According to a new report 99 000 songs are being uploaded to streaming services every day: Most of them go unheard

According to Luminate’s 2024 Year-End Music Report, approximately 99,000 songs are being uploaded to streaming services every day – amounting to about 2.77 million songs monthly. While this represents a slight decrease from 2023’s daily upload rate of 103,000 songs, the numbers remain staggering.

By the end of 2024, streaming services hosted approximately 202 million individual tracks, up from 184 million at the end of 2023. However, the statistics regarding these tracks’ performance paint a concerning picture:

• 93.2 million tracks were played 10 times or less
• 175.5 million tracks failed to reach Spotify’s minimum threshold of 1,000 plays per year required for royalty payments
• This means 86.88% of all music on Spotify generates no income
• Approximately 95% of artists on Spotify have fewer than 1,000 monthly listeners

The situation is further complicated by the increasing presence of AI-generated content on streaming platforms. For a more detailed analysis of this issue, readers are directed to Liz Pelly’s article “The Ghosts in the Machine.”

These figures highlight the growing challenges faced by musicians in the streaming era, where algorithms tend to favor a select few artists while the vast majority struggle to find an audience. The combination of low streaming payouts and the sheer volume of content makes it increasingly difficult for artists to generate meaningful income from these platforms.