Spotify’s current audio ad specs ask for an integrated loudness of -16 LUFS (plus or minus 1.5 LUFS), a 44.1 kHz sample rate, stereo, a bit rate between 192 and 320 kbps, MP3, WAV or OGG, and a maximum of 30 seconds for standard music and podcast ads. Some regional versions of the page also set a true peak limit of -2.0 dBTP and smaller file size caps, so read the page for your market before you export. WavSpec, a Windows app from Automata Labs, checks a whole batch of spots against a built-in Spotify audio ads spec, corrects loudness, true peak and sample rate on delivery copies, and writes a report you can send with the files.
This guide lists the numbers, explains where the regional pages differ, and walks through a batch check that catches the usual rejections before the spots reach a trafficker.
Check every spot in a campaign against the Spotify audio ads spec in one run, with a report for the client.
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What are Spotify’s audio ad specs?
These are the technical requirements on Spotify’s audio ad specs page for ads bought through Spotify Ads Manager and Direct IO, as published on the US, Canadian and UK versions of the page when we checked on 20 October 2026:
| Requirement | Spotify’s published value |
|---|---|
| File types (music and podcast ads) | MP3, WAV or OGG |
| File size | 50 MB maximum |
| Sample rate | 44.1 kHz |
| Bit rate | 192 kbps minimum, 320 kbps maximum |
| Loudness | -16 LUFS (+/- 1.5 LUFS) |
| Channels | Stereo |
| Length, music ads | 30 seconds maximum |
| Length, long-form music ads | Up to 60 seconds in select markets for Direct campaigns, skippable after 30 |
| Length, podcast ads (streaming ad insertion) | 30 seconds maximum |
| Script | No more than 65 words for 30 seconds, about 100 words for 60 seconds |
The same page covers the companion display unit and logo, which are separate files. This article is about the audio.
Why do some Spotify pages list different numbers?
Spotify publishes its ad specs per market, and the versions are not identical. The India version of the audio ad specs page, checked the same day, adds three details the US page does not show:
- A true peak limit of -2.0 dBTP. It notes that this is a maximum, not a target: as long as integrated loudness averages -16 LUFS (+/- 1.5) and the true peak is at or below -2.0 dBTP, the ad meets the spec.
- Different file size caps. 1 MB for Direct IO and Ad Studio, 500 MB for programmatic and private marketplace.
- Format by buying route. MP3 for Direct IO, OGG for programmatic and private marketplace, and MP3, OGG or WAV for Ad Studio.
The safe approach for an agency or producer is to treat the stricter numbers as your house rule. A spot with a true peak at or below -2.0 dBTP passes either version, and an MP3 small enough for a 1 MB cap is also under 50 MB. When the client or the Spotify rep gives you a written spec, that document wins.
How big will my file be?
File size follows from the format, so you can predict it instead of finding out at upload:
| Delivery | Size for a 30 second spot |
|---|---|
| WAV, 44.1 kHz, 16 bit, stereo | About 5.3 MB (44,100 samples x 2 channels x 2 bytes x 30 s) |
| WAV, 44.1 kHz, 24 bit, stereo | About 7.9 MB |
| MP3 at 192 kbps | About 720 KB (192,000 bits x 30 s / 8) |
| MP3 at 320 kbps | About 1.2 MB |
Both WAV options sit far under a 50 MB cap. Where a 1 MB cap applies, a 30 second MP3 at 320 kbps is over it and the same spot at 192 kbps is under it, which is one reason to pick the bit rate deliberately rather than leaving an encoder on its highest setting.
Which problems get audio ads sent back?
These are the common technical problems with audio spots, and every one of them can be measured before upload:
| Problem | How it happens | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Too loud or too quiet | Mixed to a broadcast target (-23 or -24) or to a music master level | Integrated loudness within -16 +/- 1.5 LUFS |
| Peaks too hot | Gain added to reach -16 LUFS without a true peak limiter | True peak at or below -2.0 dBTP if your market lists it |
| Wrong sample rate | Session at 48 kHz for video, exported without conversion | 44.1 kHz on every file |
| Mono file | Voice-only session bounced to one channel | Stereo channel layout |
| Too long | Read ran over, or a music tail was left on | 30 seconds or less unless the campaign allows long-form |
| Too big or wrong format | WAV sent where MP3 is required, or MP3 at too high a bit rate | Format and size for your buying route |
Spotify’s page explains the sample rate rule plainly: audio with the wrong sample rate risks playing at the wrong speed. That is the easiest error to miss by ear in a 48 kHz session, and the easiest to catch with a measurement.
