Complete reference guide to every Apple Music for Artists term, metric, and feature. From Song Plays to Radio Spins monitoring, understand Apple's tools for growing your music career.
This is a definitions-only reference for Apple Music for Artists. Terms match Apple’s current wording where possible, with brief context on how they’re used.
Core Metrics
Plays
A play is recorded when a listener initiates playback of a song for more than 30 seconds. Plays include Apple Music radio stations that are generated from songs/artists or curated by Apple (not Apple Music Radio live stations).
Average Daily Listeners
The average number of unique daily listeners over the selected date range. Use to gauge core audience size.
Listening Now
Near real-time count of listeners who have initiated playback, with a 48-hour view showing maximum and average listeners. Offline plays are excluded.
Purchases
Song or album sales from the iTunes Store attributed to your catalog.
Shazam Count
Times your song is identified by Shazam or partner apps; useful for spotting organic discovery and radio exposure.
Video Views
Recorded when an Apple Music user watches your music video for 30+ seconds.
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Geographic breakdown (city, state, country/region) of your listeners to understand market strength and plan touring.
Trends
Comparative analytics across metrics with filters for age, gender, location, and the songs fans connect with most.
Radio Spins
Monitoring of 40,000+ terrestrial and digital radio stations in 200+ countries and regions, integrated throughout Apple Music for Artists. Excludes Apple Music Radio live stations.
Playlists & Discovery
Editorial Playlists (Apple Music)
Curated by Apple’s editorial team (for example, Today’s Hits). Placement can significantly expand reach.
Personalized Mixes
Examples include New Music Mix, Favorites Mix, Chill Mix, Get Up! Mix—individualized blends that refresh regularly.
Apple Music Radio (Live)
Live stations including Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits, and Apple Music Country. Spins here are distinct from on-demand streams; Apple Music for Artists tracks spins separately via Radio Spins.
Track Grouping
Apple aggregates multiple versions (remaster, edit, acoustic) of the for unified analytics while preserving credits.
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Complete reference guide to every Apple Music for Artists term, metric, and feature. From Song Plays to Radio Spins monitoring, understand Apple's tools for growing your music career.
This is a definitions-only reference for Apple Music for Artists. Terms match Apple’s current wording where possible, with brief context on how they’re used.
Core Metrics
Plays
A play is recorded when a listener initiates playback of a song for more than 30 seconds. Plays include Apple Music radio stations that are generated from songs/artists or curated by Apple (not Apple Music Radio live stations).
Average Daily Listeners
The average number of unique daily listeners over the selected date range. Use to gauge core audience size.
Listening Now
Near real-time count of listeners who have initiated playback, with a 48-hour view showing maximum and average listeners. Offline plays are excluded.
Purchases
Song or album sales from the iTunes Store attributed to your catalog.
Shazam Count
Times your song is identified by Shazam or partner apps; useful for spotting organic discovery and radio exposure.
Video Views
Recorded when an Apple Music user watches your music video for 30+ seconds.
Today: $600 Ad Credit Welcome Bonus
Join the smartest music marketers
Launch multi-ad-platform campaigns in minutes, not hours.
Geographic breakdown (city, state, country/region) of your listeners to understand market strength and plan touring.
Trends
Comparative analytics across metrics with filters for age, gender, location, and the songs fans connect with most.
Radio Spins
Monitoring of 40,000+ terrestrial and digital radio stations in 200+ countries and regions, integrated throughout Apple Music for Artists. Excludes Apple Music Radio live stations.
Playlists & Discovery
Editorial Playlists (Apple Music)
Curated by Apple’s editorial team (for example, Today’s Hits). Placement can significantly expand reach.
Personalized Mixes
Examples include New Music Mix, Favorites Mix, Chill Mix, Get Up! Mix—individualized blends that refresh regularly.
Apple Music Radio (Live)
Live stations including Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits, and Apple Music Country. Spins here are distinct from on-demand streams; Apple Music for Artists tracks spins separately via Radio Spins.
Track Grouping
Apple aggregates multiple versions (remaster, edit, acoustic) of the for unified analytics while preserving credits.
Today: $600 Ad Credit Welcome Bonus
Join the smartest music marketers
Launch multi-ad-platform campaigns in minutes, not hours.
Fans add upcoming releases to their library or playlists before release; the full release appears automatically on launch. Typically enabled by delivering an iTunes Store pre-order with at least one instant-grat track.
Milestones & Shareables
Auto-generated achievements (for example, top plays, Shazams, editorial adds) with customizable assets for social sharing via the iOS app. Roles with access can create and export branded cards.
