
2. You will get access to established labels
Once you are a brand with a number of listeners, your tracks will automatically be noticed. Only this is an outstanding achievement that’s worth a try.
3. You can become an influencer
By purchasing Spotify streams, you will constantly gather millions of fans of your music or track. At some point, more and more audiences will be joining your channel. And once you’re followed by numerous individuals, you will have an opportunity to influence their decisions. Also, once you become an influencer, it’s going to be a lot easier to find your own spot in the music industry. You only need to ensure good quality and stay consistent.
These are only a few things that you can get by buying plays on Spotify. Every artist struggles to reach this level, while you can get everything a lot easier. Of course, you will have to work a lot, but you will also have this amazing support that will make your way to success faster.
And I know you’re thinking, where can you buy Spotify plays.
Well, if you really want to make it work, you have to choose the promotion service carefully. Choose a service that is respectable and reliable at the same time. You need to be sure they will help you to buy real Spotify listeners and make it work for you.
In this case, the best choice for you would be the PromosoundGroup.
Buy Spotify Plays on PromosoundGroup
Promosound is undoubtedly one of the best sites to buy Spotify plays. This is a company with 10 years of experience. And what’s more important is that it’s run by music industry insiders who’ve done it all. If you want to promote your music, you’ll feel safe and happy knowing that someone with that amount of skills and background is helping you.
With Promosound, you will be able to acquire the best quality plays without much effort. Just choose your Spotify Plays package and get started. The service guarantees different levels of exposure based on how much you pay for different levels of promotion. And, of course, you can choose exactly what you need to promote first: plays, playlist plays, playlist placement, saves, or monthly listeners.
By choosing one or a few packages, your numbers will accelerate within a short time. Trust me, it feels amazing watching your streams rise.
Promosound is an effective company that will take care of all your Spotify (and not only Spotify) related needs.
I strongly recommend you to check out the website and take a look at all the types of offered promotion packages.
When Spotify users start hearing your tracks on a regular basis, you’ll get more followers and more exposure. This will be a game-changing moment for you. This will help your sense of self-assurance grow, which is also crucial for an artist.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a musician, you’ve got to understand that today you can’t let yourself go easy on your music career. You have to do everything it takes and never even think about giving up if you plan on succeeding.
Now, after reading this article, I believe that you’ve learned a thing or two about Spotify royalties, the importance of plays, and how to make the most out of Spotify’s music streaming platform.
Although you won’t get your bucks straight away, they will be adding up over time, especially as your followers and number of monthly listeners begin to grow. Just like that, one day streaming will become your regular source of revenue. On top of that, you will build a global listener base, get playlisted, or even be discovered by some label.
I know that in order to get everything you want, you’ll have to bust your gut or sell your soul; well, in general, it’ll be a real challenge. But it’s achievable. And it’s worth it.
So, go for it!