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Streaming royalties calculator

See what your streams pay on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer and SoundCloud once your distributor and collaborators take their share. Or work backwards from the money you want to make.

Rates checked on October 29, 2026, sources below

If you share the master with a featured artist or producer, enter 50 for a 50/50 split.

What you keep

$36.30

Paid by Spotify
$36.30
Distributor or label cut (0%)
− $0
Collaborators’ share (0%)
− $0
What you keep
$36.30

Across sources: $30.00 to $44.30

that is $0.0036 per stream for you

What you keep, per platform

  • Spotify$36.30
  • Apple Music$62.00
  • Deezer$55.00
  • YouTube Music$48.00
  • Amazon Music$88.00
  • Tidal$68.00
  • SoundCloud$32.50

What each platform pays per 1,000 streams

What the master owner receives (the label, or you through your distributor) before any commission.

Platform1,000 streams1 million streams
Amazon Music$8.80$8,800
Tidal$6.80$6,800
Apple Music$6.20$6,200
Deezer$5.50$5,500
YouTube Music$4.80$4,800
Spotify$3.63$3,630
SoundCloud$3.25$3,250

No platform publishes a fixed rate: these are observed or estimated averages and they move every month.

How the math works

Streaming services don’t pay a fixed amount per play. Each month they pool subscription and ad revenue, pay a share of it to rights holders (about two-thirds at Spotify, according to its Loud & Clear report), and split that by each track’s share of total streams. The per-stream rate is an outcome, not a price.

The calculator starts from the average observed payout per 1,000 streams on each platform, takes off your distributor’s or label’s cut, then applies your share of the track if you split it. The range shows how far the sources disagree: use the low end for a safe budget.

Why your statement never matches exactly

Where your listeners are: a stream in the US or UK pays several times more than one in India or Brazil, because subscriptions cost more there.

Premium or free: plays from paying subscribers are worth more than ad-supported plays.

Platform rules: since 2024, a track needs at least 1,000 streams in the past 12 months to earn royalties on Spotify. Discovery Mode lowers what you earn on the streams it brings in.

Timing: platforms pay distributors one to three months after the stream, so this month’s statement usually reflects streams from two or three months ago.

What this calculator leaves out

Songwriting royalties. If you wrote the song, you also earn publishing royalties on every stream: performance royalties through your PRO (ASCAP, BMI or SESAC in the US, PRS in the UK) and US mechanical royalties through The MLC. You have to register your songs to collect them.

Radio-style streams. Non-interactive services like Pandora radio or SiriusXM pay through SoundExchange in the US (PPL in the UK), which is separate from your distributor.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Spotify pay for 1,000 streams?
About $3.63 to the master owner (between $3.00 and $4.43 depending on the source), before your distributor’s cut. A track also needs 1,000 streams in 12 months to get paid at all.
How much do 1 million streams pay?
Around $3,630 on Spotify before your distributor’s cut. The same million on Apple Music or Amazon Music pays roughly twice as much, because those services have almost no free listening.
How many streams do I need to make $1,000?
About 275,483 streams on Spotify, 161,291 on Apple Music or 113,637 on Amazon Music if you keep 100%. With a distributor commission or a shared track you need more: the “Goal” mode does the math with your deal.
Which streaming service pays artists the most?
Per stream, Amazon Music ($8.80 per 1,000), Tidal and Apple Music pay the most. Spotify ($3.63) pays less per play but is usually where most of your streams, and so most of your money, come from.
How much does a distributor take?
Two models: a yearly fee with no commission on royalties, or a price per release plus a commission (CD Baby takes 9%, for example). Label deals take much more: a traditional deal often keeps three-quarters or more. Switch “Your deal” in the calculator to compare.
Are songwriting royalties included?
No. The calculator estimates master (recording) royalties paid through your distributor. Songwriters and publishers earn separately through their PRO and The MLC on the same streams, once the songs are registered.
When do I get paid?
Platforms pay your distributor one to three months after the streams, then the distributor pays you on its own schedule, often monthly and sometimes above a minimum balance. Expect two to four months between a stream and money in your account.

Where the rates come from

Every figure comes from a public, dated source. We re-check them every six months.

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