Spotify just dropped a new metric: Plays. It’s supposed to show how many times your episode was played—similar to YouTube views—but as of now, it’s only visible inside Spotify for Podcasters, not to the public.
This episode is sponsored by Riverside.fm - With Riverside you can record high quality audio and video podcasts remotely. Use promo code CLIPPED for 20% off.
In this episode, I break down:
- What the “Plays” metric actually tracks
- Why creators are confused (and a little worried)
- The difference between Spotify Plays, Streams, and Apple Podcast Downloads
- What this means for advertisers and how they buy podcast ad space
- And the bigger question—how do we define success with so many overlapping metrics?
Right now, it’s a mess. But it’s also part of podcasting growing up. I’m not sure how I feel yet, but I’m watching closely—and still focused on making content I love.
📖 Related Reading:
- NBC News: Spotify’s new play count feature has podcasters worried
- Spotify’s official metric breakdown
- Spotify For Podcasters
- Apple Podcasts Connect
🎥 Check out more gear reviews, tutorials, and content tips on my YouTube channel: youtube.com/@thepodcasthaven
🛠️ Resources:
- Podcast Name Checker Tool - Starting a podcast? Use our Podcast Name Checker to ensure the name you want is available across Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and the web
Connect with The Podcast Haven:
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!