How Much Does Spotify Pay Artists Per Stream [2023 ] (2023)

Home > Music Industry > How Much Does Spotify Pay Artists?

Music Industry

June 27, 2021 11614

How Much Does Spotify Pay Artists Per Stream [2023 ] (1)

How Much Does Spotify Pay Artists Per Stream [2023 ] (2)

Martin Kristiansen

My name is Martin Kristiansen and I’m the founder and chief editor of HomeStudioIdeas.com. I’ve been playing, recording and producing music for the last 10 years.

Whether you’re new to music or not, you may be wondering, “how much does Spotify pay artists?” The pay varies significantly by user location, paid vs. free streams, and the number of streams, with each stream being less than a cent.

We looked at some data from different websites to find the statistics on Spotify pay. After reviewing a few sources, we found some average rates per stream.

Read on to learn:

  • How much Spotify pays per stream
  • The number of streams you need to make minimum wage
  • How royalties work
  • How to increase your earnings
  • Why Spotify is worth it, even with a low payout

How Much Does Spotify Pay Per Stream in 2021?

Two columns

Vertical

Horizontal

Royalty Calculator

Streams

"{{getWooProductName}}" has been added to your cart

Your service request has been completed!

We have sent your request information to your email.

Issued on: {{ $store.getters.getIssuedOn }}

Payment method: {{ $store.getters.getPaymentType }}

{{ item.label }}: {{ item.converted }}

Spotify doesn’t have much official information on how much it pays per stream. Various websites claim the streaming service pays anywhere from $0.0032 on the low end to about $0.0054 on the high end.

The rates vary between regions, and the pay can depend on if a user is a paying subscriber. In general, Spotify pays more per stream in countries with higher Spotify subscription costs. Spotify Premium is cheapest in India (the equivalent of $1.58) and most expensive in Denmark ($14.39).

The company may also pay a bit more when a paid user streams your music. As seen in the table below, where the stream comes from is a huge factor of what Spotify pays:

CountryAvg. Pay Per Stream ($)
Norway0.005479273262
Denmark0.005159208727
UK0.004912438819
Switzerland0.004735907468
Sweden0.004440795157
Australia0.003964816365
Netherlands0.003627001999
Japan0.003549137869
USA0.003526648542
Germany0.003367393910
France0.003165156140
Canada0.002738648734
Spain0.002351294930
Italy0.001993518049
Mexico0.001441136576
India0.001408341455
Brazil0.001294613594
Argentina0.000850040231

How Much Does Spotify Pay for 1 Million Streams?

It can be hard to calculate what Spotify pays for a million streams unless all of those streams come from the same type of user. But you can get an idea of how much Spotify might pay.

Using the rate of $0.0032 per stream, 1 million streams would make $3,200. If your average pay rate is $0.0054 per stream, you’d make $5,400 after a million streams.

However, you may not get the entire amount. If you aren’t the sole owner of the song, you’d need to split royalties with songwriters, bandmates, and even a manager if you have one.

How Many Spotify Streams Do You Need to Earn Minimum Wage?

How Much Does Spotify Pay Artists Per Stream [2023 ] (3)

If you want to make minimum wage, you’d need to make $7.25 per hour at the federal level. So you’d have to make that times 40 hours a week and 52 weeks a year. That comes out to $290 per week or $15,080 per year.

With a higher-than-average rate per stream, you’d need at least 2,792,593 streams per year. If your average is closer to $0.0032 per stream, you’d need 4,712,500 streams.

But some areas of the US have a higher minimum wage. Washington DC’s minimum wage is $15 per hour, so you’d need almost twice as many streams to make minimum wage there.

How Spotify’s Streaming Royalties Work

You may be wondering, how do artists make money on Spotify?

Spotify pays artists royalties using net revenue from subscription fees and ads. The company pays royalties each month, and it will calculate the streams for all of your songs.

If you don’t own the rights or distribute the music, Spotify will pay the people who do. Then, they’ll pay you.

When an artist has a label, the label will typically handle the distribution. But indie artists can use one of many distribution services. Some of them will take the distribution royalties, while others charge a flat fee each month or year.

If you’re willing to distribute the music yourself, you can collect the entire streaming revenue from your songs.

This video from Spotify’s ‘Loud & Clear‘ describes how streaming royalties from Spotify work!

How Do Spotify Royalties Compare to Other Platforms?

So, how much do artists make on Spotify?