Motion Artwork (Album/Artist)
Short, animated artwork that follows Apple’s Motion Album Artwork style guide (animation based on the cover, no cuts away). Deliver per Apple’s specifications.
Set Lists
Turn a recent show’s set into a playlist for fans from within Apple Music for Artists on the web.
Audio Formats & Quality
Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos
Apple-supported immersive format. Delivery must be a true Atmos mix from multitracks or stems—no upmixing from stereo or de-mixing allowed.
Apple Digital Masters
Apple’s mastering and delivery program aimed at transparent AAC encoding; provides tools and guidelines for preparing high-quality masters.
Analytics Views (Where to Find Things)
Audience / Trends
Segments, demographics, and filters to compare Plays, Shazams, Radio Spins, Purchases and more over time.
Listening Now
Widget showing real-time listeners and 48-hour peaks/averages, with a “Top Songs Now” snapshot.
Data Availability & Time Zone
All analytics display in UTC and refresh daily; new releases or updates can take up to 48 hours to appear.
IDs, Metadata & Credits
ISRC
12-character code identifying an individual recording; used for tracking plays and royalties across platforms.
ISWC
Identifier for the composition (work) on the publishing side.
UPC / EAN
Release-level barcode (album/EP/single) for distribution and store reporting.
Song Credits
Displayed credits for writers, producers, and contributors; ensure accurate metadata for correct attribution in Apple Music.
Access & Roles
Apple Music for Artists Access
Free analytics and profile management for primary artists and their teams, after verification.
Roles & Permissions
Admin and Analyst roles can create shareables and access Promote; partner/label teams may access Partner View via iTunes Connect’s Measure module (role-based).
Useful Distinctions
Plays vs Radio Spins — Plays count on-demand listening and Apple-generated radio stations; Radio Spins track third-party broadcast/digital stations and exclude Apple Music Radio live stations.
Pre-add vs Pre-order — Pre-add is for Apple Music libraries; enabling typically requires an iTunes Store pre-order with instant-grat tracks in delivery.
Motion Artwork vs Canvas — Apple uses Motion Artwork per its style guide; definitions and specs differ from other platforms’ looping visuals.
same recording
Promotional & Creative Tools
Pre-adds (Apple Music)
Fans add upcoming releases to their library or playlists before release; the full release appears automatically on launch. Typically enabled by delivering an iTunes Store pre-order with at least one instant-grat track.
Milestones & Shareables
Auto-generated achievements (for example, top plays, Shazams, editorial adds) with customizable assets for social sharing via the iOS app. Roles with access can create and export branded cards.
Motion Artwork (Album/Artist)
Short, animated artwork that follows Apple’s Motion Album Artwork style guide (animation based on the cover, no cuts away). Deliver per Apple’s specifications.
Set Lists
Turn a recent show’s set into a playlist for fans from within Apple Music for Artists on the web.
Audio Formats & Quality
Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos
Apple-supported immersive format. Delivery must be a true Atmos mix from multitracks or stems—no upmixing from stereo or de-mixing allowed.
Apple Digital Masters
Apple’s mastering and delivery program aimed at transparent AAC encoding; provides tools and guidelines for preparing high-quality masters.
Analytics Views (Where to Find Things)
Audience / Trends
Segments, demographics, and filters to compare Plays, Shazams, Radio Spins, Purchases and more over time.
Listening Now
Widget showing real-time listeners and 48-hour peaks/averages, with a “Top Songs Now” snapshot.
Data Availability & Time Zone
All analytics display in UTC and refresh daily; new releases or updates can take up to 48 hours to appear.
IDs, Metadata & Credits
ISRC
12-character code identifying an individual recording; used for tracking plays and royalties across platforms.
ISWC
Identifier for the composition (work) on the publishing side.
UPC / EAN
Release-level barcode (album/EP/single) for distribution and store reporting.
Song Credits
Displayed credits for writers, producers, and contributors; ensure accurate metadata for correct attribution in Apple Music.
Access & Roles
Apple Music for Artists Access
Free analytics and profile management for primary artists and their teams, after verification.
Roles & Permissions
Admin and Analyst roles can create shareables and access Promote; partner/label teams may access Partner View via iTunes Connect’s Measure module (role-based).
Useful Distinctions
Plays vs Radio Spins — Plays count on-demand listening and Apple-generated radio stations; Radio Spins track third-party broadcast/digital stations and exclude Apple Music Radio live stations.
Pre-add vs Pre-order — Pre-add is for Apple Music libraries; enabling typically requires an iTunes Store pre-order with instant-grat tracks in delivery.
Motion Artwork vs Canvas — Apple uses Motion Artwork per its style guide; definitions and specs differ from other platforms’ looping visuals.
