Why the First 30 Seconds of a Song Matters Most in Streaming

*As requested, I'll update this newsletter with the older write-ups for easy access. This write-up was first published [on Twitter] in March 2019.

Do you stumble upon a song and skip it before or a little over 30 seconds because it just seems like “the artist isn't ready”? I bet we all do.

I sat with some of the industry's prolific Songwriters recently [last year] for an interview and confirmed it’s indeed a thing. Songwriters and Artistes are talking about it; some didn’t even know the term though they understand it. 

Have you heard about Skip Rate?

If you haven't, Skip Rate in this era of streaming indicates whether listeners make it through the first 30 seconds of a song after which a stream counts for Royalty on a given platform. Hence, this is aimed at urging artists to make the first few seconds of their song count.

Gone are those days when you save the best for the last (bridge or so), now it's advisable to put the best part forward. For Albums, Artists now put forward tracks that have a shot at keeping listeners through the project, at least with the first 5-6 songs. Though arguable for established artists with an audience that will listen to them screech even. Attention span is dwindling. If your song doesn’t pique people’s interest right off the bat, it’s hard getting their attention again.

If you move with Songwriters, you’ll understand how very attentive they are of this while creating. If your song often gets skipped, how do you generate revenue via streaming? Skip Rate is the likelihood of music listeners skipping your song on streaming platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music or Tidal within the first 30 seconds of the track. Until a stream lasts longer than 30 seconds before it is considered “a Play” and therefore earns the artist some coins whether or not the listener eventually finishes the song. The reason behind skipping isn’t one-dimensional however but if a song engages the consumer fast, it’d play through. 

So basically, let the high point of the lyrics or so come first or make the opener weighty enough. According to a report, data from YouTube shows that videos with an intro longer than 20 seconds have less playback value. This goes to say for your videos even, it’s important to shorten your intro and go straight to what would pique people’s interest because the more your music gets skipped on streaming platforms, the lesser chance that the algorithm will recommend it to more people.

Sharing some statistics analyzed by a music blogger, Paul Lamere in 2018.

• 24.14% likelihood of skipping to the next song in the first 5 seconds.

• 28.97% in the first 10 seconds

• 35.05% in the first 30 seconds

• 48.6% skip before the song finishes

Furthermore, Lamere discovered that the average listener skips 14.65 times per hour, or about once every four minutes. Females skip slightly more than males at 45.23% to 44.75%.

It’s also not news that consumer attention spans are shortest when dealing with new [upcoming] or a totally unfamiliar artist. Streaming has changed our listening habit and those changes are making a lasting impression on how the music business is approached. 

I’m bringing this information as most [Upcoming] artists double as their own songwriters, hence may not have ample access to such information. Songwriting and being an artist are different skill sets though people double as both and receive royalties as different entities. 

Conclusively, skipping the last seconds of a song doesn’t exactly hurt artists or their revenue. It only does when skipped BEFORE the first 30 seconds. Streaming presently makes the most of the music business revenue hence you can't be found wanting here.