Spotify’s average rate per stream isn’t quite as good as other platforms, but it’s not the worst. The average on Spotify in 2020 was $0.00318 per stream. That’s just below the average rate of $0.00339 that Amazon Prime paid.

However, it’s quite a bit better than what YouTube paid, which ranged from $0.00087 to $0.00802 on average. Spotify also had a better average rate than Pandora, which paid about $0.00151.

In the same period, Apple Music paid artists an average of $0.00563 per stream. Google Play Music was just behind that at $0.00551. Amazon Music Unlimited had the highest average payout at $0.01196 per stream.

How Much Does Spotify Pay Artists Per Stream [2023 ] (4)

How to Increase Your Earnings

You can earn more from Spotify streams in a couple of ways. The more straightforward option is to put more music on the platform. Each time you write and record a new song, get it on Spotify as soon as you can so that it can start making money.

Another option is to get more listeners. You can do that by asking people to follow you and share your songs with others. Creating playlists with other popular songs can also be a great way to introduce people to your music while they listen to songs they already know.

However, you can also try to increase your average rate per stream. Market your music to users in countries with higher costs of living and higher subscription fees. And you can focus on subscribers in any country.

ArtistTotal Streams (Billions)Total Earnings
Drake21.5B$52,546,150
J Balvin15.5B$37,904,012
Post Malone15.3B$37,577,611
Bad Bunny14.8B$36,227,528
Ed Sheeran14.7B$36,014,920
Justin Bieber13.5B$33,094,199
Ozuna12.4B$30,393,120
Ariana Grande11.1B$27,205,449
Khalid9.7B$23,776,766
The Weeknd9.3B$22,745,724

Why You Should Have Your Music on Spotify

Putting your music on Spotify may seem like a waste. If you don’t get millions of streams, you may not make much money.

But there are other benefits to using Spotify for your music. Consider some of the best reasons for posting your music on the platform.

Users and Subscribers

According to the Spotify website, there are 158 million paying subscribers. The platform has another 198 million free users, who listen to ads.

While you may not reach all of those people, you can reach a lot of them. And you might get your music in front of people who wouldn’t hear your music elsewhere. You never know when a first-time listener might turn into a life-long fan.

Maybe your fans find you on other platforms, but they also use Spotify. Having your music on the platform means people can listen anytime, anywhere.

Music Streaming PlatformMarket share
Spotify34%
Apple Music21%
Amazon Music15%
Tencent apps12%
YouTube Music5%
Others13%

Get New Fans

Not only can putting your music on Spotify get you more fans on there, but you can encourage people to follow you on other platforms. Then, you can grow your audience on YouTube or Instagram, which can help you grow your music career.

Even if you don’t make a ton of money from Spotify streams, you may be able to make money from fans in other ways. Perhaps they decide to download your album, or they buy your band merch.

Not all of your listeners will convert into fans. But some may find your music and want to support you as much as possible.

Alert Existing Fans

When you post something on Spotify, the platform will notify people who follow you there. That way, your fans can learn when you have a new song, and you can get more streams.

Some fans may follow you on other platforms, but others may only do so on Spotify. Those notifications can be a great way to connect with your audience when you release something new.

You may not be able to share a post like you can on Instagram or Facebook. But you can still stay in touch with your followers.

How Much Does Spotify Pay Artists Per Stream [2023 ] (5)

Decrease Piracy

Piracy is when someone illegally downloads or distributes something, and music can be that thing. Each year, piracy costs the US economy about $12.5 billion. It lowers earnings in the music industry by about $2.7 billion per year.

By putting your music on Spotify, you can give people access to it without needing to use illegal methods. And you can earn a bit of money, even if it’s not enough to replace gigs or other jobs.

While new artists may not be affected by piracy, it’s an industry-wide problem. As you get more fans and listens, people may want to pirate your music. But streaming on Spotify may help avoid some of that.

Help With Marketing

Promoting your music can seem overwhelming, but it’s a great way to grow your career. Luckily, putting your music on Spotify can help with your marketing strategy.

Of course, people can find you on Spotify and become fans. But your fans can share a screenshot or a link to your music. They can post that information on another platform or send it in a text message, which can help you get even more fans.

Consider asking your Spotify followers to share your songs that they love. Those shares are a great way to get free promotion.

Advance to the Top

If you want to make it to the top of the music charts, streaming can help with that. Both free and paid streams can help count toward chart ranks. However, Billboard gives more weight to paid streams.

Any album purchase can also help your music get on to a top chart. But having streams as a factor may help more artists have a shot at ranking closer to the top.

