Streaming royalty data, 2026

Per-stream rates by platform

The average each platform pays for one stream, as used by the calculators, with the range a typical independent artist sees. No platform pays a fixed per-stream rate: each divides a monthly revenue pool by total streams, so the figure moves with the pool and with who is listening.

Rate multipliers by listener country

A stream is paid from the revenue pool of the country the listener is in, so the same song earns different amounts depending on where it is played. Each multiplier scales a platform's global average. The Spotify column shows the result for the most-used platform; every country has its own page with all six.

Distributor entry plans

The cheapest plan for a single primary artist at each distributor the distributor calculator tracks. Prices are the vendors' own list prices in US dollars at the date in the change log below.

Methodology

Per-stream rates are modelled averages, not guaranteed payouts. They are set from distributor payout reports, royalty statements artists have published, platform documentation such as Spotify's Loud and Clear, and trade reporting, cross-checked against one another and reviewed at the start of each quarter. The calculators use the single average in the table; the range is what most independent artists see month to month.

Country multipliers are editorial estimates of how much a listener in each market contributes to the royalty pool relative to a US listener. They reflect local subscription pricing, the split between premium and ad-supported listening, and exchange rates. Read how listener country affects streaming royalties for the reasoning.

Distributor prices are taken from each vendor's pricing page and are recorded with the date they changed, below. When a vendor changes a price the old figure stays in the change log, so a number quoted from this page in the past can still be traced.

What this data is not. It does not include songwriter or publishing royalties, which are paid separately and through different collection bodies, and it does not model label deals. Everything here describes the recording side, paid to whoever owns the master, before any distributor cut.

Change log

• 17 September 2026 Distributor plans checked against current published pricing: TuneCore Rising Artist $24.99, Breakout Artist $44.99, Professional $54.99 a year; CD Baby has no automatic collaborator payouts; Amuse Artist includes Content ID and splits with a 15% commission on each; Ditto Starter includes splits.
• 17 September 2026 Data page and JSON download published.
• 1 May 2026 Symphonic Starter rose to $29.99 a year for new subscriptions; Release Campaign Builder added to the plan.
• 1 January 2026 Per-stream rates reviewed for 2026.
• 29 October 2025 UnitedMasters retired distribution on its free Debut tier; Debut+ at $19.99 a year is now the entry plan.

Citing this data

Quote any figure on this page with a link back to it. The link is what lets a reader check the number and see when it last changed. A suggested form:

Streaming Calculator (2026). Streaming royalty rates, country multipliers and distributor pricing. https://streamingcalculator.com/data

For a specific figure, link the platform or country page instead, for example streamingcalculator.com/spotify-calculator for the Spotify rate. Journalists on a deadline can email thestreamingcalculator@gmail.com for a quote or a figure not shown here.

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A small card showing a platform's current per-stream rate, kept up to date from this page. It carries a plain text credit underneath, which you are free to keep or remove.

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