Some podcasters fear Spotify's new play count will crowd out smaller shows
Some podcasters raised concerns this week over a new Spotify feature that will publicly display how many plays each podcast episode gets.
The streaming service on Tuesday announced the rollout of its 'Plays' metric, calling the feature 'another invaluable source of insight' for creators 'as they look to optimize their content for success.' But after the announcement, some podcasters — particularly those with smaller, niche followings — said they think the new feature could actually turn listeners away.
'It's like the social media-ification of podcasts now,' said Adrienne Cruz, a podcast manager who represents four small podcasts.
Traditionally, 'podcasting has been such a good fertile ground for small creators,' said Cruz. The medium, which first emerged in the mid-2000s, was a small, niche market until the industry's first big hit, 'Serial,' helped propel it into the mainstream. In recent years, simpler, personality-driven shows have taken off, giving hosts like Joe Rogan massive success across platforms like Spotify, SiriusXM, YouTube and Apple.
With Spotify's new feature, Cruz and others said they worry the already crowded podcasting space could turn into a ' popularity contest.'
'Hey!!! As one of your biggest creators — WE DONT WANT THIS! This is going to hurt so many podcasts,' 'The Psychology of your 20s' podcast, which has almost 200,000 followers on Instagram, wrote on Spotify's post announcing the news.
'Public metrics don't support the creator community — they discourage experimentation and amplify comparison. This doesn't help us grow; it makes us hesitate,' another podcaster wrote.
A spokesperson for Spotify declined to comment.
In its blog post unveiling the feature, Spotify said it aims to 'give creators more comprehensive insight into the scale and depth of their audience.'
'For creators, plays will be a key metric on the home dashboard, show overview, and individual episode analytics pages, offering a near-immediate snapshot of how content is performing based on active engagement,' the streaming service said.
Some podcasters celebrated having more access to data.
Dr. Mikhail 'Mike' Varshavski, a physician who talks about medical issues and hosts 'The Checkup with Doctor Mike,' called the news 'AWESOME.'
'I've been desperate for this feature to roll out to begin building a better understanding of what episodes are performing well,' he said in a statement sent via Spotify to NBC News. 'This has been foundational to success on YouTube, studying successful videos, and now we can do the same on Spotify.'
But others responded to the news on social media by asking if Spotify would let them opt out of the new feature.
They pointed out that the listens-per-episode number would only reflect the plays on Spotify, and not across platforms, possibly misleading audiences and potential brand partners.
'This is actually a disservice to a lot of smaller shows, and it won't reflect the other places people listen to or watch podcasts,' 'Gabbing with Gib' host Gibson Johns commented on Spotify's announcement. 'You should consider letting podcast creators hide this metric.'
Cody Dueitt, the host of the 'Pray Before Chips' podcast, said that while he's happy with the base of core listeners he's built, he thinks the feature could have a negative toll on podcasters with smaller followings.
"What about the smaller ones? ... we've been grinding and grinding and trying to make it happen, but we only have, you know, who knows how many listeners we have, truly," he said.
While he's been podcasting since 2018, Dueitt estimates the most plays he's ever gotten on an episode was about 200.
Janny Perez, host of the 'Latina Mom Legacy' podcast, worried her followers wouldn't see her reach across other platforms.
'I have a larger audience in the whole scheme of things, right?' said Perez. If brands are making their decision to work with creators based on the number of listens an episode gets, Perez said, 'that could potentially hurt you and prevent you from potentially earning money.'
Spotify said plays will be rounded to the nearest thousandth or millionth. For the first 24 hours after publishing, episodes will display a 'new' label instead of a play count as they build up initial listens. After that period, episodes with fewer than 1,000 plays will display <1K and will refresh approximately every hour.
