Streaming royalty calculator
Type in your streams and see what they pay on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, SoundCloud, Tidal, Amazon and Deezer, in pounds, at 2026 rates. Take off what your distributor or label keeps, split it between the band, or work back from the money to the streams you need.
How much does Spotify pay per stream?
Spotify pays about 0.30p ($0.004) per stream in 2026, usually somewhere between 0.23p to 0.38p. That is roughly £3.02 for 1,000 streams and £3,018 for a million.
Spotify does not set a per-stream rate. Each month it pools what subscribers and advertisers paid, and each track gets the share of that pool that matches its share of all streams. The figure moves with where your listeners are and whether they pay: a Premium listener in the UK is worth more than a free one elsewhere.
The money goes to whoever owns the recording, which for most bands means their distributor first. Songwriting royalties are separate and reach UK writers through PRS for Music and MCPS.
How much does Apple Music pay per stream?
Apple Music pays about 0.60p ($0.008) per stream, between 0.53p to 0.75p: roughly twice Spotify's rate. That is about £6.04 for 1,000 streams and £6,035 for a million.
Apple has said itself that its average is about one US cent per stream. It pays more than Spotify because it has no free tier, so every play comes from someone paying a subscription.
How much does YouTube Music pay per stream?
YouTube Music pays about 0.23p ($0.003) per stream, but sources put it anywhere from 0.08p to 0.60p, the widest spread of any service. Ordinary YouTube videos that use your music pay less: about 0.08p ($0.001) per view.
The gap is the listener. A YouTube Music subscriber's stream pays like any other subscription service; a free, advert-funded play pays a fraction of that. Views of videos that use your track (matched by Content ID) and of your own channel earn advert money, about £0.75 per 1,000 views.
How much does SoundCloud pay per stream?
SoundCloud works out at roughly 0.23p ($0.003) per stream, between 0.19p to 0.30p, but it is the least reliable figure here because SoundCloud does not pay by the stream at all.
SoundCloud calls its system fan-powered royalties: the money from each paying listener is shared among the artists that listener played. A small band with a few devoted subscribers can earn more per stream than a bigger one with casual listeners. You only earn once your tracks are monetised through SoundCloud for Artists or a distributor; plays on an ordinary free upload pay nothing.
How much do Tidal, Amazon Music and Deezer pay per stream?
Tidal pays the most of the big services, about 0.98p ($0.013) per stream. Deezer pays about 0.45p ($0.006) and Amazon Music about 0.30p ($0.004).
Tidal's range is 0.91p to 1.13p, Deezer's 0.23p to 0.53p and Amazon's 0.08p to 0.53p. Amazon's is wide because a Music Unlimited subscriber's stream pays several times what a Prime one does. A high rate on a small audience still adds up to less than a low rate on Spotify, which is why most bands' statements are mostly Spotify.
How much is 1 million streams on Spotify?
One million Spotify streams are worth about £3,018 before your distributor or label takes anything. The same million is worth more on Apple Music and Tidal, and less on YouTube.
| Service | 1,000 | 10,000 | 100,000 | 1 million | 10 million |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spotify | £3.02 | £30.18 | £302 | £3,018 | £30,176 |
| Apple Music | £6.04 | £60.35 | £604 | £6,035 | £60,352 |
| YouTube Music | £2.26 | £22.63 | £226 | £2,263 | £22,632 |
| YouTube videos views | £0.75 | £7.54 | £75.44 | £754 | £7,544 |
| SoundCloud | £2.26 | £22.63 | £226 | £2,263 | £22,632 |
| Amazon Music | £3.02 | £30.18 | £302 | £3,018 | £30,176 |
| Tidal | £9.81 | £98.07 | £981 | £9,807 | £98,072 |
| Deezer | £4.53 | £45.26 | £453 | £4,526 | £45,264 |
How many streams does it take to make money?
On Spotify it takes about 34,000 streams to make £100 and about 340,000 to make £1,000, once a track has passed the 1,000-stream minimum.
| Service | £100 | £1,000 | a month at minimum wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spotify | 34,000 | 340,000 | 690,000 |
| Apple Music | 17,000 | 170,000 | 350,000 |
| YouTube Music | 45,000 | 450,000 | 920,000 |
| YouTube videos views | 140,000 | 1.4 million | 2.8 million |
| SoundCloud | 45,000 | 450,000 | 920,000 |
| Amazon Music | 34,000 | 340,000 | 690,000 |
| Tidal | 11,000 | 110,000 | 220,000 |
| Deezer | 23,000 | 230,000 | 460,000 |
Does Spotify pay for songs under 1,000 streams?
No. Since April 2024 a track must have at least 1,000 streams in the previous 12 months before it earns any recording royalties on Spotify.
The count is per track, not per artist, and it rolls: a track can qualify one month and drop out later. There is also a minimum number of different listeners, which Spotify does not publish, so a few people playing a song on repeat does not get it over the line. When a track does qualify, it is paid from that month on; streams from the months before are never paid. Songwriting royalties are not affected.
