Music royalty calculator.
Estimate what a release earns from streaming with any distributor. Enter streams per platform, tune the listener mix, add your distributor’s commission and fees, and see the gross, the cost of distribution and what you keep.
How much money do you make per stream?
Roughly $0.003 to $0.005 per stream on Spotify, $0.006 to $0.01 on Apple Music, less on ad-supported tiers and African stores, and far less on YouTube. This calculator estimates earnings from your stream counts and listener mix with any distributor, and shows how a distributor's commission and fees change what you keep.
Copy the numbers from your distributor’s pricing page. Leave a field at zero if it does not apply.
A flat fee of $20 a year costs the same as a 15% commission once a release grosses $133 a year, roughly 0 streams at your mix. Below that, commission is the cheaper deal. Above it, the flat fee is.
Rates vary. Your distributor decides what you keep.
Per-stream payouts vary by platform, country and listener tier. Premium subscribers generate more per stream than free-tier listeners, which is why the calculator lets you set the mix. Some platforms, such as Tidal and Apple Music, pay higher rates per stream but have smaller user bases. Others, such as YouTube Music and Boomplay, pay lower rates per stream but reach enormous audiences, which often means higher total earnings for African and Asian artists where those platforms dominate.
The biggest factor most calculators ignore is YouTube Content ID. If your distributor is a YouTube Certified Service Provider, every user-generated video that uses your audio, from dance challenges and DJ mixes to reaction videos and fan compilations, earns you ad revenue. For active artists in genres like Afrobeats, Amapiano, drill or Latin pop, that often exceeds direct YouTube Music streams. If your distributor does not offer Content ID, leave that row at zero.
Why distributor choice matters as much as stream count
Your gross royalties are set by the platforms. What you keep is set by your distributor. Distributors charge in three ways: a commission on royalties, a yearly subscription, a fee per release, or some mix of them. Enter the terms from any distributor’s pricing page and the calculator shows the net after commission and fees, so you can compare offers on the same streams.
About these rates. Per-stream figures are 2026 indicative averages compiled from publicly disclosed payout reports, adjusted by your premium mix and region. Actual rates per release vary by month and by licensing agreement. YouTube Content ID rates are for user-generated matches; regular YouTube Music streams are separate. The pricing-model presets are illustrative and do not describe any named company.