Reviewing How Spotify Pays Artists

Now, you know how to answer the question “how much does Spotify pay artists?”

The average pay per stream on Spotify isn’t the best when it comes to streaming. At an average of $0.0032 to $0.0054 per stream, you’d need millions of listens to make even minimum wage.

But making money isn’t the only reason to put your music on Spotify. You can use the platform to get more fans, market your music, and grow your career.

Does that all sound good? Put your music on Spotify today to see how it can help you.

FAQs

How Much Does Spotify Pay Artists Per Stream [2023 ]? ›

In the case of Spotify, the amount you can expect to receive lies between $0.003 to $0.005 per stream. That's roughly equivalent to a 70/30 split between the rights holders with 70% and the platform with 30%.

How much will music streaming pay in 2023? ›

Spotify pays artists between $0.003 - $0.005 per stream on average, with just under 23,000 streams of your tracks needed to recieve $100 in payment. In 2023, Apple Music pays artists $0.01 per stream on average - so essentially equalling 1 penny earned per stream.

Who is the most streamed artist on Spotify 2023? ›

Eminem in Top 10 Most Streamed Spotify Artists of 2023 So Far
  • The Weeknd — 4.66 billion.
  • Drake — 3.58 billion.
  • Sza — 2.79 billion.
  • Feid — 2.53 billion.
  • 21 Savage — 2.29 billion.
  • Shakira — 2.2 billion.
  • Eminem — 2.17 billion.
  • Rihanna — 2.12 billion.
Apr 19, 2023

How much Spotify pays for $1 million streams? ›

For instance, based on my knowledge, as an artist, you will make: The average price per stream is $0.004. $4 for every 1,000 streams. $4000 for each million streams.

How many streams to make $1000 on Spotify? ›

How many streams on Spotify = $1000? On average, you'll have to earn 300,000 to 350,000 streams to generate roughly $1000. Due to those variables we mentioned above, however, streams are not created equally.

What is the Spotify deal 2023? ›

$9.99/month after. Terms and conditions apply. Open only to users who haven't already tried Premium. Offer ends May 16, 2023.

Who is 1st on Spotify 2023? ›

Canadian singer The Weeknd is the artist with the most monthly listeners as of May 2023, additionally being the artist with the highest number of listeners ever (112.78 million) and the first artist to reach 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Who is 2nd on Spotify 2023? ›

Most listened to artists on Spotify in 2023 are 1. The Weeknd, 2. Ed Sheeran, 3. Taylor Swift and 17 others.

Who is #2 on Spotify? ›

Miley Cyrus

How much does Spotify pay per stream in Canada? ›

Spotify pays artists between $0.003 - $0.005 per stream on average. That works out as an approx revenue split of 70/30 - so that's 70% to the artist/rights holders and 30% to Spotify.

How much is $100 million streams on Spotify worth? ›

A number of online Spotify royalties calculators, including Streaming Calculator, Streaming Royalty Calculator, Music Fibre and Music Gateway, have estimated Rosenthal's earnings to land somewhere between $3,400,000 and $4,500,000. In the UK, that's roughly between £2,450,000 and £3,250,000.

Does Spotify pay monthly? ›

In many cases, royalty payments happen once a month, but exactly when and how much artists get paid depends on their agreements with their record label or distributor.

How much is 50k streams on Spotify? ›

How much money is 50000 streams on Spotify? Based on a $0.004 payout per stream, 50000 streams would generate a revenue of $200.

How many months is $30 Spotify? ›

Hope you enjoy this gift card!

Can you buy a year's worth of Spotify? ›

Spotify Premium 12 Month Subscription $99 Gift Card - Email Delivery.

Did Spotify pay 130 artists more than $5 m last year? ›

Of those, 130 were paid more than $5m (£3.8m) over the last 12 months. Spotify didn't name any of the artists involved, but its most-streamed acts last year were Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift, BTS, Drake and Justin Bieber; while the most streamed-song was Olivia Rodrigo's Drivers License.

Is it too late to become an artist at 25? ›

Is there an age when it's too late? Adults can learn to draw if they have enough time, practice on a daily basis, and have plenty of patience. There are countless videos, courses, and books, that teach the basics of drawing. Anyone can become a better artist and improve their level of skill with the right work ethic.

Who is the youngest millionaire artist in the world? ›

Artist Anna Weyant. Sotheby's is used to millions and millionaires.

