Apple Music Streaming Insights FAQ
Need help understanding some of the technical aspects of the Apple Music Streaming Insights? Find the most common questions below.
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Receiving Apple Music Insights on your links
How do I access Apple Music Streaming Insights?
Apple reports streaming data when:
Apple Music is placed #1 on the landing page OR users are directed to Apple Music using a direct-to-service link.
To protect the privacy of fans, insights must meet certain minimum thresholds within the attribution window to be included in a report. Insights will be reported when:
– 10 people visit Apple Music from the Linkfire link
– 10 streams longer than 30 seconds take place
Apple Music is placed #1 on the landing page OR users are directed to Apple Music using a direct-to-service link.
To protect the privacy of fans, insights must meet certain minimum thresholds within the attribution window to be included in a report. Insights will be reported when:
– 10 people visit Apple Music from the Linkfire link
– 10 streams longer than 30 seconds take place
What if Apple Music is ranked #1 in only one territory?
If Apple Music is ranked #1 in the US, and #2 in Denmark, you will receive streaming reports only for the US, and not for Denmark.
What if Apple Music is only #1 for a limited time?
As long as the requirements for receiving data are met, Apple Music Streaming Insights will be reported, regardless of the time period in question.
For example: Apple Music is #1 on your link for the first half of the day, but you move it to #2 for the second half of the day. Data for the first half of the day, but not the second half, will be reported in your daily insights. The same goes for weekly and monthly reports.
If Apple Music was only listed #1 for the first half of the week, but not the second half of the week, you will only see the insights for the first half of the week.
For example: Apple Music is #1 on your link for the first half of the day, but you move it to #2 for the second half of the day. Data for the first half of the day, but not the second half, will be reported in your daily insights. The same goes for weekly and monthly reports.
If Apple Music was only listed #1 for the first half of the week, but not the second half of the week, you will only see the insights for the first half of the week.
When is data reported?
Daily reporting
Data is reported and delivered daily. The previous day (00h-24h in UTC) is reported by the following day around 18 UTC. That means the Apple Music streaming events are 18-42 hours delayed relative to when they took place.
Weekly reporting
The StartOfPeriod for weekly files will always fall on a Friday. This means that the weekly reporting period is from Friday to Friday. However, if you’d like to review the data from Tuesday to Tuesday, it is recommended you review the daily reports delivered during that period.
Monthly reporting
The StartOfPeriod of monthly reports will always fall on the first day of the month. This means that monthly reporting periods are from the 1st of the month to the 1st of the next month. For example, a monthly report can be delivered for the period May 1 – June 1, but not for May 10 – June 10. If you’d like to look at the data from May 10 – June 10, it is recommended you review the weekly and daily reports delivered during that period.
Data is reported and delivered daily. The previous day (00h-24h in UTC) is reported by the following day around 18 UTC. That means the Apple Music streaming events are 18-42 hours delayed relative to when they took place.
Weekly reporting
The StartOfPeriod for weekly files will always fall on a Friday. This means that the weekly reporting period is from Friday to Friday. However, if you’d like to review the data from Tuesday to Tuesday, it is recommended you review the daily reports delivered during that period.
Monthly reporting
The StartOfPeriod of monthly reports will always fall on the first day of the month. This means that monthly reporting periods are from the 1st of the month to the 1st of the next month. For example, a monthly report can be delivered for the period May 1 – June 1, but not for May 10 – June 10. If you’d like to look at the data from May 10 – June 10, it is recommended you review the weekly and daily reports delivered during that period.
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Viewing Apple Music Streaming Insights
About the Apple Music Insights summary
In your Apple Music Streaming Insights, your “Streams” and “Adds” are sorted under three different headers — “Products”, “Countries”, and “Cities.”
Under your “Products” header you will see streaming data for “Known tracks from direct links,” “Known tracks by same artist,” and “Other.” You can find explanations for those entries below.
Under your “Products” header you will see streaming data for “Known tracks from direct links,” “Known tracks by same artist,” and “Other.” You can find explanations for those entries below.
What are "Known tracks from direct links"?
When you link to music on Apple Music, you are linking to a specific container—defined by its Apple Music ID. This could be a single song, album, or playlist. In other words, this is the music you intended to promote by linking to it.
You’ll see this music listed by song title under “Known tracks from direct links”, alongside the number of “Streams” and “Add to Library” events that each song has received.
For example: You create a link for the Weeknd’s album Starboy. This means all songs on the album Starboy are within the container. A fan clicks through from your link to Apple Music and streams any songs from Starboy. Those songs will appear by their name in your insights.
