How much money do streams make?

First of all: Spotify doesn't pay a fixed amount per stream. The money from subscriptions and ads goes into one big pot and is shared out by each song's share of all streams.

The rule of thumb

Per stream, about 0.3 cents goes to all rights holders combined. So a million streams bring in roughly 3,000 to 4,000 euros, more or less depending on country and subscription type.

What reaches you

• A smaller part goes to songwriters and publishers, the recording side gets the larger part.
• If you're signed to a label, you often get only 15 to 25 percent of that, so more like a few hundred euros.
• If you release through a distributor yourself, you keep most of it, more like 2,000 to 3,000 euros.

Monthly listeners

They only show how many people listen to you, not how often. 10,000 monthly listeners might mean 20,000 to 50,000 streams, so roughly 60 to 200 euros a month in total. And since 2024, Spotify only pays for a track once it has at least 1,000 streams a year.

That's why many artists end up earning more from shows, merch and sync than from streams.

All figures are rough guidelines for beginners and focus on Germany. They are no substitute for legal or tax advice.