Streaming Royalties Calculator — Estimate Music Earnings
Find out how much a song earns from streaming. Pick a platform, enter the play count, and adjust the artist–label split to estimate gross and net royalties for any release.
Platform
USD
%
Estimated artist net after distributor or label share
- 1
Rate per stream
$0.004Platform default rate; enter an override to use a different value. - 2
Gross royalties
100,000 × $0.004 = $400 - 3
Artist earnings
$400 × 70% ÷ 100 = $280
How does this calculator work?
Streaming royalties = streams × rate_per_stream. Platforms pay approximately $0.002–$0.013 per stream to the rights holder (2024 estimates). Artist earnings = gross × artist_share%, where self-released artists keep 70–100% and label-signed artists typically 15–25%. Enter your stream count and split to estimate your payout.
Formula
How this is calculated
Streaming platforms pay rights holders — typically a distributor or label — a per-stream royalty. The platform pools its monthly subscription and ad revenue, then distributes it proportionally among all streams that month. Because the pool is divided among all streams, the per-stream rate is not fixed: it varies by country, listener subscription tier (premium pays more than ad-supported), and total monthly streams. The rates shown here are approximate 2024 global averages; the override field lets you substitute the actual rate from your royalty statement.
The gross royalty is simply streams multiplied by the rate. The fraction that reaches the artist depends on the deal: independent artists using a distributor (e.g. DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby) typically keep 70–100% of gross after the distributor flat fee or small commission; artists signed to a major label commonly receive 15–25% of what the label collects. The royalty split percentage covers both scenarios — enter your actual split for the most accurate estimate.
The bar chart at the bottom compares gross earnings at the same stream count across all major platforms, using their typical 2024 rates. Tidal and Apple Music pay roughly 3–5× more per stream than YouTube Music, which pays at a lower rate because many listeners use the ad-supported free tier rather than a paid subscription. All figures are estimates and change over time; check your distributor royalty reports for your actual per-stream payments.
Frequently asked questions
Spotify pays approximately $0.003–$0.005 per stream to the rights holder on average globally (2024 estimates). The exact rate varies by country, subscription type, and monthly listening volumes. Self-distributing artists receive most of that amount; label-signed artists typically keep 15–25% of what the label collects from Spotify.
YouTube Music includes a large free ad-supported tier. Ad revenue shared across many streams results in a lower per-stream rate than subscription-only platforms like Apple Music or Tidal where every listener pays a monthly fee.
Gross royalties is the total the platform pays to the rights holder (distributor or label). Artist earnings is the portion of that gross the artist actually receives after the label or distributor takes their share. Independent artists self-releasing through a distributor keep 70–100%; label-signed artists typically keep 15–25%.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Streaming Royalties Calculator — Estimate Music Earnings [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/streaming-royalties-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Streaming Royalties Calculator — Estimate Music Earnings." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/streaming-royalties-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Streaming Royalties Calculator — Estimate Music Earnings," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/streaming-royalties-calculator
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