Why wasn't 100% of my music's activity monetized?

It is common to see a difference between your total "play count" and your "monetized streams." Digital Service Providers (DSPs) do not pay royalties on every single play, stream or view. Here are the most common reasons why: 

1. Freemium & Trial Periods

Some platforms offer introductory trials to convert users to premium subscriptions. Certain DSPs (like Deezer) do not pay royalties for streams generated by users while they are in a free trial period. Others may pay a significantly reduced "trial rate".

2. Ad-Supported Streaming (Inventory Limits)

On free tiers (like YouTube or Spotify Free), royalties are generated by advertisements. If no advertisement was served during a particular stream or video view—often due to a lack of "ad inventory" or the user’s location—no revenue is generated for that specific play.

3. UGC Platforms (Creation vs. Consumption)

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram (User-Generated Content) often use different payout models. Instead of paying per view, platforms like TikTok often pay based on the number of unique videos created using your music. A video with 1 million views may pay the same as a video with 100 views if they both used your track once.

4. The "30-Second" Rule

On most major streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal), a stream is only considered "monetized" if the listener plays the track for at least 30 seconds. If a listener skips your song at the 28-second mark, the play may show up in your "real-time" stats, but it will not generate a royalty payment.

5. Minimum Stream Thresholds

To combat fraud and administrative costs, some DSPs have implemented minimum requirements for monetization. For example, Spotify requires a track to reach 1,000 streams within a rolling 12-month period before it begins generating royalties. Tracks below this threshold will display play counts but will not accumulate earnings.