Is it realistic to make money as an artist? ›

The answer is yes. As an artist there are many avenues that you can explore to monetize your talent, allow yourself to be your own boss and spend your days doing what you love. Picture this: Waking up every morning without dreading the day ahead because you are in charge of your day and what you do with it.

What is the most streamed song in 2023? ›

Leading the top global songs list is Miley Cyrus' smash hit “Flowers” which has been named the most streamed song of 2023 so far with 1.16 billion global audio streams.

Who is the biggest artist in the world 2023? ›

A little over a week ago, The Weeknd swept the 2023 Juno Awards in his native Canada, taking home four awards, including both artist of the year and songwriter of the year for a record fourth time; single of the year for a third time (for 2022's “Sacrifice”)l and pop album of the year (for Dawn FM).

How many songs have a billion streams on Spotify? ›

The Full List. The Billions Club contains over 300 songs, with the majority being released in the 2010s. This is largely due to the fact that Spotify launched at the start of that decade.

Who else is leaving Spotify? ›

Entertainment figures Neil Young, left, Joni Mitchell, Ava DuVernay and India Arie have cut ties with Spotify. Veteran singer-songwriter Neil Young recently urged “other artists and record companies” to “move off the SPOTIFY platform and stop supporting SPOTIFY's deadly misinformation about COVID.”

Who is 3rd most popular on Spotify? ›

RankArtistListeners
1The Weeknd108,750,293
2Taylor Swift85,225,054
3Ed Sheeran83,379,899
4Miley Cyrus83,142,342
77 more rows

Who is number 3 in the world on Spotify? ›

So let's jump into the 10 most-streamed artists on Spotify.
...
The 10 Most-Streamed Artists of All Time.
PositionArtistAll-Time Spotify Streams
1Drake57.2 billion
2Bad Bunny52.5 billion
3Taylor Swift44.2 billion
4The Weeknd41.7 billion
6 more rows
Apr 12, 2023

Who has the most 1 billion streams on Spotify? ›

As of May 2023, a total of 400+ songs have surpassed one billion streams on Spotify.
...
100 most-streamed songs.
Rank1
Song"Blinding Lights"
Streams (billions)3.563
Artist(s)The Weeknd
Release date29 November 2019
89 more columns

Is Spotify duo ending? ›

The Duo Mix features are similar to those offered by Family Mix, an exclusive feature made available only to those on the Family Plan. However, both Duo and Family Mix have been phased out by Spotify in all markets, as of May 2022.

Who is #1 according to Spotify? ›

Most streamed artists on Spotify – Results

The most listened to group belongs to South Korean heroes BTS. Among legacy artists, leaders are no other than Queen.

Which country pays the most for Spotify? ›

South Korea and UK are the frontrunners

The clear frontrunner is South Korea with a PPS three times as high as that of the UK sitting second place. The reason for this is that there is no free option for Spotify in Korea, only premium subscriptions.

What is Spotify's highest streaming rate? ›

Spotify Premium, set at its highest quality, offers playback at 320kbps, which is a measurement of data transfer rates for playback on a device. In these terms, CD-quality audio works out to 1,411.2kbps – about four and a half times that of the current highest setting.

How much does Apple Music pay for $1 million streams? ›

How Much Does Apple Music Pay Per Million Streams? Artists receive about $7,000 to $10,000 per million streams on Apple Music.

Is 500k streams considered gold? ›

Under the new rules, units are measured as follows: 1 unit = 1 permanent download or 100 on-demand audio and/or video streams. Just like with physical sales, 500,000 units equal a Gold award and 1,000,000 units equal a Platinum.

How many Spotify streams equals $1 dollar? ›

How Many Streams on Spotify To Make A Dollar? On average, about 300-400 Streams will amount to $1 of revenue. But, as we stated before, this can range from 150-1,000 streams per dollar, depending on the quality of streams you're getting.

How much does Drake make from Spotify? ›

Drake's comments come in spite of the fact that he was named the highest earner on Spotify in 2021. According to edm.com, the “Hotline Bling” singer profits the most out of any artist on the platform, taking $52.5m from 21.5 billion streams. The rapper is reportedly worth around $250m.

How many artists have 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify? ›

More than half of all songs have less than 500 streams.
...
Only half a million artists with more than 1,000 listeners.
Monthly listenersNumber of artists
50,000-100,00030,000
100,000-500,00038,000
500,000-1,000,0006,000
1,000,000-5,000,0007,000
8 more rows
May 12, 2022

How much Spotify pays for 2,000 streams? ›

As for how much Spotify pays per stream, they pay roughly $0.04 per 10 streams. So, 1000 streams would be around $4, and 100,000 streams would be $400. Remember, this result may be lower based on certain factors such as if only half of your song was listened to.