If you want the background on the units, our guide to LUFS, LKFS, dBTP and LRA explains them, and how to fix true peak overs in a WAV covers limiting.
How do I check a batch of spots with WavSpec?
A campaign rarely has one file. It has a :30 and a :15, cut-downs per region, and a version for each offer. WavSpec handles the batch in one pass:
- Add the files. Drag the spots or a whole folder into the window. WavSpec reads WAV and Broadcast Wave, RF64, AIFF, FLAC, MP3, AAC and M4A.
- Pick the spec. Choose the built-in Spotify audio ads spec. Each built-in spec is cited to its source document and dated, so check that its target and ceiling match the page for your market. If your rep sends different numbers, create your own named spec with fail and advisory rules and share it with the team as a file.
- Read the verdicts. Every file is measured for integrated loudness, momentary and short-term maxima, loudness range, true peak and sample peak per ITU-R BS.1770-5, plus sample rate, bit depth, channel layout and container. Each criterion is marked pass, fail or advisory.
- Correct the batch. WavSpec applies gain to the exact target, look-ahead true peak limiting with 4x oversampled detection, sample rate conversion, bit depth conversion with TPDF dither and float to PCM conversion. It can deliver MP3 at a constant bit rate through the Windows encoder. Corrected files go to a separate delivery folder; your originals are never overwritten.
- Send the report. WavSpec re-measures every delivered file from disk and writes a delivery report as PDF, HTML, CSV and JSON, with before and after measurements, pass or fail per criterion, a loudness timeline per file and the SHA-256 of every delivered file.
Measure, correct and re-measure every spot, then hand the client a report instead of a promise.
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What does WavSpec not do for Spotify ads?
Three limits are worth knowing before you plan the session:
- It does not turn mono into stereo. WavSpec checks the channel layout and will flag a mono file, but the stereo bounce belongs in your DAW, where you decide how music, effects and voice sit in the field. Spotify’s own page recommends stereo for exactly that reason.
- It does not list OGG among its delivery or input formats. If your buying route requires OGG, deliver a checked WAV from WavSpec, encode the OGG with your usual tool, and spot-check the encoded file in a meter that reads OGG.
- It does not trim the edit. Length over 30 seconds is a script and edit problem. WavSpec reports the length; the cut is yours.
Everything runs locally on Windows 11 with no account, no cloud upload and no telemetry, which matters when the creative is under embargo until launch.
What is a good workflow for a campaign?
For a small studio or a freelance producer, a dependable routine looks like this:
| Stage | Action |
|---|---|
| Mix | Mix the spot at a comfortable level and leave headroom; do not chase -16 LUFS with the master fader |
| Bounce | Stereo, 44.1 kHz, WAV, one file per version, named the way the trafficker asked |
| Check | Run the folder through the Spotify spec in WavSpec; read every fail |
| Correct | Let WavSpec fix gain, true peak and sample rate on delivery copies |
| Encode | MP3 at 192 kbps if a size cap or Direct IO route needs it; OGG separately if programmatic needs it |
| Deliver | Send the files with the PDF report and keep the JSON for your records |
If you also deliver podcasts, the -16 LUFS podcast loudness page covers the episode side, and the audio delivery QC checklist covers the checks that apply to any client.
Frequently asked questions
What LUFS should a Spotify ad be?
-16 LUFS integrated, with a tolerance of plus or minus 1.5 LUFS, according to Spotify’s audio ad specs.
Do Spotify ads have a true peak limit?
The India version of Spotify’s audio ad specs page lists a true peak limit of -2.0 dBTP. The US, Canadian and UK pages did not show a true peak figure when we checked. Staying at or below -2.0 dBTP satisfies both.
Can I upload a 48 kHz WAV?
Spotify lists 44.1 kHz as the sample rate and warns that the wrong rate risks playing at the wrong speed. Convert to 44.1 kHz before upload.
Is -16 LUFS the same as the podcast target?
The number can match, but each platform publishes its own document, so check the one you deliver to. WavSpec ships a separate built-in spec for Apple Podcasts.
Does WavSpec upload to Spotify?
No. It checks and corrects files on your PC and writes a report. You upload through your usual Spotify route.
Try WavSpec
WavSpec is a one-time purchase in the Microsoft Store with a free trial. Run your last campaign through the Spotify audio ads spec and see which files would have come back. More detail is on the WavSpec product page.
Deliver audio ads that meet the spec, with a report that proves it.
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Spotify is a trademark of Spotify AB. WavSpec is not affiliated with Spotify.
Last updated 20 October 2026. Published by Automata Labs, a software company in Canada.