Note that all Apple Music Insight reports are subject to the minimum reporting thresholds explained above.
You’ll see this music listed by song title under “Known tracks from direct links”, alongside the number of “Streams” and “Add to Library” events that each song has received.
For example: You create a link for the Weeknd’s album Starboy. This means all songs on the album Starboy are within the container. A fan clicks through from your link to Apple Music and streams any songs from Starboy. Those songs will appear by their name in your insights.
Note that all Apple Music Insight reports are subject to the minimum reporting thresholds explained above.
What "Known tracks by same artist"?
“Known tracks by same artist” are songs streamed from the same artist’s catalog through your Linkfire link.
Example: A fan clicks on theweeknd.co/starboy, goes to Apple Music, and starts listening to The Weeknd’s After Hours album.
Example: A fan clicks on theweeknd.co/starboy, goes to Apple Music, and starts listening to The Weeknd’s After Hours album.
What are "unknown direct products"?
Please read the “What are Known tracks from direct links products?” section first.
These are titles that have been withheld due to them being streamed fewer than 10 times per day.
These are titles that have been withheld due to them being streamed fewer than 10 times per day.
What are "Indirect products"?
Please read the “What are Known tracks from direct links?” section first.
“Indirect products” are any other songs accessed through your link that aren’t within the container you directly linked to.
For example: You create a link to the Weeknd’s album Starboy. A fan clicks through to Apple Music from your link, but then navigates away from the Starboy album to play Drake’s album. Their stream of Drake’s album will be counted as “Indirect product” streams (as long as they also meet the minimum reporting thresholds).
If a user plays the same music you linked to but through a different container, that will also be counted as “Indirect products.”
For example: You create a link to the Weeknd’s single ‘Blinding Lights’. A fan clicks through to Apple Music from your link, but then navigates away to a playlist, which also happens to contain the song ‘Blinding Lights’. If they stream the song through this playlist, those streams will be counted as “Indirect products” (as long as they also meet the minimum reporting thresholds).
No metadata about “Indirect products” — product name, album, artist or genre — are disclosed.
“Indirect products” are any other songs accessed through your link that aren’t within the container you directly linked to.
For example: You create a link to the Weeknd’s album Starboy. A fan clicks through to Apple Music from your link, but then navigates away from the Starboy album to play Drake’s album. Their stream of Drake’s album will be counted as “Indirect product” streams (as long as they also meet the minimum reporting thresholds).
If a user plays the same music you linked to but through a different container, that will also be counted as “Indirect products.”
For example: You create a link to the Weeknd’s single ‘Blinding Lights’. A fan clicks through to Apple Music from your link, but then navigates away to a playlist, which also happens to contain the song ‘Blinding Lights’. If they stream the song through this playlist, those streams will be counted as “Indirect products” (as long as they also meet the minimum reporting thresholds).
No metadata about “Indirect products” — product name, album, artist or genre — are disclosed.
What are "Other" or "Unknown" scenarios?
“Other” is the sum of the products that received streams or adds, but did not meet the minimum reporting thresholds set for Apple Music Insight reports (10 actions from unique users) or took place outside of the direct product/same artist product.
The minimum reporting thresholds need to be met to display EACH level of information in your insights —product name, country name, or city name. If the thresholds are not met, then streams will be aggregated and rolled up as “Other”.
For example:
The Scenario
9 people from Copenhagen, Denmark, 11 people from New York, US, and 5 people from Chicago, US, each streamed the song ‘Blinding Lights’ once through your Linkfire link.
What you would see in the dashboard:
Product Level Insights
This is a total of 25 streams from 25 people on a single day, so the minimum reporting threshold (10 or more streams on the same product) has been met, and data will be reported.
Product | Blinding Lights
Streams | 25
Country Level Insights
Only the US generated 10 or more streams in the same country (a total of 16). This country name is then revealed in the dashboard. All the streams from Denmark (9) will be counted as streams from an “Unknown countries streams.”
City Level
Only New York generated 10 or more streams in the same city (11). Both Chicago and Copenhagen did not meet this threshold, so these streams will be counted as “Unknown cities streams.”
City | New York | Other
Streams | 11 | 14
It’s also important to remember that “Other” relates to products, not links per se. A link to an album can generate 50 streams total, but they’ll all be counted as “Other” if none of the products (e.g. individual songs on the album) received 10 or more of those streams.[3]
Please note: it is likely that thresholds will be met after weekly and monthly reports are delivered and “Others” or “Unknowns” will be revealed.
