Streaming Payouts: How Much Do Artists Get?

How much do artists get on different streaming platforms? It’s a fact that as fans, we always want to listen to the content of our favorite artists. However, every one of us can’t buy merchandise; many of us can support them by streaming their music on distinct platforms. But at one point, we question ourselves is that whether it’s enough?

Many streaming platforms don’t reveal how much they pay artists, while some pay them a fraction of a cent when their song is played. No standard cost is paid to them; hence if your main goal is to support the artist, then it becomes crucial for you to pick the streaming platform that gives them the best for their work. To help you out, we have found how much artists get on different music streaming platforms; let’s take a closer look at it right here.

Types of Artist Royalties Streaming Platforms Use

The paid subscription model has gained popularity and is taking over others. The total sales of physical copies dropped by 30%. Whereas the paid subscription grew by 12% in 2020, this number is expected to jump higher in the upcoming years.

The music streaming segment revenue is expected to reach $26.61bn in 2022. The revenue is anticipated to show an 8.10% annual growth rate between 2022 and 2026, resulting in a projected market volume of $36.34bn by 2026.

When compared, it was found that most revenue is generated in the US $9,818.00m in 2022. The number of users in the streaming segment is expected to amount to 959.0m users by 2026. The user penetration will reach 9.4% in 2022, which is anticipated to hit 12.2% by 2026.

Despite the transition in how music lovers listen to their favorite content, artists earn from royalties, which is much similar to earning from physical copy sales. All the music streaming platforms like Spotify, Melodify, Apple Music, Deezer, and many more enabled artists to put their songs in their libraries; some of the platforms pay a reasonable amount in return. Each artist gets a certain amount of pay each time users play their songs. Music streaming platforms use different types of payouts to pay artists, these include.

Mechanical Royalties

This type of royalty is generated each time a musical composition is digitally or physically reproduced. In such interactive streaming platforms, users can decide what songs to play; however, the digital reproduction of songs mainly occurs when users press the “play” option. However, when it comes to non-interactive platforms, the royalty descends under the ‘public performance royalties.’

However, in these royalties, artists possess a specific amount each time songs get played according to the Copyright Act. The automatic royalty rate for songs under 5 minutes is 9.1 cents per stream and around 1.75 cents per minute for each content over 5 minutes.

Public Performance Royalties

This royalty type is a fee that publishers and artists receive each time their music is broadcasted publicly. Public performance royalties are handled by PROs. The Performance Rights Organizations collect license fees from both parties who use streaming content and pay publishers and songwriters in the form of public performance royalties.

Most of the time, the discussion about these royalties is done between PRO and streaming platforms. It is around 6 to 7% of online music streaming service platforms’ revenue, which is taken from the all-in royalty pool. In the US, the public performance royalty is specified by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB).

Payout to Recording Owners

Report on music biz hitting the right notes shows that the 30% of subscription revenue is kept by global norms while 70% goes to distributors, 53% to recording firms, and 10% to publishers. More than two million subscribers use one or another music streaming app. However, when it comes to how much artists make on music streaming platforms, more than 99% look at the amount that recording owners get.

The recording owner’s payout is the amount of money containing all royalty types tied to music which will be distributed to every party involved. Depending on how a top artist approaches the music streaming platforms, they can make between 45% to 100% of the payout.

How Much Do Streaming Platforms Pay per Stream?

Music listeners can use many platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, or any other. All the top players are dominating the market. A report by Statista shows that streaming platforms with a single stream are, in fact, of little value. There is an excellent difference between services competing for the listener’s money. YouTube Music pays $0.074 per-stream rates for artists.

There are lots of streaming platforms, ranging from global market giants like Spotify, Tidal, and many more. Every platform has its unique selling point, user base, and pricing model; hence there is a great distinction in artists’ earning amount per stream. Let’s explore the payouts that streaming platforms pay to artists that contribute.

Spotify

Music streaming service Spotify has more than 406 million active users globally in the fourth quarter of 2021. This measures growth of 60 million in one year. However, the music streaming platform like Spotify has a negative reputation for giving out artist payouts. Artists can earn around $0.0033 per stream.

Allied workers and the union of Musicians started the “justice” movement due to the low payout for artists. They just get between $0.003 and $0.0084 per stream, which is very low. The figure can differ due to the disparity between the significance of a listen from a Premium subscriber on a streaming platform and listens from the numerous free users.

The territory also plays an important role. For example, streamers need to pay $0.0039 in the US, whereas Portugal can pay $0.0018. Each artist needs to reach around 250 streams on track to earn a dollar and more than 1000 streams to earn between $3 and $5 likely.

Apple Music

It is the second most popular music streaming platform with 78 million subscribers worldwide in 2021, competing with market leader Spotify. The number has jumped six million times from the previous year. The company has publicly commented that its average payout per stream is around $0.01.

However, one-tenth of a cent does not seem much; Apple has one of the biggest per-stream pay compared to other music streaming platforms. Apple Music pays $0.0078 a stream on the platform. It will take an artist approximately 136 streams to earn a dollar and 136,000 streams to earn $1000.

TIDAL

Tidal is not popular as other music streaming platforms; it pays artists somewhere around $0.12 per stream. Founded by JAY-Z, TIDAL seems to cater to those with a knack for high-fidelity harmony and relishing musicians more than any other platform. The platform has boasted the highest streaming rates with an artist-focused model and expensive subscription for users.

The music streaming platform has begun exploring the UCPS model, which is the best alternative to the pro-rata model that some consider being a fairer method of allocating revenues between artists. It pays on average $0.0128 per stream and is remarkable as very few streaming services pay around 1 cent per stream. An artist requires 80 streams to earn a dollar and about 80,000 streams to earn $1000.

Amazon Music

Amazon Music is a popular music streaming platform with around 55 million subscribers. The music streaming platform has reported paying artists around $0.004 per play, on average for digital streaming platforms.

Amazon Music is a streaming service from a tech giant and marketplace. They offer lots of streaming content, including the limited Prime music service that is included in a Prime subscription. An artist will require to gain around 249 streams to make a dollar and 249,000 streams to make $1000.

YouTube Music

The subsidiary of the most popular music streaming platform, YouTube Music, pays artists around $0.002 per stream. However, YouTube Music does not pay artists much; the platform’s favor combined with the ads should make the prevailing income marginally higher.

The payout from YouTube ads is around $7-10 per 1,000 impressions. Every view doesn’t count as an impression; about 30 to 40% of views on the platform contain ads. A music video demands around 4,000 views to earn that $7 to 10.

Pandora

Launched as internet radio, Pandora is most famous for its service. As a music streaming platform, it pays artists around $0.0013 per play. A very little amount of payout is related to their number of users.

Pandora had more than 55.14 million monthly active users in the US in 2021. It is one of the well-known players in the streaming scene and is only available in the US; this is the reason why it has a limited user base.

Ending Note

This content might definitely help you out to know how many streaming platforms pay the artists for their work. Artists need to pick the one that pays them well for their work, while you need to choose the one that provides complete access to your favorite music and artists. However, there are various variables that influence the streaming payout; the local streaming type and market of users are prominent ones.

Watch this space for updates in the Music category on Running Wolf’s Rant.

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