This article explains how Stream Spikes works within the Analytics dashboard. Stream Spikes identifies anomalies in streaming activity over the past seven days, helping you detect unexpected growth or decline across Digital Service Providers (DSPs). You will learn how spikes are calculated, how to interpret magnitude scores, and how to use the feature to monitor performance trends effectively.
Overview
Stream Spikes detects streaming activity that falls outside the expected “normal” range. By analyzing historical data, the tool highlights unusual changes in daily streams so you can quickly assess whether a track is gaining traction or experiencing a drop-off.
Why this matters:
Spot trends early by identifying upward spikes in streaming activity
Measure intensity using the Max Spike Magnitude score (range: -5 to +5)
Compare performance across multiple DSPs
Investigate detailed outlier data directly within the interface
To access Stream Spikes, navigate to the Analytics dashboard and select Stream Spikes. This will open the Stream Spikes tool.
Asset Table
The Asset Table displays all assets that have experienced streaming spikes in the past seven days. Results are ordered by Total Outlier Streams (highest to lowest) by default.
Key metrics include:
Total Outlier Streams
The total number of streams that exceed the expected normal range within the last seven days.
Max Spike Magnitude
A score between -5 and +5 that indicates the relative intensity of the spike.
Positive values indicate streaming growth (upward spike).
Negative values indicate a decline in streams (downward spike).
You can sort the table in ascending or descending order by selecting the arrow next to either Total Outlier Streams or Max Spike Magnitude.
Select an asset in the table to expand the row and view more detailed information.
Graph View
The graph provides a 30-day streaming overview for a single DSP at a time.
The shaded grey area highlights the last seven days, where anomalies are evaluated.
Upward spikes are marked with a green circle.
Downward spikes are marked with a red circle.
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Hover over a spike to view detailed information, including:
Total streams for that day
Outlier streams
Spike Magnitude score
Use the DSP filter to switch between available Digital Service Providers.
Magnitude Scores & Absolute Outlier Stream Change
This section allows you to compare Magnitude Scores and Absolute Outlier Stream Change across DSPs over the past seven days.
This comparative view helps determine whether a spike is platform-specific or consistent across multiple DSPs.
Page-Level DSP Filter
The page-level DSP filter narrows all dashboard data to a single Digital Service Provider.
Currently evaluated streaming DSPs include:
Spotify
Apple Music
Deezer
Amazon Music
SoundCloud
Pandora
Applying this filter updates all Stream Spikes data on the page to reflect only the selected DSP.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are spikes calculated?
The algorithm uses a Z-scoring approach applied to daily stream counts to identify anomalous events. Each day’s streams are compared against upper and lower thresholds calculated using:
The average stream count from the previous four weeks
The standard deviation of stream counts
A calculated Z-score
If the daily stream count exceeds the defined threshold, it is identified as an anomaly and recorded as a spike.
How are new releases handled?
For the first two days of a new release, a spike is declared if daily streams exceed 1,000 streams.
In these cases:
The Z-score (and therefore Spike Magnitude) will be NULL.
Total Outlier Streams will equal the total number of streams for that day.
This rule was determined by analyzing newly released tracks and identifying that only a small proportion exceeded 1,000 daily streams within the first two days.
Does the tool detect social spikes?
Currently, Stream Spikes evaluates streaming data only.
Social platform activity (such as views or user creations) is not included in this analysis. Social consumption data differs structurally from streaming data, and support for this type of analysis may be considered in future developments.
If you have further questions about Stream Spikes or require clarification on spike interpretation, contact your FUGA representative or reach out via our support channel at support@fuga.com.