Why artists ask for Premium plays
Spotify has free and Premium listeners. Artists often believe Premium plays look better in Spotify for Artists and are less likely to be filtered. The first part is partly true: Premium streams look more like committed listeners in your data. The second isn't guaranteed. Spotify's detection looks at listening behaviour, not just account type, and it can flag artificial streams from Premium accounts too.
The risks are the same
Spotify can remove artificial plays, withhold royalties, charge your distributor for artificial streaming and, in serious cases, remove releases. Distributors may also suspend accounts. Premium plays don't exempt you from any of this. Keep orders modest, gradual and on one focus track.
Prices
On the default option, 1,000 Premium plays cost ₹199, and 5,000 cost ₹995. They cost more than standard plays because Premium accounts cost more to run. See the table for start time and speed, updated 24 Oct 2026.
Royalties
Premium streams pay more per stream than free streams when they're real. Artificial Premium streams are excluded from royalties when detected, and Spotify can recover payouts tied to them. Don't order Premium plays expecting to earn back the cost.
Where Premium plays make sense
When you're pitching a release to labels, curators or brands who may ask for Spotify for Artists screenshots, and you want the listener profile to look like committed fans. When your release's real listeners are mostly Premium, as with many international audiences, and you want consistency. For simply crossing the 1,000-play display threshold, standard plays are enough.
Getting the right link
Share → Copy Song Link from the track in Spotify: open.spotify.com/track/… . The track must be live.
Placing the order
Paste the track link, choose a quantity between 1,000 and 10,00,000, and pay. Delivery is gradual; on the default option, 1,000 plays take about about 2 days. Public counts update with Spotify's usual delay.
Grow real Premium listeners
Pitch every release to Spotify's editorial team through Spotify for Artists at least a week before release. Release regularly, every six to eight weeks, so Release Radar keeps featuring you to followers. Get your followers to save tracks, because saves feed Spotify's algorithmic playlists. Use Canvas, the looping visual, and keep your artist profile complete.
Paying and tracking
Top up by UPI from ₹100. The order page shows progress. Undelivered plays are refunded to your wallet automatically.
Example: a Punjabi producer's EP
A Chandigarh producer releases a four-track Punjabi EP and plans to pitch it to two independent labels. He orders 2,000 Premium plays on the lead track over ten days, runs Instagram Reels for the hook, and submits the EP to Spotify editorial. When the labels ask for data, the lead track shows real momentum from his promotion alongside the paid plays, and he's upfront about what was promoted.
Reading Premium data honestly
Spotify for Artists doesn't split every chart by free and Premium, but it does show where listeners come from: your profile, playlists, other listeners' libraries, Radio and algorithmic playlists. Paid plays usually show up as a different source pattern from fans who found you on Instagram or Release Radar. When you show data to a label or curator, explain what you promoted. People in the music industry read these charts every day and respect artists who are straightforward about their marketing.
One track at a time
Spread across a whole EP, a modest Premium order barely shows. Focused on one lead track, it lifts that track into your artist page's Popular list, which is where new listeners start. Choose the track with the strongest hook, and point your Reels, Shorts and pitches at the same song.