Why are my monthly listeners dropping?
By the HyperTribe team. Reviewed by Kimberly, founder. Updated .
Because monthly listeners only count people who played you in the last 28 days. When a release, a playlist add or a clip that travelled stops bringing new people in, the ones who came once roll off the count. That's normal, and it isn't a judgement on the music.
For the emerging artists we work with, it's the usual pattern: listeners rise around a release and fall back between them. The listeners came and went. The people who pressed follow are still there for the next release.
What do monthly listeners actually measure?
The number of different people who played at least one of your songs in the last 28 days. Spotify says it uses a rolling 28 days because calendar months vary in length and people listen differently on different days of the week. It's recalculated every day, so a listener who played you once drops off 28 days later unless they come back.
So monthly listeners measure reach: how many people your music touched this month. They don't measure fans. A playlist with a big audience can add thousands of listeners who never press follow and never play you again.
Is it normal for monthly listeners to drop?
Yes. For most of the emerging artists we work with, monthly listeners rise around a release and fall between them. That's the 28-day window doing its job.
If your listeners dropped after a release or a playlist add, you're looking at the normal shape. If they dropped and your followers fell too, look harder: that usually means old listeners are drifting and nothing new is bringing people in.
Which number should you watch instead?
The people you can reach again. In order:
- Followers. Someone who pressed follow gets your next release in their feed and in their release playlist. It's the streaming number that compounds.
- Your own list. Emails, phone numbers, a group you run. Nobody's algorithm sits between you and them.
- Saves and repeat listens on your streaming dashboard. A save means someone wants to hear it again.
Monthly listeners are worth a glance on release week. Followers and your list are worth checking once a month. Daily numbers mostly tell you about other people's playlists.
What do you do when the number falls?
Use the people the spike brought in before they roll off:
- Turn listeners into followers. Ask, in your posts and from the stage, for the follow rather than the stream. A follow outlasts the 28 days.
- Give them somewhere to go. A link to join your list, on your profile and in every post for the month after a release.
- Plan the next release before this one fades. A release every six to eight weeks keeps bringing new people in. Our release countdown works out the dates.
- Pitch the next song to the editors at least seven days before release; a pitched song also reaches your followers' release playlist.
What not to do: pay for streams or a playlist to get the number back up. Bought listeners don't follow, don't come back, and can get music taken down. Our paid promotion guide has a ten-question check before you spend anything.
How many monthly listeners is good?
There isn't a number that's good for everyone. A few hundred people who come back every release are worth more than ten thousand who heard one song on a playlist once. Compare yourself with yourself: are your followers and your list bigger than three months ago? If yes, it's working.
If you want to know which stage you're at and what to do this month, the free stage check asks five questions and tells you.
Where this fits
Monthly listeners rise and fall through the support stage of artist development. The pillar guide has all five stages. If your numbers just jumped, the first 1,000 listeners guide has what to do in the next 14 days, and the first 1,000 fans guide is about the people who stay.
- Artist development: what it is, what it costs, and how to tell it's working
- Your song is getting streams: what to do in the next 14 days
- How to get your first 1,000 fans (not streams)
- How to get your music heard as an independent artist
- Plan your release back from the date
- Should you pay for music promotion? A decision rule
- Artist development stage checkfree tool
- Spotify pitch builderfree tool
Questions artists ask
Why did my monthly listeners drop after a release?
The release brought in people who played it once. When they don't play you again, they leave the count 28 days later. It's the normal shape for almost every artist.
Why did my monthly listeners drop when my streams didn't?
Fewer different people are listening, but the ones who stayed are playing you more. That's often a good sign: your core listeners are coming back.
Are monthly listeners or followers more important?
Followers. They get your next release in their feed and release playlist, and they don't roll off after 28 days. Monthly listeners measure this month's reach.
How long do monthly listeners take to update?
The count is recalculated every day over the last 28 days, so a spike shows up within days and fades over about four weeks.
How many monthly listeners do you need to make money?
Monthly listeners don't pay on their own; streams do, and on the main streaming service each track needs at least 1,000 streams in the previous 12 months before it earns anything. Our money guide has the other routes, which matter more early on.
Should I pay to get my monthly listeners up?
No. Paid streams and paid playlist placements bring listeners who don't follow or come back, and can get your music taken down. Spend on the next release and on reaching people who'll stay.
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