This means that although there may be some instances where streams/products may be listed as “Other” in your daily reporting, they will actually be shown as either “Known tracks from direct links,” or “Known tracks by same artist” in your weekly and monthly reporting if the weekly and monthly threshold of 10 or more streams has been met.
Example:
Day 1: 6 streams in Denmark (“Unknown countries streams” in daily)
Day 2: 7 streams in Denmark (“Unknown countries streams” in daily)
Week A: 13 streams in Denmark (“Streams in countries” in weekly)
The minimum reporting thresholds need to be met to display EACH level of information in your insights —product name, country name, or city name. If the thresholds are not met, then streams will be aggregated and rolled up as “Other”.
For example:
The Scenario
9 people from Copenhagen, Denmark, 11 people from New York, US, and 5 people from Chicago, US, each streamed the song ‘Blinding Lights’ once through your Linkfire link.
What you would see in the dashboard:
Product Level Insights
This is a total of 25 streams from 25 people on a single day, so the minimum reporting threshold (10 or more streams on the same product) has been met, and data will be reported.
Product | Blinding Lights
Streams | 25
Country Level Insights
Only the US generated 10 or more streams in the same country (a total of 16). This country name is then revealed in the dashboard. All the streams from Denmark (9) will be counted as streams from an “Unknown countries streams.”
City Level
Only New York generated 10 or more streams in the same city (11). Both Chicago and Copenhagen did not meet this threshold, so these streams will be counted as “Unknown cities streams.”
City | New York | Other
Streams | 11 | 14
It’s also important to remember that “Other” relates to products, not links per se. A link to an album can generate 50 streams total, but they’ll all be counted as “Other” if none of the products (e.g. individual songs on the album) received 10 or more of those streams.[3]
Please note: it is likely that thresholds will be met after weekly and monthly reports are delivered and “Others” or “Unknowns” will be revealed.
This means that although there may be some instances where streams/products may be listed as “Other” in your daily reporting, they will actually be shown as either “Known tracks from direct links,” or “Known tracks by same artist” in your weekly and monthly reporting if the weekly and monthly threshold of 10 or more streams has been met.
Example:
Day 1: 6 streams in Denmark (“Unknown countries streams” in daily)
Day 2: 7 streams in Denmark (“Unknown countries streams” in daily)
Week A: 13 streams in Denmark (“Streams in countries” in weekly)
More "Other" or "unknown" scenarios?
Here are some other examples of scenarios which will result in “Other” or “Unknown” being shown.
Scenario 1
You create a link for the Weeknd’s song ‘Blinding Lights.’ 10 people click through to Apple Music from your Linkfire link and generate 15 streams of ‘Blinding Lights.’ The next day, 9 people click through and generate 13 streams on the same song.
Daily Report:
The minimum reporting threshold for clicks was met for the first day but not the second. So all the second day streams will be counted as “Other.”
Products | Blinding Lights | Other
Streams | 15 | 13
Weekly Report:
Since the minimum reporting threshold for clicks was met during the weekly reporting period, the second day streams will become “Known tracks from direct links”:
Products | Blinding Lights
Streams | 28
Scenario 2
You have received a total of 48 streams—8 people in Denmark, 8 people in the US, and 8 people in Brazil all streamed your linked song twice.
Country | Unknown countries streams
Streams | 48
The 48 streams will be included in “Unknown countries streams”, because the minimum reporting threshold of 10 or more people for each country was not met.
Scenario 1
You create a link for the Weeknd’s song ‘Blinding Lights.’ 10 people click through to Apple Music from your Linkfire link and generate 15 streams of ‘Blinding Lights.’ The next day, 9 people click through and generate 13 streams on the same song.
Daily Report:
The minimum reporting threshold for clicks was met for the first day but not the second. So all the second day streams will be counted as “Other.”
Products | Blinding Lights | Other
Streams | 15 | 13
Weekly Report:
Since the minimum reporting threshold for clicks was met during the weekly reporting period, the second day streams will become “Known tracks from direct links”:
Products | Blinding Lights
Streams | 28
Scenario 2
You have received a total of 48 streams—8 people in Denmark, 8 people in the US, and 8 people in Brazil all streamed your linked song twice.
Country | Unknown countries streams
Streams | 48
The 48 streams will be included in “Unknown countries streams”, because the minimum reporting threshold of 10 or more people for each country was not met.
Why do my numbers of Steams or Adds not add up over different time periods?
Apple Music data is updated daily, weekly, and monthly. Also, actions are only reported if they are taken by at least 10 different Apple Music users within that reporting period. For example, if your track is added to five different users’ libraries every day for a week, each individual day will report 0 Adds, while the full week will report 35 Adds.
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