What might your streams actually pay?
Spotify does not pay a fixed amount per stream, so this estimator works with a range you can change. Enter your streams and the share your distributor or label leaves you, and see a likely range, what a target amount would take, and the rules that can make a stream worth nothing.
How the estimate is worked out
streams × rate per stream × your shareWorked out at each end of the rate range, which is why the answer is a range.
target ÷ (rate per stream × your share)The high rate gives the fewest streams, the low rate the most.
The default range, $0.003 to $0.005 a stream, is the average distributors and artists commonly report before anyone takes a cut. It is not a Spotify figure. Your own statements are a better source: divide what a month of Spotify streams paid by the number of streams and enter the result as both ends of the range. If the statement already shows what reached you after your distributor’s cut, set your share to 100%.
The estimate covers the recording side only: what Spotify pays for the recording, through your distributor or label. If you also wrote the song, songwriting royalties are paid separately, to publishers and collecting societies, and are not included.
Why there is no fixed rate
Spotify says it pays royalties by streamshare, not at a fixed rate per stream: the money set aside for royalties is divided according to each rights holder’s share of all streams. What one stream ends up being worth therefore moves with where the listener is, whether they pay for Premium or use the free, ad-supported tier, and how much listening there is in total.
Spotify also pays rights holders (labels, distributors, publishers and collecting societies) rather than artists, and they pay artists under their own agreements. That is what the share field is for: a distributor that charges a fee and passes everything on leaves you 100%, while a commission or a label deal leaves less. Spotify sets out the model in its royalties guide.
Rules that can make a stream worth nothing
Some streams are worth nothing whatever the rate. These are Spotify’s own rules at the time of writing.
- The 1,000-stream line. Since April 2024, a track needs at least 1,000 streams in the previous 12 months, from a minimum number of unique listeners that Spotify does not publish, to earn recorded royalties. Below that, its share goes to eligible tracks instead.
- The 30-second mark. A stream counts once a song has played for at least 30 seconds. Downloaded listening is counted when the listener's device next goes online.
- Artificial streams. Spotify says streams it identifies as artificial earn no royalties, do not count towards public numbers or charts, and do not help recommendations. It also charges labels and distributors per track when it detects flagrant artificial streaming on their content.
- Short noise tracks. Functional noise recordings, such as white noise, must be at least 2 minutes long to earn.
From Spotify for Artists’ pages on track monetisation and artificial streaming, checked on .
Questions about Spotify royalties
How much does Spotify pay per stream?
There is no fixed rate. Spotify pays by streamshare, so the average value of a stream moves with where and how people listen. Distributors and artists commonly report averages of around $0.003 to $0.005 per stream before anyone's cut, which is why the estimator starts there. Your own statements will give you a truer figure.
Does Spotify pay artists directly?
No. Spotify pays rights holders (labels, distributors, publishers and collecting societies), and they pay artists and songwriters under their own agreements. That is why the estimator asks what share of the payout reaches you.
What is the 1,000-stream rule?
Since April 2024, a track must reach at least 1,000 streams in the previous 12 months, from a minimum number of unique listeners, before it earns recorded royalties. Spotify does not publish the listener minimum. Money a track under the line would have earned goes to eligible tracks instead.
What counts as a stream?
Spotify counts a stream when someone plays a song for at least 30 seconds. Listening to downloaded music is counted when the listener's device next goes online.
Do artificial or bought streams pay anything?
No. Spotify says streams it identifies as artificial earn no royalties, do not count towards public stream numbers or charts, and do not help recommendations. It also charges labels and distributors per track when it detects flagrant artificial streaming.
Does the estimate include songwriting royalties?
No. It covers recorded-music royalties, the money paid through your distributor or label. If you also wrote the song, songwriting (publishing) royalties are paid separately, to publishers and collecting societies, and would come on top.
Why does my statement show a different amount?
Because the rate is not fixed. The average value of a stream changes from month to month as the mix of countries and of Premium and free listening changes, statements usually arrive some time after the listening, and fees, currency conversion and splits all differ. Set the rate range from your own recent statements for the closest estimate.