Spotify Playlist Follower Count Returns Zero

Other Questions Spotify
1

I’m having trouble getting the actual follower count for playlists through the Spotify API. The count almost always shows as zero when I make API requests. The only time it shows the real number is if I open the playlist manually in the app first.

Has anyone found a way to force the playlist data to load before checking the follower count? I tried using different approaches but nothing seems to work consistently.

Here’s my current code:

var playlistUri = "spotify:user:testuser:playlist:4aB3fD8GhJkL2mN9pQ1rS5";
PlaylistModel.loadFromURI(playlistUri, function(playlistObj){
    currentPlaylist = playlistObj;
    
    // Check immediately
    console.log('Initial count: ' + currentPlaylist.data.followerCount);
    
    // Wait and check again
    setTimeout(function(){
        console.log('After delay: ' + currentPlaylist.data.followerCount);
    }, 5000);
    
    // Listen for updates
    currentPlaylist.bind(PlaylistModel.EVENT.UPDATE, function() {
        console.log('Updated count: ' + currentPlaylist.data.followerCount);
    });
});

Anyone else experienced this issue or know how to fix it?

2

Yeah, this is a known Spotify Web API limitation. The follower count field shows up in the response but stays at zero for most playlists because of privacy restrictions. I ran into this same issue on a music analytics project - Spotify only shows follower counts for certain high-profile or curated playlists. Even when you can see followers in the desktop app, the API won’t give you those numbers for regular user playlists. There’s no workaround to force this data - Spotify deliberately restricts it. I’d focus on other playlist metrics like track count or creation date instead since those actually work through the API.

3

Had the same headache building my Spotify tool. The follower count issue is super frustrating but there’s no fix - Spotify doesn’t expose those numbers for regular playlists anymore. They changed their policy a while back for privacy reasons. Your code looks right though, it’s just Spotify being Spotify unfortunately.

4

Yeah, zero followers is normal for most playlists through Spotify’s API. The follower count only shows up for playlists that meet specific criteria - usually public playlists with tons of followers or ones Spotify has featured. Regular user playlists almost always return zero, even when they actually have followers. It’s not a bug, just how Spotify designed it. I hit this same problem building a playlist analyzer last year and found out the API just doesn’t give you follower counts for smaller or private playlists. Your code’s fine - Spotify just doesn’t share that data.

5

That makes a lot of sense Spotify’s API limitations around follower counts can definitely be confusing. I ran into the same issue while managing playlists across different platforms. If you ever need to analyze or move those playlists beyond Spotify, MusConvtool can help transfer them to Apple Music, YouTube, or Tidal, so you can keep working with your data without relying solely on Spotify’s API.