Streaming royalty calculator.

How streaming royalties actually pay out

When someone plays your track, the DSP pays a fraction of a cent into a pool, then divides that pool across rights holders using its own accounting (most major services use a pro-rata model, your share of total premium-tier streams in a given month). What lands in your account is that gross figure minus your distributor’s cut and any label, publisher, or producer splits you have agreed to.

Per-stream rates we use, and why they’re a range

The rates pre-filled above are blended 2025 averages from public statements, distributor reports, and indie artist payout receipts. Real numbers swing on three big variables:

• Listener country. A premium stream in Norway pays multiples of one in India, because the pool is sized by local subscription revenue.
• Premium vs free. Ad-supported streams pay roughly a third of premium streams. Spotify’s blended rate looks low partly because of its large free tier.
• Your deal. A flat-fee distributor like DistroKid forwards the gross payout. A revenue-share distributor or label takes a percentage before you see it.

What this calculator does not include

• Publishing royalties (mechanical and performance) are paid separately through your PRO and a publishing administrator, and are typically a smaller but meaningful additional revenue line.
• Sync placements, neighboring rights, merch, and live income, none of which behave like per-stream payouts.
• Country-level breakdowns. Treat the result as a ballpark for blended global streams, not a forecast of any single market.