What counts as a stream for Apple Music?

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51 points

What counts as a stream for Apple Music?

I have seen so many questions and doubts and contradictory suggestions on this. Can we get proper clarification on what Apple Music counts as a stream?

Since Apple Music is mixed with our own library...

1) Do we have to play a song directly from a search on Apple Music in order for a stream to count?

2) Do streams count if we play songs from a playlist we made?

3) Do streams count if we’ve added a song to our library (tapping the + icon next to a song)? Do streams count if we’ve downloaded the song (tapping the cloud icon next to it)?

4) Do streams count when playing songs we purchased from iTunes Store in our library?

5) Do streams count if we play a song repeatedly, such as using the repeat icon, or tapping the rewind/back/return player button, or playing it continuously on a playlist?

5) If we’re not connected to the internet, do the plays of songs in our library count as streams once we’re online?

iPhone 11, iOS 13

Posted on Feb 8, 2020 9:56 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

i_rina

Community Specialist

Feb 13, 2020 12:56 PM in response to lostfan01

Hi lostfan01,

Apple Music streams are music files which are from Apple Music.

If you have purchased an album from the iTunes Store, and you're playing the files from that purchased album, that is not a stream. It does count as a purchase for the artist.

If you add the album from Apple Music, and play the Apple Music files, that is a stream. Anytime you play a song from the Apple Music Library it is a stream.

This information explains what is included in the Apple Music data of an artist:

"Plays, Listeners, Shazams, and More

We measure your music's performance in these categories:

- Plays are recorded when a user initiates song playback in Apple Music for more than 30 seconds.
- Average Daily Listeners are the average number of daily unique listeners in the time frame selected.
- Purchases are recorded when a customer buys your song or album from the iTunes Store.
- Shazams are recorded anytime your song is recognized by the Shazam app or one of the partner apps that use Shazam technology.
- Insights are a list of milestones and all-time bests for your songs and albums, highlighting important changes in the data.
- Radio Spins are recorded when a subscriber listens to your song for more than 30 seconds while tuned in to an Apple Music radio station. Apple Music radio stations are created when a user picks a song or an artist to generate a custom radio station, or from an Apple Music curated radio station.
- Video Views are recorded when an Apple Music user watches your music video for more than 30 seconds."

You can find this and more here: Understand Your Analytics - Apple Music for Artists.

A stream will count as a "Play" no matter where you're playing it from if it's an Apple Music file. It can be part of a playlist, from a search, and while playing a file offline - so long as these are Apple Music files. If they're files that you purchased, it would be part of the "Purchases" category.

There are content providers who the artists work with. This page provides more information: iTunes Connect Resources and Help.

Cheers!

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Answer 2

lostfan01 Author

Level 1

51 points

Feb 14, 2020 4:55 PM in response to i_rina

Thanks for the explanation. So to confirm some of the answers to my questions above, streams do count:

when songs are played from our own self-created playlists
when we've added songs to our library from Apple Music (using the + sign)
when we've downloaded songs to our library from Apple Music (using the cloud sign)

Can you clarify the purchased song aspect? When i've purchased a song from iTunes Store, my plays of it won't count as streams even though I'm playing it from my library (e.g. my playlists)? How then do we "stream" songs in Apple Music that we've already purchased from the iTunes Store?

Lastly: Do streams count if we play a song repeatedly, such as using the repeat icon, or tapping the rewind/back/return player button, or playing it continuously on a playlist?

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Answer 3

lostfan01 Author

Level 1

51 points

Feb 12, 2020 7:43 PM in response to Leanne_68

Thanks for the link, but I am asking as an Apple Music subscriber, following many other subscribers who've asked this before and haven't gotten clarification. As an AM subscriber streaming music, I want to know if and under what circumstances my streams are being counted - a clarification on what playback actions/habits from subscribers does Apple Music count as streams. Hence the questions above, which I'll reiterate:

Since Apple Music is mixed with our own library...

1) Do we have to play a song directly from a search on Apple Music in order for a stream to count?

2) Do streams count if we play songs from a playlist we made?

3) Do streams count if we’ve added a song to our library (tapping the + icon next to a song)? Do streams count if we’ve downloaded the song (tapping the cloud icon next to it)?

4) Do streams count when playing songs we purchased from iTunes Store in our library?

5) Do streams count if we play a song repeatedly, such as using the repeat icon, or tapping the rewind/back/return player button, or playing it continuously on a playlist?

5) If we’re not connected to the internet, do the plays of songs in our library count as streams once we’re online?

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Answer 4

Leanne_68

Community Specialist

Feb 11, 2020 1:30 PM in response to lostfan01

Hello lostfan01,

Thanks for reaching out to the Apple Support Communities! From your message it sounds like you are wanting to get clarification on what Apple Music is counting when it comes to the performance of an artists music.

If this is correct, check out the article below for more information on how music's performance is measured. You'll find information on how a song play is recorded, purchases, even Shazam's of a song.

Understand Your Analytics - Apple Music for Artists

If you're an Apple Music artist, you can sign into your account on that page, and reach support for more assistance.

All the best!

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What counts as a stream for Apple Music?

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