Top 10 Takeaways

Here are our top findings from 2022 data. 

About Loud & Clear

All-time Spotify payouts to music rights holders are approaching $40 billion

All-time Spotify payouts to music rights holders are approaching $40 billion

Every year, Spotify has paid out more and more money in streaming royalties, resulting in record revenues and growth for rights holders on behalf of artists and songwriters. These rights holders include record labels, publishers, independent distributors, performance rights organizations, and collecting societies.

01 / 10

Spotify pays out nearly 70% of every dollar we generate from music back to the industry

Spotify pays out nearly 70% of every dollar we generate from music back to the industry

Spotify generates music revenue from two sources: subscription fees from Premium listeners and fees from advertisers on music on the Free tier. 

Nearly 70% of that revenue is paid back as royalties to rights holders, who then pay the artists and songwriters, based on the agreed terms. These rights holders include record labels, publishers, independent distributors, performance rights organizations, and collecting societies. Spotify does not pay artists or songwriters directly. 

02 / 10

The number of artists generating $1M+, as well as those generating $10,000+, has more than doubled over the past five years

Number of artists

$10K+

$1M+

57,000 23,400 ‘22 ‘17 1,060 460 ‘17 ‘22

The number of artists generating $1M+, as well as those generating $10,000+, has more than doubled over the past five years

Number of artists

$10K+

$1M+

57,000 23,400 ‘22 ‘17 1,060 460 ‘17 ‘22

Spotify royalties are powering artists’ careers at all stages. In 2022, 57,000 artists generated $10,000+ (up from 23,400 in 2017). And 1,060 artists generated $1 million+ (up from 460 in 2017).

These figures represent revenue generated from Spotify alone. When taking into account earnings from other services and recorded revenue streams, these artists likely generated 4x this revenue from recorded music sources overall, plus additional revenue from concert tickets and merch. 

03 / 10

For the first year ever,

10,000+ artists generated $100,000+ on Spotify alone 100+ acrossdifferent countries.

For the first year ever,

10,000+ artists generated $100,000+ on Spotify alone 100+ acrossdifferent countries.

In 2022, for the very first time, 10,100 artists generated at least $100,000 on Spotify alone. That’s up from 4,300 artists five years ago.

What’s more, these artists hail from more than 100 different countries around the world. Streaming has lowered barriers to entry. Artists who—in the past—might have struggled for opportunities are now finding their audiences. 

 

04 / 10

across all recorded revenue sources — and likely $50,000 highest-earning artist generated $12,500+ 
from Spotify alone 50,000th The en prenant en compte toutes les sources de revenus de la musique enregistrée — et probablement 50 000 dollars artiste avec la plus haute remuneration a généré plus de 12 500 dollars rien que sur Spotify Le 50 000e en todas las fuentes de ingresos registradas — y similares $50,000 artista con mayores ingresos generaron+ de $12 500de Spotify El número 50 000 über alle erfassten Einnahmequellen hinweg. — und wahrscheinlich 50.000 $ am besten verdienende Künstler*in generierte 12.500+ $ nurvon Spotify Der*die 50.000. em todas as fontes de receita — e provavelmente R$ 50.000 artista mais lucrative gerou +de US$ 12.500 só no Spotify   O 50.000º

across all recorded revenue sources — and likely $50,000 highest-earning artist generated $12,500+ 
from Spotify alone 50,000th The en prenant en compte toutes les sources de revenus de la musique enregistrée — et probablement 50 000 dollars artiste avec la plus haute remuneration a généré plus de 12 500 dollars rien que sur Spotify Le 50 000e en todas las fuentes de ingresos registradas — y similares $50,000 artista con mayores ingresos generaron+ de $12 500de Spotify El número 50 000 über alle erfassten Einnahmequellen hinweg. — und wahrscheinlich 50.000 $ am besten verdienende Künstler*in generierte 12.500+ $ nurvon Spotify Der*die 50.000. em todas as fontes de receita — e provavelmente R$ 50.000 artista mais lucrative gerou +de US$ 12.500 só no Spotify   O 50.000º

In 2017, the 50,000th highest-earning artist generated $2,840 on Spotify. In 2022, that figure was 4x as much: $12,584. 

