Check the delivery route and eligible usage
Use your distributor’s Tidal royalty statement to establish the relevant territory, period, rights and effective rate. We have not found a current official numeric per-stream average, so this page does not invent one or claim that a particular revenue-allocation model guarantees your payout.
Tidal’s Upload FAQ, updated 5 June 2026, says music delivered through Tidal Upload earns no royalties. This is distinct from commercial catalog delivery through a distributor. Tidal’s content-integrity policy also excludes artificial streams from royalties. Do not reuse historical direct-artist payment claims as current terms.
Recording and publishing are separate
The master is the sound recording. The composition is the underlying music and lyrics. A distributor or label usually receives recording royalties; publishers, administrators and collecting societies handle composition royalties. An artist who wrote and owns everything may receive money through several channels, at different times.
What reaches an independent artist?
There is no universal artist take-home figure. Start with the statement for the rights you own, check whether distributor or label fees have already been deducted, and apply your agreed ownership share once. Advances, recoupment, taxes, collaborators and territorial agreements can change the amount available to you.
Compare the five services
These are payout-model references, not a verified ranking. Apple’s historical combined-rights average cannot be directly compared with current master-only receipts.
| Platform | Published reference | Payout model |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify | No official fixed rate published | Monthly market streamshare; recording eligibility applies. Sources and dates ↗ |
| Apple Music | Historical reference: USD 0.01 (2020) Apple’s source page is dated 2 June 2021 and reports this average for individual paid plans in 2020. It includes label and publisher royalties. It is not a current artist take-home rate and is not directly comparable with master-only statements. | Streamshare; historical 2020 combined-rights reference. Sources and dates ↗ |
| YouTube Music | No official fixed rate published | Music usage and revenue allocation by rights, country and offer. Sources and dates ↗ |
| Tidal | No official fixed rate published | Distributor agreements and eligible catalog usage; Upload earns no royalties. Sources and dates ↗ |
| Amazon Music | No official fixed rate published | Usage by country and subscription tier; separate rights payments. Sources and dates ↗ |
Frequently asked questions
Is there a guaranteed payment for one stream?
No. A stream contributes to a revenue allocation. Territory, plan, advertising, eligible usage and the rights-holder agreement affect the result.
Does the platform pay the artist directly?
Usually the platform pays rights holders, distributors or collecting partners. Your agreement determines how and when your share reaches you.
Are recording and songwriting royalties the same?
No. The master and composition are separate rights. Check which income your statement covers before comparing rates or modelling earnings.
Can this calculator predict my next statement?
It models the rate and deductions you enter. It does not know future market pools, eligibility, contract adjustments, payment timing or tax.
Sources and dates
- Spotify — Understanding royalties —
- Spotify — Streamshare —
- Spotify — Track monetization eligibility —
- Apple Music — Insights: Royalties —
- YouTube — Subscription financial reports —
- YouTube Music — Music aggregators —
- Tidal — Maintaining content integrity —
- Tidal — Tidal Upload —
- Amazon Music for Artists — FAQ —
For education and planning only. This is not legal or financial advice.
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