Triggers for Spotify Radio and Autoplay are not buttons you press; they are thresholds you cross. The algorithm moves a track into these "passive" discovery surfaces only after it has proven itself in "active" listening contexts.
The path to Radio
- Validation: The track gets streams from your profile, direct links, or user playlists.
- Retention: Listeners must finish the song (low skip rate) and save it (high save rate).
- Affinity: Spotify identifies who is listening. If your fans also listen to "Artist X," Spotify gains confidence to play your track after "Artist X" ends.
Key metrics that unlock Radio
- Completion Rate: If listeners skip before 30 seconds, the track is disqualified. High completion (>80%) is critical.
- Save Rate: A healthy save rate signals that the track is worth recommending.
- Session extension: Does the user keep listening after your song, or do they close the app?
The threshold that matters most: If your
completion_rateis below 50% or yoursave_rateis below 3%, you likely will not trigger Radio regardless of stream volume. Fix retention before scaling traffic.
How to influence it
You cannot buy Radio placement. The only reliable strategy is to drive high-quality traffic (via legitimate ads or organic social) to the song. If those real listeners engage, the algorithm naturally expands the track's reach into Radio.