How to make a hit: factors associated with music consumption on Spotify

Digitalization has transformed the cultural consumption. The analyses sought to enhance the understanding of consumers’ preferences in the music market, which has been significantly transformed by the rise of streaming in recent years. Thus, in this study we aimed at comprehending the characteristics of the most listened-to songs on digital platforms and explore the factors that lead a song to become a hit on Spotify. Data were directly obtained from the platform using the Web API tool provided by the streaming service itself. The used dataset comprises 562,453 songs released between 1922 and 2021, considering data from listeners and artists worldwide. Analyses were conducted using a zero-inflated negative binomial model to investigate interactions between different indicators available on Spotify (audio features) and the popularity of tracks on the platform. On average, songs with higher values for the explicit, danceability, and energy variables demonstrated greater popularity on Spotify.