Play counts will be reflected across the Spotify app and in the Spotify for Creators and Megaphone dashboards 'starting this week,' the platform said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
'I'm riding 1,000 miles to get to Glastonbury - people think I'm crazy'
One festivalgoer has taken his journey to Glastonbury to all new lengths as he's been cycling 100km a day for almost a month in a bid to get to Worthy Farm from Madrid, Spain The countdown to Glastonbury is fast approaching, with mere days to go before hundreds of thousands of festivalgoers pitch up their tents for five days of spectacular performances. While many will be travelling by car, train or coach, one man is so dedicated to the UK's biggest festival that he's riding a whopping 100km a day on his bike to get there! Ollie White, 25, started his lengthy journey at the end of May from Madrid, Spain, where he lives and works as a content creator for La Liga, the Spanish football league. Over the course of almost a month, he has ventured across majestic mountains, the biggest sand dune in Europe, serene coastlines and desert-like landscapes with just a backpack, a tent and his bicycle. In total, Ollie will travel over 1,600km, or 994 miles, to Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, racking up 62 miles a day. With just a few days to go until the gates open at Glastonbury on Wednesday, 25 June, at 8 am, Ollie has almost completed his trek and has been documenting his journey on TikTok and Instagram every day. In his most recent update on Sunday, 22 June, Ollie confirmed that he reached Plymouth before heading to Totnes, Devon, where he'd stay the night. He is hoping to reach Glastonbury by Tuesday, 24 June. When asked by the BBC why he opted to ride from Madrid to Worthy Farm, he simply said: "I have a ticket for Glastonbury, so why not cycle?" Speaking further about his experience, he also shared with the news outlet: "A lot of people think I'm crazy for doing this, but for me it doesn't seem too crazy. "It's just a challenge I've set myself and, at the end of the day, once you've done all the preparation, you just have to get on the bike each day and do the kilometres." He described his adventure as "absolutely incredible" and that "everything has been really positive". He's spent time camping alone in secluded, yet beautiful spots across Europe and the UK, while taking in nature and the incredible scenery during each leg of his journey. When he finally reaches his end location, Ollie has a list of performances lined up to watch during the weekend at Glastonbury, including Neil Young, Loyle Carner, Kneecap, Caribou, Scissor Sisters and Kaiser Chiefs. He adds that Neil Young has been a particularly good soundtrack while riding through endless countries.
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Love Island twist as FOUR islanders leave the villa for sleepover with new bombshells at Casa Amor
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LOVE Island's four new bombshells have already left the villa in the series' latest chaotic twist - but they've not gone far, and they're not alone. The Sun can reveal the newbies have taken four OG's with them to the Casa Amor villa for a sleepover. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 6 The Love Island villa is set for a shake-up Credit: Eroteme 6 The Sun can reveal a HUGE Casa Amor twist Credit: Getty 6 Four new bombshells are set to mix things up on Love Island, including Poppy Harrison Credit: Instagram 6 Caprice Alexandra is also one of the four newbies who have already set foot in the ITV2 show villa Credit: Instagram Last summer, the same twist saw Joey Essex and Grace Jackson hook up in steamy scenes - and producers are hoping for more of the same from 2025's Islanders. Whilst we are keeping shtum on which of the OGs are selected for the saucy stopover, we can reveal that their choices leave their partners' losing their heads back at the main villa. A source said: 'The saucy sleepover worked brilliantly last year and bosses felt now was the perfect time to deploy the same cheeky twist. 'Dejon and Meg have just made up, Tommy and Megan and Conor and Emily are wavering, and everyone else is scrambling for a connection. 'The bombshells aren't playing it safe though and their choices make for brilliant TV.' NEW BOMBSHELLS The Sun earlier revealed the four new bombshells who are fresh on Love Island The first is Giorgio Russo, who is football champion Alessia Russo's brother. The half Italian hunk is known as Gio and, just like his England Women's and Arsenal champion sis, he's big into his fitness. Yet his villa entrance may well mean he will miss Alessia's stint in the Women's Euro's 2025, which kicks off on July 2. The other lad is Will Means, who will be more than a rival for Gio in the gym. Sam Thompson takes swipe at Love Island's Harry as he claims he's worked out 'real reason' for his tears He competes in Hyrox world championship races and has even done an Ironman. The boys are joined by two stunning girls. The Sun had already revealed that gorgeous blonde Poppy Harrison had flown out to Mallorca ready for romance, and now she's in the villa. She has set foot in the ITV2 matchmaking show compound after only calling time on her latest relationship last week. 6 Arsenal star Alessio Russo's brother Gio Russo is another villa newbie Credit: Instagram 6 Will Means is a Hyrox fanatic and already has his sights set on a villa partner Credit: Instagram A source at the time said: 'Poppy is super flirtatious on a night out and I could see her fitting in well with this year's cast. 'She is a fan of the show." They continued: "Her split came with her ex came out of the blue - her boyfriend wasn't expecting it at all. "She's a smart girl and is likely heading into the villa with a gameplan." Poppy boasts over 8,000 followers on Instagram, giving her fans a glimpse into her luxurious lifestyle. She can be seen skiing with influencer pal, Maddie Eastham, showing off her designer purchases and sunning herself in Cannes. Another shows her with a personalised-plate £50,000 Range Rover Evoque. She often posts glamorous photos on nights out and on holiday in a bikini. Last but not least is Caprice Alexandra, who looks to be another travel bunny. Her Instagram is filled with curvy bikini snaps from the likes of Mauritius and Morocco.
