Use this free streaming royalty calculator to estimate how much Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and other platforms pay for your streams. Enter your monthly streams and see an instant payout estimate for every major service.
| Platform | Per stream | Estimated payout |
|---|
Rates are industry averages and vary by country, subscription type and label deals.
How the streaming royalty calculator works
Enter the number of streams you get in a month and the calculator multiplies it by each platform’s average per-stream rate. Because every service pays a different amount, you’ll see a separate estimated payout for Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Tidal and Deezer. It’s the quickest way to answer the question every artist asks: how much does Spotify actually pay?
How much do streaming platforms pay per stream?
Per-stream rates are industry averages, not guaranteed rates. No streaming service pays a fixed amount per play. Your real rate depends on your listeners’ countries, whether they are on free or paid tiers, and what your distributor or label takes. Treat these as ballpark figures for comparison, not as a promise of earnings:
| Platform | Typical average per stream |
|---|---|
| Tidal | ~$0.0125 |
| Apple Music | ~$0.008 |
| Deezer | ~$0.0064 |
| Amazon Music | ~$0.004 |
| Spotify | ~$0.0035 |
| YouTube Music | ~$0.002 |
Figures are commonly cited industry averages compiled from artist-reported payouts and published distributor data. Rates shift year to year. Last reviewed July 2026.
Why “per-stream rate” is misleading
It is worth understanding what actually happens, because the per-stream figure is a result, not a rate.
Most major services use a pro-rata revenue pool. The platform collects subscription and advertising revenue for the month, keeps its share, and divides the remainder among rights holders according to each one’s share of total streams. Nobody is paid a set price per play. The “per-stream rate” you see quoted is simply total payout divided by total streams after the fact, which is why it moves every month and differs for every artist.
Spotify also applies a minimum threshold: tracks below a certain number of annual streams generate no recording royalties at all. If you are just starting out, very low stream counts may pay nothing rather than a small amount.
Why per-stream payouts vary so much
- Listener location — a stream from a country with higher subscription prices usually pays more.
- Free vs paid — streams from paying subscribers pay more than ad-supported free-tier streams.
- Your deal — labels, distributors and publishers may take a cut before you get paid.
- Platform model — each service splits its revenue pool differently between rights holders.
- Recording vs publishing — this calculator estimates recording royalties. Songwriting and publishing royalties are collected separately, often through a PRO, and are not included here.
How to earn more from streaming
- Release consistently so your catalogue keeps working for you.
- Pitch to editorial and algorithmic playlists to grow your stream count.
- Encourage fans to save and add your tracks — engagement boosts algorithmic reach.
- Use a distributor that pays 100% of royalties rather than taking a percentage.
- Register with a PRO and a publishing administrator so you collect songwriting royalties as well as recording royalties.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Spotify pay per stream?
Spotify pays roughly $0.003 to $0.005 per stream on average, though there is no fixed rate. Spotify divides a revenue pool among rights holders by share of total streams, so the effective rate changes monthly and varies by listener country, subscription tier and your distribution deal.
How many streams do I need to earn $1,000?
At an average of around $0.0035 per stream on Spotify, roughly 285,000 streams would generate about $1,000 in gross recording royalties before your distributor or label takes its share. On a higher-paying service such as Tidal the same amount might take closer to 80,000 streams.
Is this streaming royalty calculator accurate?
It gives a reasonable estimate based on industry-average per-stream rates, but it cannot be exact. Actual payouts depend on your distributor, your listeners’ countries, free versus paid tiers and any label agreements. Use it for comparison between platforms rather than as a precise forecast.
Which platform pays the most per stream?
Tidal and Apple Music tend to pay more per stream than Spotify or YouTube Music, but Spotify often has the largest audience, so total earnings depend on where your listeners actually are.
Are these payouts before or after fees?
The estimates are gross recording royalties. Your distributor, label or publisher may take a percentage before the money reaches you, and songwriting or publishing royalties are collected separately.
Does this include songwriting royalties?
No. This calculator estimates recording (master) royalties only. If you wrote the song, you are also owed publishing and performance royalties, which are collected through a PRO and a publishing administrator rather than paid by the streaming platform directly.
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