Distribution Analytics FAQ

The Streaming Trends Dashboard gives you a clear snapshot of how your music is performing across all platforms by showing total streams, total play time, and total listeners in one central view within BandLab Distribution.

Paid members see everything free users do plus detailed breakdowns of their top performing tracks—complete with individual streams, listeners, and play time—and their top releases with the same per‑item metrics.

Data updates every few days, ensuring you always have fresh, reliable numbers to track performance.

Our distribution provider’s data feed is processed on our servers to generate each metric whenever new files arrive. Total streams represents the sum of every completed play of your music across all reporting services within the selected date range. Total play time is the cumulative listening time in minutes for those plays. Total listeners counts each unique account or device that streamed your music at least once. Top performing tracks and releases are determined by ranking your content in order of highest to lowest total streams.

For detailed information on how Spotify calculates and pays out royalties, please refer to the following resources:

• Spotify for Artists – How Streaming Royalties Work
• Official Spotify FAQ – Royalty Rates and Payouts

These pages explain the pro rata payment model, average per‑stream rates, and how factors such as subscription type and listener location affect your total earnings.

There are several reasons why high stream counts may not translate directly into high payouts. Per‑stream rates vary according to subscription revenue and overall listening hours on each platform. Second, the pro rata distribution model pools all royalty revenue and divides it based on your share of total streams, which means your earnings depend on global listening trends in the same period. Third, fees from intermediaries and any rights holders are deducted before you receive payment. Finally, withholding taxes in certain territories and fluctuations in currency exchange rates can further reduce the final amount you see in your account. Understanding these factors can help set realistic expectations and guide strategies to improve revenue, such as targeting markets with higher payout rates and encouraging premium subscriptions.