How People Actually Listen to Music Pitches: Data From 3,500 Plays
The short version
We looked at every play on music pitches sent through DropCue between July 10 and October 21, 2026, by people the sender named as a recipient. That is 3,517 plays by 422 recipients, across 296 pitches from 115 composers, artists, publishers and agencies.
Five things stood out:
- The median listen is 45 seconds. About 1 in 4 plays stops before 10 seconds.
- Track order matters a lot. 84% of recipients played the first track. Only 38% got to the tenth.
- Most people listen fast. Half of first listens happened within about 2 hours of the link going out. 77% within a day.
- Many recipients hear one track and stop. 42% played exactly one track. The median recipient played two.
- A quarter come back. 25% of recipients listened again on a later day.
Disclosure: DropCue is our platform. The numbers below come from DropCue's own listening data. No names, titles or catalogs are shown, only totals.
How we measured it
Every DropCue share link can be sent to named people. Each person gets their own link, so a play can be tied to a specific recipient, not just an anonymous visitor.
We counted plays on those named links only, and left out:
- Plays by the sender, and links the sender sent to themselves.
- Our own demo, sample and internal accounts.
- Public links posted for anyone to open, which behave more like a fan page than a pitch.
That leaves 3,517 plays by 422 recipients on 296 pitches. A "play" starts when someone presses play on a track, and the listen time is how long the audio actually played.
How long people listen
| Listen time per play | Share of plays |
|---|---|
| Under 10 seconds | 26% |
| Under 30 seconds | 43% |
| 60 seconds or more | 46% |
| Played to the end | 34% |
The median play lasted 45 seconds. That number hides two very different kinds of listener. Almost half of plays pass the one-minute mark, and a third run to the end. But a quarter are over in under 10 seconds.
In other words, the first few seconds decide whether a track gets a real listen. A long intro, a slow fade-in or a quiet first bar costs you more than it seems.
What to do with it: if a track takes a while to get going, consider an edit that starts closer to the point. If you use DropCue, you can set a snippet on each track in a playlist so the player starts at the strongest part.
Track order: the first three carry the pitch
For playlists with five or more tracks, here is the share of recipients who played the track at each position:
| Position | Played it |
|---|---|
| 1 | 84% |
| 2 | 76% |
| 3 | 69% |
| 4 | 54% |
| 5 | 54% |
| 6 | 48% |
| 7 | 47% |
| 8 | 45% |
| 9 | 39% |
| 10 | 38% |
There is a clear step down after track 3. Tracks 1 to 3 are heard by most recipients. From track 4 on, roughly half or fewer get there.
What to do with it: put your three strongest, most on-brief tracks first. Anything you would be unhappy for half the recipients to miss should not sit at position 6.
One caveat: DropCue plays the next track automatically, so some later plays may come from a recipient letting the playlist run. That would make the drop-off look gentler than it really is, not steeper.
How fast people listen
| Time from the link going out to the first play | Share of recipients |
|---|---|
| Within 1 hour | 42% |
| Within 24 hours | 77% |
| After 7 days | 6% |
The median recipient pressed play about 2 hours after the link went out. If nobody has listened after a day or two, the pitch has probably been buried in an inbox, which is the natural moment for a short follow-up.
Tuesday was the most common day for a first listen, with 29% of first plays. That partly reflects when people send, since most pitches go out early in the week, so treat it as a hint rather than a rule.
How many tracks people play
- 42% of recipients played exactly one track.
- The median recipient played two.
- 25% came back and listened again on a different day.
That return visit is worth watching. Someone who comes back a day later is often sharing the link with a colleague or comparing options. If you can see it, for example in per-recipient playlist analytics, it is a good reason to follow up.
Desktop or phone
60% of recipients listened mainly on a desktop and 40% mainly on a phone. Both are common, so check that your pitch page, your titles and your notes read well on a small screen.
Downloads
On links where downloads were switched on, 16% of recipients downloaded at least one file. Most people listen in the browser and never download, so the listen data, not the download count, is the better sign of interest.
What this means for your next pitch
1. Lead with your three best tracks. Most recipients never get past track 3 or 4. 2. Make the first 10 seconds count. A quarter of plays end before then. 3. Keep it short. If 42% play one track, a focused five-track pitch beats a twenty-track one. 4. Follow up after a day or two of silence. Most listening happens within 24 hours. 5. Watch for return visits. A second listen on another day is a strong sign to reach out.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do music supervisors listen to a pitch?
In our data, the median play on a pitched track lasted 45 seconds. About a quarter of plays ended within 10 seconds, while almost half went past a minute and a third played the whole track. Our sample covers everyone who received a pitch by name, which includes music supervisors, editors, agents and other industry contacts.
How many tracks should a music pitch have?
Fewer than you think. 84% of recipients played the first track, but only about half reached track 4 or 5, and 38% reached track 10. A focused pitch of three to five tracks, best first, gets more of your music heard.
When do people listen to a music pitch?
Fast, if at all. 42% of recipients first listened within an hour of the link going out and 77% within a day. Only 6% first listened more than a week later.
Where does this data come from?
From plays on DropCue share links sent to named recipients between July 10 and October 21, 2026: 3,517 plays by 422 recipients across 296 pitches. Senders' own plays, internal and demo accounts, and public links were excluded. Only totals are shown.
