How Does Spotify Determine Monthly Listeners?
If you're a music artist or content creator on Spotify, you've probably wondered: how does Spotify calculate monthly listeners? This number is more than just a vanity metric — it's a direct reflection of your audience reach and engagement over time.
🔄 What Is a Monthly Listener?
A monthly listener on Spotify is defined as a unique user who has played your music at least once during a rolling 28-day period.
It only counts unique listeners. One user = one listener, no matter how many times they stream your music.
The stat updates daily and reflects the past 28 days — not a calendar month.
If a fan listens to multiple songs, they still count as just one monthly listener.
📊 Why Monthly Listeners Matter
This metric gives insight into how many individuals are regularly engaging with your music. It's often used by:
Playlist curators – to assess your current reach.
Labels & managers – as a growth indicator.
Fans – to determine artist popularity.
🔢 Monthly Listeners vs. Streams vs. Followers.
Monthly listeners = unique users in the last 28 days
Streams = total number of plays (can include repeats)
Followers = users who’ve clicked “Follow” on your artist profile
All three are important, but monthly listeners are especially useful to gauge your current audience activity.
🌍 How to Increase Monthly Listeners
If you're looking to grow your listener base, try:
Releasing music consistently Keep 100% of your royalties when you DISTRIBUTE WITH DITTO
Getting on playlists (editorial & user-curated) PITCH YOUR MUSIC TO US.
Running Spotify-focused ads
Promoting your tracks on social media. Get EFFECTIVE MUSIC PROMOTION for as low as $10/day.
👉 We offer Spotify growth services including playlist pitching, profile optimization, and targeted ads to help you boost your monthly listeners.
💡 Pro Tip: Use Spotify for Artists
Spotify for Artists gives you real-time access to your listener data, top cities, demographics, playlist placements, and more. This can help you make data-driven decisions to grow faster.