For: Releasing artists (RA), earning artists (EA), and label managers (LM) You'll need: A release with Spotify or Apple Music streams Time: 4 minutes
The Analytics page sometimes shows two stream-style numbers side by side: Streams and Qualified plays. This article explains the difference and why the qualified number is usually smaller.
Quick answer
A qualified play is a stream that lasted at least 30 seconds. That's the bar most streaming services use to decide whether a listen counts toward royalties. Anything shorter is still a stream. Someone pressed play, but it doesn't generate income, so we show it as a separate number.
How to read it
On Analytics, pick a release and switch the platform lens to Spotify or Apple Music.
The Qualified plays card appears next to Streams.
Compare the two:
Streams — every press of play.
Qualified plays — only plays that crossed the 30-second mark.
Your earnings on that release line up with Qualified plays, not total Streams.
If you switch the platform lens to a service that doesn't use a duration threshold, the Qualified plays card hides itself — there's no equivalent to show.
Why it works this way
Streaming services don't pay out for accidental clicks, half-second previews, or auto-play moments that listeners immediately skip. The industry-standard rule is: a play counts when it reaches roughly 30 seconds. Below that, the listener has effectively said "not this one" — and the platform passes that signal on to us. Showing only the qualified number would hide useful information (your real reach); showing only total streams would overstate your earning potential. So we show both, and label them clearly.
A few things that drive a gap between Streams and Qualified plays:
Short tracks (under a minute) where listeners scrub or skip near the end.
Playlist contexts where listeners are sampling many tracks quickly.
Algorithmic radio that auto-skips after a few seconds if it misjudged the listener's taste.
A track that opens slowly — listeners sometimes bail before the drop.
A widening gap over time is worth investigating. A stable ratio is normal.
Common problems
Qualified plays card is missing entirely — you've selected a streaming service that doesn't use a 30-second rule. Switch the lens to Spotify or Apple Music.
Qualified plays equals Streams exactly — possible for very small numbers; also possible on platforms where every reported stream is already filtered. Not a bug.
My royalties don't match qualified plays one-to-one — payouts depend on the platform, country, and subscription tier of each listener. Qualified plays is the count; earnings is the value.