Spotify Backs Off Public Podcast Play Counts After Creator Backlash

Spotify recently announced it would publicly display how many plays each podcast episode gets, aiming to help listeners discover popular shows.

However, many podcasters—especially those with smaller audiences—expressed frustration. They worried that showing low play counts could discourage potential listeners, rather than attract them.

In response, Spotify has now limited the public display of play counts to episodes with at least 50,000 plays.

Instead of exact numbers, episodes will show milestone markers like “50K plays,” “100K plays,” or “1 million plays.” Podcasters can still see the exact play counts privately through their analytics dashboards.

Spotify’s explanation for the metric was vague, saying it measures “how many times people actively tried your content,” but some users noted that Spotify’s data reflects only a portion of total listenership since podcasts are consumed on many platforms.

Podcasting has long been difficult to measure accurately—downloads don’t guarantee listens, and smaller creators often struggle to appear successful publicly.

Spotify’s move to limit public play counts aims to shield new and smaller creators from embarrassment while still offering some insight into podcast popularity.