Is Spotify free in Canada? ›

Start listening to ad-free music and offline, free today until August 8, 2023. Cancel anytime. Individual plan only. $9.99 CAD/month after.

Is Spotify fair to artists? ›

Unfortunately, their methods for providing this service aren't exactly fair to artists. Shocker. According to USA Today, Spotify does not directly pay artists. Instead, they use a system called “stream share,” which allows for variation in pricing due to licensing agreements.

Does Spotify pay artists fairly? ›

In 2020, Business Insider found that Spotify's payment of artists amounts to “as little as $. 0033 per stream, with other sites reporting upwards of $. 0054.” As the publication pointed out, that's about 250 streams to earn a dollar.

Which music platform pays the most? ›

TIDAL ranks higher than both Spotify and Apple Music in terms of royalty rate and the direct artist payouts available on the platform. It's definitely worth weighing up your options when deciding which DSP(s) to upload your music to.

Can you make a living off Spotify? ›

In order to actually make a living from Spotify as an independent artist, there are 3 strategies you'll want to master. You can make a full-time income through Spotify streaming by releasing new music frequently, building up your own public playlists, and running ads on Facebook and Instagram to grow your listeners.

What is the future of music streaming? ›

From 2021 to 2030, they predict music streaming services to have a compound annual growth rate of 12%, up from 11% before. They also believe music streaming will be more resilient in an economic downturn than streaming video. The fact is that music streaming services do have an incredibly bright future.

Is Spotify collecting music data in 2023? ›

Spotify will start counting data for Wrapped 2023 from January 1. Although there is no set date for when Spotify 2023 will be released, it came out on December 1 in 2021 and on November 30 in 2022, so it will likely drop at a similar time next year.

How many Spotify streams to make $2000? ›

How Many Spotify Streams Do You Need To Earn Minimum Wage?
Desired Income/MonthStreams Needed Per Month
$10025,000
$1,000250,000
$1,257 (Minimum Wage)314,250
$2,000500,000
3 more rows
Jul 22, 2020

How many music streams to make $1000? ›

How Many Streams on Spotify = $1000? Based on the average payout of $0.003/stream, to earn $1000 on Spotify, you'll need to get 300,000 – 350,000 streams. But again, how much Spotify pay per stream varies, so the number can range from 150,000 – 600,000 thousand streams per $1000.

Can you make a living off music streaming? ›

Whether you're making money as a recording artist, composer or music producer, streaming can monetize your music in the long-term, via more lucrative income streams (such as live shows, merch and sync deals).

Will music streaming services last? ›

Potential For The Future

Despite the estimations for growth, given by the current volumes, music streaming in its present format does not have chances to last too long. But the way things are going right now, there is a lot of space for changes.

Is music streaming growing? ›

Revenue in the Music Streaming market is projected to reach US$25.71bn in 2023.

Who is #1 on Spotify? ›

As of May 2023, Canadian rapper Drake is the most-streamed artist of all time on Spotify, while American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is the most-streamed female artist.

Will Spotify keep playing forever? ›

When you reach the end of an album, playlist, or selection of songs, Spotify automatically plays similar songs so the music never stops. Pick your device for how to switch Autoplay on and off.

Will Spotify HiFi ever happen? ›

We are going to do it, but we're going to do it in a way where it makes sense for us and for our listeners. The industry changed and we had to adapt.” Originally, Spotify said its plan was to launch HiFi as a premium tier by the end of 2021.

How many dollars is 1 billion streams? ›

Performers usually earn about 20-30% of the total royalty payments. This means that for every 10 thousand streams, for example, in Apple Music, the artist will receive 15-25 dollars. A million auditions, respectively, will bring 1,500 -2,500 dollars, and one billion – 1.5-2.5 million dollars.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Dean Jakubowski Ret

Last Updated: 09/17/2023

Views: 6405

Rating: 5 / 5 (70 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Dean Jakubowski Ret

Birthday: 1996-05-10

Address: Apt. 425 4346 Santiago Islands, Shariside, AK 38830-1874

Phone: +96313309894162

Job: Legacy Sales Designer

Hobby: Baseball, Wood carving, Candle making, Jigsaw puzzles, Lacemaking, Parkour, Drawing

Introduction: My name is Dean Jakubowski Ret, I am a enthusiastic, friendly, homely, handsome, zealous, brainy, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.