GuideNov 10, 2023Spotify Will Stop Paying Royalties on 67% of Tracks in 2024Spotify is drastically changing their payment model in 2024, taking a harder (albeit still weak) stance against bots and limiting non-music noise content on the platform. Spotify estimates these 3 changes will add $1 Billion to the royalty pool over the near 5...
TopicSpotify GrowthSpotify growth, playlists, followers, streaming data, royalty math, and platform changes for artists and labels.
ToolJun 19, 2026Spotify Royalty CalculatorEstimate Spotify royalties by streams, country, platform, currency, and your share of the master recording.
VideoMar 20, 2026Spotify Executive Explains How Spotify ACTUALLY Works feat. Sam DuboffDiscover how Spotify’s royalty system truly works, debunking common myths and revealing the evolving opportunities for artists in today’s streaming landscape.
VideoOct 10, 2025Why Do Most Artists Focus On Spotify? (and should they?)Discover why Spotify dominates artist attention despite lower per-stream payouts and how its massive user base and algorithms create unmatched growth opportunities.
GuideJul 1, 2020How To Make A Living With Spotify and Apple Music Streams – feat. Young L3XYoung L3X is an independent hip-hop artist that makes a full time living with Spotify and Apple Music streaming revenue! He doesn't play shows, and makes minimal income from merch – so its essentially all just streaming which is incredible. Facebook ads were a...
GuideJun 8, 2024Spotify Royalty Study: Premium vs Free User Pay Per StreamSpotify has premium plans and free ad-supported plans. Did you know that the amount of money you get paid per stream on Spotify varies depending on if the user listening is a premium user vs a free user? That's right, not only does the exact value of a stream...
GuideFeb 19, 2023How Much Did Spotify Pay Me For 1,556,335 StreamsMy song Chains has generated 1,556,335 streams, but how much money did this actually generate? In this post i'll walk you through where these streams came from, what countries and calculate the average payment per stream. Background & Streaming Services We...
NewsletterApr 8, 2024Spotify per stream payments are going upSpotify’s new 1,000 stream per year rule demonetizes 60% of songs, redistributing payouts to higher-performing tracks. Combined with recent price increases, this should raise the average payment per stream by about 6-7%.
NewsletterMar 25, 202450% of artists never hit 100 lifetime streams on SpotifyIn 2023, indie artists and labels earned $4.5B on Spotify, representing half of the platform’s total payouts. Despite 10 million artists uploading music, 50% have fewer than 100 lifetime streams, highlighting the vast competition and challenges for visibility.
NewsletterDec 5, 2023How ROI works for Spotify and music streamingStreaming platforms like Spotify pay low per-stream rates, making short-term promotion costly. However, investing in streaming can yield returns over months or years through algorithmic boosts, audience growth, and ongoing royalties.
NewsletterNov 20, 2023Spotify is drastically changing their royalty modelSpotify’s 2024 royalty changes introduce a 1,000-stream minimum per song, fines for fraudulent streams, and stricter rules on non-music content, aiming to add $1 billion to the royalty pool over five years and increase payouts for serious artists.
NewsletterJul 24, 2023How Spotify saved the music industrySpotify was created not to pay artists well, but to end rampant music piracy by offering a convenient, affordable alternative. Over two decades, streaming has reversed the decline in recorded music revenue and is projected to grow significantly through 2030.
GuideMar 11, 2026Spotify Loud & Clear 2026Spotify’s 2026 Loud & Clear report reveals a growing streaming revenue pool, with indie artists receiving about half of the $11 billion paid out in 2025. The music landscape is more accessible, with more artists earning significant income than ever before.
GuideAug 2, 2025Should artists remove their music from Spotify?Despite concerns over AI music, low payouts, and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s defense investments, removing your music from Spotify is generally not advisable for professional artists seeking broad exposure and revenue.
TopicMusic Marketing ToolsFree calculators and utilities for artists, labels, managers, and music marketers.
ToolMay 9, 2025DistroKid Royalty AnalyzerUse our free tool to process your DistroKid royalty statement and understand your royalties. See a graph of monthly royalties over time, breakdown by DSP, and average payment per stream by country for Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music. Your data is...
VideoMay 22, 2026The $5/day music marketing budget (exactly how I would do it)Discover a smart $5/day Meta ads strategy to boost your music catalog by driving targeted listeners to a curated playlist that sparks meaningful algorithmic growth.
GuideDec 11, 2023How To Make It In Music feat. Ben PattersonIn this episode Ben Patterson, president of Downtown Artist & Label Services, and I talk about music marketing, the industry, Spotify's changes and more! Listen on your favorite Podcast platform Important Points: Andrew and Ben talk about Spotify's Discovery...
GuideOct 10, 2023Six Figure Music Income & Sync Licensing feat. Eric Copeland (Make Music Income)In this post I discuss making a six figure income with music, sync licensing, micro licensing and royalty collection with Eric Copeland of Make Music Income and Hello Composers. Listen on your favorite Podcast platform Important Points: Eric and Andrew both...
GuideMay 9, 2023DistroKid Launched a Mobile AppDistroKid launched an app for iPhone that lets you distribute your music, see streaming data and check royalties right from your phone! DistroKid App Highlights DistroKid, a DIY distributor, has launched a new mobile app that allows artists signed up to the...
NewsletterSep 11, 2023How Music Streaming Should ChangeMusic streaming transformed the industry by ending piracy but also lowered music’s value for artists. New models like Deezer’s artist-centric royalties and YouTube Premium’s listen-time payments offer practical ways to improve fairness and increase artist...
GuideMar 7, 2025Did Snoop Dogg Only Get Paid $45k For 1 Billion Streams?Snoop Dogg’s claim of earning only $45,000 from 1 billion streams likely reflects his label deal, not Spotify’s payout. Typically, 1 billion streams generate about $3.3 million in royalties before splits with labels, managers, and publishers.
NewsletterJul 3, 2023How to actually make money with your musicBuilding a loyal fanbase and making money from music requires owning your audience beyond streaming and social media platforms. Control your platform and diversify income through products, merch, experiences, and subscription clubs to reduce risk and increase...
