Utility
Streaming Royalty Calculator
Roughly what does a stream count translate to? Enter your plays and see estimated payouts across the major platforms. These are ballpark per-stream averages, and real rates vary with listener location, subscription type, and your distribution deal.
| Platform | ~Per stream | Estimated payout |
|---|
Estimates only. Per-stream rates are averages that shift constantly and depend heavily on where listeners are and whether they're on free or paid tiers. Treat these as order-of-magnitude, not a paycheck.
Based on widely-reported average per-stream payout rates. These are industry estimates, not official figures, and actual rates vary by listener region, tier, and distribution deal. · Methodology
How the estimate is calculated
payout = streams × per-stream rate
Each platform pays a small fraction of a cent per stream, so income scales linearly with plays. At roughly $0.0035 per stream, 100,000 Spotify streams is about $350, before your distributor's cut and any label or split. The per-stream numbers here are widely cited averages; your actual rate depends on the mix of free vs premium listeners and their countries, which is why two artists with identical play counts can earn different amounts.
What these numbers really mean for you
The headline takeaway most producers learn the hard way: streaming pays very little per play, and meaningful income needs large numbers or many releases compounding over time. This is a big reason artists lean on other revenue (sync licensing, sample packs, live shows, direct fan support) rather than streams alone. A track doing "well" at 100k streams might net a few hundred dollars total, split among everyone involved.
The numbers are still useful for perspective: they help you set realistic expectations, compare platforms (Tidal and Apple historically pay more per stream than Spotify, though Spotify's larger audience often wins on volume), and decide where to focus promotion. Just don't build a budget on them without your distributor's actual reporting.