Free · Updated 11 October 2026
Spotify royalty calculator: what Spotify actually pays
Enter your monthly streams: the calculator shows roughly what Spotify pays per month and per year – about €3.00 per 1,000 streams – and what the same streams would earn under fair pay.
Spotify
€360
per year (estimate) · €30.00 a month
Artyfile
€3,600 – €24,000
per year · at least €300 a month
On Artyfile you’d earn €3,240 – €23,640 more per year — that’s 10–60× the Spotify rate.
How we calculate: Spotify pays no fixed rate; ≈ €0.003 per stream (≈ €3.00 per 1,000 streams) is a third-party estimate. Tracks under 1,000 streams in 12 months earn nothing on Spotify. Artyfile pays at least €0.03 per counted stream, €0.20 for a Standard subscriber with 60 streams a month.
What do 1,000, 10,000, 100,000 and 1 million Spotify streams pay?
| Streams | Spotify (estimate) | Artyfile (guaranteed minimum) |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | ≈ €3.00 | €30.00 |
| 10,000 | ≈ €30.00 | €300 |
| 100,000 | ≈ €300 | €3,000 |
| 1,000,000 | ≈ €3,000 | €30,000 |
Amounts before your label’s or distributor’s share, excluding songwriter royalties. Spotify figures are estimates; the real value depends on country, plan type and contract.
When does Spotify pay? The 1,000-stream threshold
Since 2024 Spotify only pays recorded-music royalties for a track that reached at least 1,000 streams in the previous 12 months. For many smaller artists that means part of their catalogue earns nothing on Spotify.
The money also doesn’t go to you directly but to the rights holder of the recording – your label or distributor – which keeps a share depending on your contract. Self-released artists usually receive most of it; under a label deal it is often much less. Songwriter royalties via your collecting society are paid separately.
What do other streaming services pay per stream?
| Service | Payout per stream | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify | No fixed rate; ≈ €0.003 (third-party estimate) | Pro rata; tracks need 1,000 streams in 12 months |
| Apple Music | US$0.01 per play on average | Own statement, 2021 |
| Qobuz | US$0.01873 per stream on average | Own statement, fiscal 2024 |
| Deezer | No per-stream figure published | Artist-centric model since 2023 |
| Artyfile Stream | At least €0.03 per counted stream | Guaranteed by the terms (§5.4), user-centric |
The figures aren’t directly comparable: Spotify, Apple and Qobuz split a revenue pool by stream share, while Deezer has weighted professional artists more heavily since 2023. Artyfile Stream pays user-centrically – each subscriber’s money only goes to the music they play – and guarantees a floor per stream. How Artyfile pays artists
For comparison: on Artyfile Stream every counted stream earns rights holders at least €0.03 – 10× the Spotify estimate.
Frequently asked
How much does Spotify pay per stream?
Spotify pays no fixed amount per stream. Revenue is shared pro rata from a common pool by each rights holder's share of all streams in a country. Third-party estimates put it at roughly €0.003 per stream; the real figure varies by country, plan type and contract.
How much do 1,000 Spotify streams pay?
About €3.00 before deductions. The money goes to the rights holder (label or distributor), which keeps a share depending on your contract. Songwriter royalties via your collecting society are paid separately.
How many Spotify streams does it take to make €1,000?
At roughly €0.003 per stream, about 333,333 streams. On Artyfile Stream, at the guaranteed minimum of €0.03 per stream, it takes at most 33,334 streams.
When does Spotify start paying?
Since 2024 a track only generates recorded-music royalties on Spotify once it has reached at least 1,000 streams in the previous 12 months. Below that, nothing is paid out for that track.
How much does Artyfile pay per stream?
Artyfile Stream guarantees rights holders at least €0.03 per counted stream (15 seconds or more), paid user-centrically. For a Standard subscriber with 60 streams a month it is €0.20 (€12.00 artist pool ÷ 60).
Is the calculator free?
Yes. It is free, needs no sign-up and can be embedded on any website.
Share the calculator
Embed the calculator on your site, blog or press kit — free, no attribution required (but appreciated).
Embed it on your site
<iframe src="https://stream.artyfile.com/embed/calculator" width="100%" height="580" style="border:0;max-width:560px;border-radius:16px" title="What Spotify Actually Pays You — Artyfile royalty calculator" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="font:13px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Stream royalty calculator by <a href="https://stream.artyfile.com/calculator">Artyfile</a></p>Sources
- Spotify for Artists: Royalties guide (streamshare, 1,000-stream threshold), retrieved 27 September 2026
- Ditto Music: How much does Spotify pay per stream? (third-party estimate, secondary), retrieved 27 September 2026
- Apple Music for Artists: royalty rate (published 2 June 2021), retrieved 27 September 2026
- Qobuz: average payout per stream for fiscal year 2024 (published 20 Mar 2025), retrieved 27 September 2026
- Deezer: Artist remuneration (artist-centric payment system), retrieved 27 September 2026