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Shocking moment female tourist is bashed in the head with a CHAIR while another topples into pool in Ibiza hotel brawl
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THIS is the manic moment a female tourist is clobbered in the head with a flying chair during a violent poolside brawl in Ibiza. The dramatic footage was captured when a fight broke out between raging tourists at the Marco Polo hotel in the Spanish holiday hotspot. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 A group of tourists had a chair-tossing brawl in Ibiza Credit: Instagram/SanAntonioIbiza 3 One woman lay by the pool after being whacked by a chair Credit: Instagram/SanAntonioIbiza 3 The violent brawl erupted in, San Antonio, Ibiza Credit: Instagram/SanAntonioIbiza In the dramatic video taken in San Antonio, a group of tourists are seen yelling at each other, with one woman dropping to the floor after being struck. She appears to remain on the floor injured for the rest of the shocking clip, only moving briefly when staffers try to help her up. The fight ramps up when one of the tourists who was also caught in the crossfire steps back before falling into the water. Suddenly, his pal is then hit by a soaring white chair and also falls backwards. READ MORE WORLD NEWS GET A ROOM! Shock moment two brazen tourists are caught in public sex act at hols hotspot The two tourists continue to tread water - until the same holidaymaker that hurled a chair moments before goes in for seconds. He lifts up another poolside chair and proceeds to slam it down into his victim's bald head. A group of lifeguards and security attempt to intervene, but their efforts amount to nothing as the chair-hurling man seemingly ignores them. The two hurt holidaymakers then stay in the pool surrounded by foes, while their opposition continue to shout at and taunt them. One of the men is even seen mocking the victims as he dances by the side of the pool. A seemingly ironic sign, which reads "Good Vibes Only", can be seen by the side of the pool. Moment topless, beer-swilling teens erupt in fistfight behind beach huts in days of seaside yob chaos Online users pointed this out when watching the chaotic clip, with one user saying: "Good vibes only sign does it for me." The account that posted the viral video captioned the brawl: "The chaos was temporary. The memories? Permanent." Other viewers seemed to find the mayhem absolutely hilarious, and heavy speculation suggested the men were all British. One user commented: "Can smell the Stella, Joop and British passports from here." Another said: "Typical British behaviour." But some viewers were outraged by the fight. One account said: "Doesn't look like good fun happening there. Looks too intimidating and aggressive. No thanks." While another said: "Embarrassingly British." It is unclear if the men were British nationals, and the hotel have not commented on the brawl which left one woman lying on the floor. In 2022, two people ended up in the sea when a mass brawl erupted in Ibiza after Brits were reportedly banned from a party boat. The fight saw brawlers punching each other and rubbish bins being used as weapons in the popular resort of San Antonio. The chair-throwing fight also comes after an EasyJet passenger on board a flight to Ibiza was left petrified after a group of rowdy "drunk" Brits turned her journey into a "nightclub". Furious Spaniard Erika Barrachina claimed she suffered a "panic attack" after having to cope with "scum" passengers. The Ibiza resident blasted that these type of tourists should never have been allowed to board the plane in the first place. Shocking footage showed a packed plane with passengers appearing to bang on luggage compartments and yell: "Come on Ibiza!"