How many streams do you need to earn the UK minimum wage?
About 690,000 Spotify streams a month, every month, for one person: roughly 8.3 million a year.
The National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour for anyone aged 21 or over. Over a 37.5-hour week that is £2,065 a month, or £24,785 a year, before tax. A four-piece band splitting evenly needs about 2.8 million Spotify streams a month for everyone to earn it, and a five-piece about 3.5 million. On Apple Music one person needs about 350,000 a month, and on Tidal about 220,000. That is before a distributor, a label or a manager has taken a share.
What comes off before streaming money reaches you?
Three things: your distributor's fee, your label's share if you have one, and the split between the people in the band.
Some distributors charge a yearly fee and pass on everything; others are free and keep a percentage of what you earn. A label takes its share under your deal, often half or more of what the recording makes. Put the percentage that goes to them in the calculator, and the number of people you split with, and it shows what each of you is paid. Songwriting money is on top of all this: UK writers collect it through PRS for Music and MCPS, not from the streaming service.
Where the rates come from
No streaming service publishes a per-stream rate. These are estimates of what reaches whoever owns the recording, taken from what distributors report paying out. They were last checked on 13 November 2026 and are converted from US dollars at $1.33 to £1, the European Central Bank's rate for 12 November 2026.
| Service | Typical | Range | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spotify | 0.30p ($0.004) | 0.23p to 0.38p | £3.02 |
| Apple Music | 0.60p ($0.008) | 0.53p to 0.75p | £6.04 |
| YouTube Music | 0.23p ($0.003) | 0.08p to 0.60p | £2.26 |
| YouTube videos per view | 0.08p ($0.001) | 0.04p to 0.11p | £0.75 |
| SoundCloud | 0.23p ($0.003) | 0.19p to 0.30p | £2.26 |
| Amazon Music | 0.30p ($0.004) | 0.08p to 0.53p | £3.02 |
| Tidal | 0.98p ($0.013) | 0.91p to 1.13p | £9.81 |
| Deezer | 0.45p ($0.006) | 0.23p to 0.53p | £4.53 |
- Royalty Exchange: how much do streaming platforms pay per stream (15 July 2026). Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal and Deezer ranges, from what distributors report paying out; Apple's own one-cent average.
- ISRC.com: how much streaming services pay artists per play in 2026 (19 March 2026). The single typical figures, and advert rates on YouTube videos.
- Ones To Watch: which music streaming platforms pay artists most fairly (11 March 2026). SoundCloud and YouTube Music ranges, and how SoundCloud shares money.
- Spotify for Artists: track monetisation eligibility. The 1,000-stream rule, in Spotify's own words.
- Bandcamp help: what are Bandcamp's fees. Bandcamp's 15% of digital sales and its card fees.
- GOV.UK: National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates. The National Living Wage for the minimum-wage sums.
Your own figure depends on where your listeners are, whether they pay for a subscription, and your deal. The statement from your distributor is the only exact number.
Questions people ask
How much is 1 million streams on Spotify?
One million Spotify streams pays about £3,018 ($4,000), between £2,263 and £3,772, before a distributor or label takes its cut. The same million pays about £6,035 on Apple Music and £9,807 on Tidal.
How much does Spotify pay for 1,000 streams?
About £3.02 for 1,000 streams, at the typical rate of 0.30p ($0.004) per stream. 1,000 streams in 12 months is also the least a track needs before Spotify pays anything for it.
How many streams does it take to make money on Spotify?
A track has to pass 1,000 streams in the past 12 months before it earns anything. After that, about 34,000 streams makes £100 and 340,000 makes £1,000.
How many Spotify streams do you need to earn the UK minimum wage?
About 690,000 streams a month, every month, for one person. The National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour, which is £2,065 a month for a 37.5-hour week. A four-piece band splitting evenly needs about 2.8 million streams a month.
Does Spotify pay for songs with under 1,000 streams?
No. Since April 2024 a track must have at least 1,000 streams in the previous 12 months, from a minimum number of different listeners that Spotify does not publish, before it earns recording royalties. Streams from months before a track qualified are never paid.
Which streaming service pays artists the most?
Per stream, Tidal: about 0.98p ($0.013), against 0.60p ($0.008) on Apple Music and 0.30p ($0.004) on Spotify. In total, Spotify usually pays a band the most, because that is where most of the listening happens.
Do artists keep all of their streaming royalties?
Rarely. A distributor may take a yearly fee or a percentage, a label takes its share under your deal, and what is left is split between the members. The calculator takes all three off so you see what each person is paid.
Are these rates exact?
No. No service publishes a per-stream rate, so every figure is an estimate from what distributors report paying out, checked on 13 November 2026 and converted to pounds at $1.33 to £1. Your own statement is the only exact number.
Updated 13 November 2026