Tools for Music Professionals

Understanding your streaming revenue starts with the right data. Our free royalty calculators give you region-based earnings estimates for every major platform, so you can forecast income, compare payout rates, and make informed decisions about your music distribution strategy. Whether you manage a single catalog or an entire label, these tools help you plan with confidence.

CALCULATORS

Royalty Calculators

Get region-based estimates of what a stream is worth on each platform. Platforms do not publish a per-stream rate, they pay by streamshare.

$0.003–$0.005 /stream

Spotify Calculator

Estimate per-stream payouts across different countries and subscription tiers.

$0.007–$0.01 /stream

Apple Music Calculator

Calculate payouts by region and stream count for Apple’s premium-only platform.

$0.002–$0.005 /stream

YouTube Calculator

Combine YouTube Music and Content ID data to forecast your revenue.

$0.004–$0.007 /stream

Amazon Music Calculator

Estimate earnings from Unlimited and Prime plays across regions.

$0.008–$0.013 /stream

Tidal Calculator

Project payouts from the platform whose working average runs highest, with every play subscription-funded.

$0.004–$0.007 /stream

Deezer Calculator

Calculate royalties across Deezer’s global listener regions.

CONVERSION

Link Conversion Tool

Need to share or embed Spotify content? Use our converter to switch between Spotify URLs and URIs for easy use in apps, embeds, and backend tools.

COMPARISON

Streaming Royalty Rates (2026)

Not sure which platforms pay the most? Platforms do not publish per-stream rates. They pay by streamshare: your streams in a market, divided by the total streams in that market, give your share of that market’s royalty pool, and each pool is funded by the subscription and advertising revenue generated there. Here is how the working averages compare across major streaming platforms, gross before splits.

Platform Working Average / Stream Streams for $1,000 Free Tier
Tidal $0.008–$0.013 ~77K–125K No
Apple Music $0.007–$0.01 ~100K–143K No
Deezer $0.004–$0.007 ~143K–250K Yes
Amazon Music $0.004–$0.007 ~143K–250K Yes
Spotify $0.003–$0.005 ~200K–333K Yes
YouTube Music $0.002–$0.005 ~200K–500K Yes

These figures are working averages drawn from independent analyses, not rates posted by the platforms, and they are gross before splits. What a stream is actually worth varies by region, subscription tier, and market conditions, and what you keep depends on your distribution, label and publishing agreements. Use our individual calculators above for detailed estimates.

UNDERSTANDING PAYOUTS

How Streaming Royalties Work

Most streaming platforms use a streamshare model. Each month, the platform pools all subscription and advertising revenue, then divides it among rights holders based on each track’s share of total streams. This means per-stream rates are not fixed — they fluctuate with overall platform revenue and listening volume.

Several factors affect how much you earn per stream. The listener’s country matters because subscription prices vary by market — a stream from the US generates more revenue than one from a lower-priced region. Subscription tier also plays a role: premium listeners contribute more per play than ad-supported users. Finally, the total number of streams on the platform that month dilutes or concentrates the available pool.

Because of these variables, the best way to forecast your earnings is to use platform-specific calculators that factor in regional multipliers and current rate ranges. Our tools above do exactly that — giving you realistic estimates rather than oversimplified averages.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

The platforms do not post a per-stream rate. They pay by streamshare: your streams in a market, divided by the total streams in that market, give your share of that market’s royalty pool, and each pool is funded by the subscription and advertising revenue generated there. On working averages from independent analyses, Tidal sits highest at $0.008–$0.013, followed by Apple Music at $0.007–$0.01, Spotify at $0.003–$0.005 and YouTube Music at $0.002–$0.005, all gross before splits. Apple is the only one to have published a figure of its own, an average of $0.01 for individual paid plans in 2020 that included label and publisher royalties. Treat these as planning averages rather than posted prices: what a stream is worth depends on the listener’s country, subscription tier, and market conditions, and what you keep depends on your distribution, label and publishing agreements.

Streaming services charge different subscription prices in different markets. A Premium subscription in the US costs significantly more than in regions like Southeast Asia or Latin America. Since royalties come from subscription revenue, streams from higher-priced markets generate more per play. Our calculators include regional multipliers to give you accurate estimates.

No platform publishes a per-stream rate, so this is a comparison of working averages rather than posted prices. Tidal sits highest, followed by Apple Music; neither runs an ad-supported free tier, so all of their listening is subscription-funded, which is why their averages sit above the platforms that do. Total earnings still depend on where your listeners are. A large audience on Spotify may earn more overall than a small audience on Tidal, even though Spotify’s working average is lower. Use our individual platform calculators to compare based on your actual stream distribution.

Most platforms use a streamshare model. Each month, total platform revenue is pooled and divided among all tracks based on their share of total streams. Your per-stream rate depends on the overall revenue that month, total platform streams, and the markets where your listeners are located.

Yes. Enter your total expected streams and select the primary listener region to get gross revenue estimates. For label catalogs with multiple artists, you can run calculations per release or aggregate across your roster. Keep in mind that net revenue will depend on your distribution agreement and any applicable fees.

Calculate Your Music Royalties

Use our free tools to estimate your streaming earnings across every major platform. Start your 7-day free trial to distribute your music worldwide.

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