COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Apple Music pay per stream?
Apple does not pay a fixed per-stream rate. Apple says royalties are calculated on a stream share basis, and that what a play is worth varies by subscription plan and country or region. Apple's own published average is $0.01 per play for Apple Music individual paid plans in 2020, which it notes includes label and publisher royalties. Third-party estimates put the working average at $0.007 to $0.01 per stream, gross before splits. The regional figures this calculator applies run wider, from about $0.0045 per stream (Africa) to $0.009 (North America). Read that as a planning average, not a posted price: the listener's country and local subscription pricing move it, and what you net depends on your distributor, label and publisher agreements.
Does Apple Music pay more than Spotify?
Third-party estimates put Apple Music's average higher, but neither platform pays a fixed per-stream rate, so this is an estimate rather than a posted price on either side. One structural difference is that Apple Music has no ad-supported free tier, whereas on Spotify ad-supported streams contribute less revenue per stream to the pool than Premium streams. Those estimates put the working average at $0.007-$0.01 on Apple Music and $0.003-$0.005 on Spotify, gross before splits, and what you net depends on your distributor, label and publisher agreements.
How many streams do I need to make $1,000 on Apple Music?
Using third-party estimates of $0.007 to $0.01 per stream, you would need approximately 100,000 to 143,000 streams to earn $1,000 in gross royalties. Apple does not pay a fixed per-stream rate, so treat that as a planning figure: it moves with the countries your listeners are in, and the $1,000 is gross before your distributor, label and publisher splits. At the lower regional figures this calculator applies (down to about $0.0045 per stream for Africa), you would need more streams than that.
Does Apple Music have a minimum stream threshold?
Not one that Apple has published. Spotify requires a track to reach 1,000 streams in the previous 12 months before it earns recording royalties; Apple has not published a comparable per-track threshold. What Apple does document, in its Apple Music for Artists help, is that a play is counted once a song runs for more than 30 seconds.
How often are Apple Music royalties paid?
Like other platforms, Apple Music royalties arrive in arrears: expect roughly 1 to 3 months between when streams occur and when they appear in your royalty statements.