Tidal Royalty Calculator

Estimate your 2026 TIDAL royalties using a working per-stream average, not a rate Tidal publishes.

The calculator applies a separate per-stream assumption for each listener region, from about $0.0015 (Africa) to $0.015 (North America), with $0.0128 for Worldwide. These regional values are working assumptions we set, not figures Tidal publishes; the Asia and Africa values sit below the $0.008 to $0.015 range most third-party estimates quote, which reflects lower subscription prices in those markets.

Disclaimer: This calculator provides an estimate only. It multiplies your streams by a regional per-stream assumption of $0.0015 to $0.015 that Tidal does not publish. Actual earnings vary with the listener's country, subscription plan, and your label or distributor agreement.

Learn more about Tidal distribution, delivery timelines, and platform requirements on our Tidal platform page.

DEEP DIVE

How Tidal Pays Artists

Tidal does not publish a per-stream rate, so any per-stream figure is worked out after the fact by dividing payouts by streams. Third-party estimates put it at roughly $0.008 to $0.015 per stream, averaging around $0.013, gross before splits, so treat it as a planning figure rather than a posted price: what you actually net depends on your agreement with a label, distributor or publisher. Tidal has had no ad-supported free tier since April 2024, so all of its listening comes from paying subscribers. Subscription streams put more revenue into the pool than ad-supported streams, which is one reason third-party estimates for Tidal sit higher; its smaller subscriber base is another.

Tidal previously tested fan-centered royalties, a user-centric experiment that directed part of a subscriber's payment to the artists they actually listened to, rather than pooling it across all platform streams. It has since moved that effort into TIDAL RISING, a direct-funding program for emerging artists.

Tidal streams lossless and HiRes FLAC audio and Dolby Atmos. It retired MQA in July 2024, so the lossless master you deliver sets the highest quality a release can stream at: 16-bit WAV or FLAC for HiFi, and a 24-bit WAV for HiRes (LabelGrid does not accept FLAC above 16-bit).

COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Tidal pay per stream?

Tidal does not publish a per-stream rate, so any per-stream figure is worked out after the fact by dividing payouts by streams. Third-party estimates put it at roughly $0.008 to $0.015 per stream, averaging around $0.013, gross before splits. Treat that as a planning figure rather than a posted price, because what a stream is actually worth depends on the listener's subscription tier and country, and on your agreement with a label or distributor.

Why are Tidal estimates higher than Spotify's?

Tidal has had no ad-supported free tier since April 2024, so all of its listening comes from paying subscribers. That subscription-only model is one reason third-party per-stream estimates for Tidal sit higher; a stream's value is a share of a revenue pool, so Tidal's smaller subscriber base matters too. Tidal publishes no rate of its own, so any figure you see is a planning estimate, gross before splits, not a posted price.

What are fan-centered royalties on Tidal?

Fan-centered royalties were a Tidal experiment with a user-centric model: instead of pooling subscription revenue across all platform streams, it directed part of each subscriber's payment to the artists they listened to. Tidal has since moved that effort into TIDAL RISING, a direct-funding program for emerging artists.

How many streams to make $1,000 on Tidal?

Using third-party estimates of roughly $0.008 to $0.015 per stream, you would need approximately 67,000 to 125,000 streams (about 77,000 at the estimated average of around $0.013) to earn $1,000 gross, before any label, distributor or publisher splits. Tidal does not publish a per-stream rate, so treat the number as a planning estimate rather than a posted price.

Does Tidal HiFi pay more than standard?

What a stream is worth can vary by subscription plan and country. Tidal no longer sells separate HiFi and HiFi Plus tiers: in 2024 it folded them into one tier that includes its lossless and HiRes audio, and it does not publish rates for any plan.

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