What is attribution?
Attribution is how Soundlink connects the streams and listeners generated by your campaign back to your ad spend. It tells you which streams came from your Soundlink campaign — as opposed to organic discovery or other sources.
How the attribution flow works
The attribution process follows 6 steps, illustrated on your homepage:
Ad is served — Your campaign creative is shown to a targeted listener.
Listener clicks — The listener taps through to your track on Spotify.
Stream is recorded — Spotify registers the play.
Soundlink captures the signal — The stream is linked back to the ad impression.
Attribution is applied — The stream is counted as a campaign-driven result.
Results appear in your dashboard — Streams, listeners, and engagement data update in your campaign insights.
Why there can be a delay
Attribution data typically takes 24–48 hours to fully process. If your campaign dashboard shows lower numbers than expected, check back the next day before drawing conclusions.
Common questions
Does Soundlink count all streams, or just attributed ones?
Your dashboard shows attributed streams — those directly linked to your campaign. Organic streams that happen independently aren't included in your campaign results.
Why my Soundlink numbers differ from Spotify for Artists?
Spotify for Artists shows total streams from all sources. Soundlink shows only the streams attributed to your campaign. The numbers will rarely match exactly — that's expected. See our article on Understanding Soundlink vs. Spotify Metrics for a full breakdown.