Spotify and streaming are driving a healthier, more diverse music industry than ever before. As a point of comparison, a radio station typically plays a rotation of the Top 40 songs, while even the largest record store in the heyday of physical record sales, carried the music of a few thousand artists.

05 / 10

Spotify paid out more than $3 billion to publishing rights holders over the 
last two years

Spotify

Songwriters’ Rights Holders

Spotify

Songwriters’ Rights Holders

Spotify paid out more than $3 billion to publishing rights holders over the 
last two years

Spotify

Songwriters’ Rights Holders

Spotify

Songwriters’ Rights Holders

Songwriters and producers — through their publishing rights holders — are generating record-breaking revenues, driven by streaming services. Over the last two years, Spotify has paid out more than $3 billion to publishers, performance rights organizations, and collecting societies that represent songwriters. 

06 / 10

There are around 200,000 professional or professionally aspiring recording acts globally on Spotify, 
and they generated 95% of the total royalties in 2022

There are around 200,000 professional or professionally aspiring recording acts globally on Spotify, 
and they generated 95% of the total royalties in 2022

We’re proud to enable millions of artists to reach millions of listeners around the world. Some are looking to build a career, while others may treat music as a hobby. 

Based on Spotify data and external data from our ticketing partners, we estimate there are around 200,000 professional or professionally aspiring artists. Those artists generated 95% of the total royalty pool on Spotify, while contributing 15% of all tracks uploaded daily to Spotify. 

While many often cite the nine million people who have uploaded any music to Spotify, when it comes to building financial opportunities, we’re focused on these 200,000 professional and professionally aspiring artists.

 

07 / 10

Over a quarter of all artists who generated over $10,000 self-distribute to Spotify

Over a quarter of all artists who generated over $10,000 self-distribute to Spotify

Many artists use distributors like DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, or others to self-release their music on Spotify — and for more than ever before, it paid off. A quarter of artists who reached $10,000 in earnings on Spotify released music through an artist distributor in 2022. These 14,700+ artists represent a 200% increase since 2017.

08 / 10

Nearly 35% of the artists who generated more than $10,000 on Spotify live in countries outside the top ten music markets

35%

Nearly 35% of the artists who generated more than $10,000 on Spotify live in countries outside the top ten music markets

35%

Streaming has fundamentally changed the music ecosystem — lowering barriers to entry and democratizing access to music for listeners everywhere. Artists no longer need big budgets to create, distribute, and amplify their music around the world. 

Spotify is now available in 184 markets, helping these artists reach new fans. Of the 57,000 artists who generated more than $10,000 on Spotify in 2022, nearly 20,000 live in countries outside the IFPI’s top ten music markets (Australia, Canada, China, Italy, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, the U.K., and the U.S.).

 

09 / 10

In 2022, nearly 3,000 catalog-heavy artists generated more than $100,000 on Spotify alone 

In 2022, nearly 3,000 catalog-heavy artists generated more than $100,000 on Spotify alone 

There are nearly 3,000 Heritage artists on Spotify – those with over 80% of their streams coming from tracks over five years old – generating significant passive income on their catalogs. 

While in the CD era, the bulk of revenues were generated during release week, streaming has fundamentally changed the earning lifespan of music, powering historic acquisition values of many catalogs.

 

10 / 10
Explore

All-time Spotify payouts to music rights holders are approaching $40 billion

Explore

Spotify pays out nearly 70% of every dollar we generate from music back to the industry

Explore

The number of artists generating $1M+, as well as those generating $10,000+, has more than doubled over the past five years

Number of artists

$10K+

$1M+

57,000 23,400 ‘22 ‘17 1,060 460 ‘17 ‘22
Explore

For the first year ever,

10,000+ artists generated $100,000+ on Spotify alone 100+ acrossdifferent countries.
Explore

across all recorded revenue sources — and likely $50,000 highest-earning artist generated $12,500+ 
from Spotify alone 50,000th The en prenant en compte toutes les sources de revenus de la musique enregistrée — et probablement 50 000 dollars artiste avec la plus haute remuneration a généré plus de 12 500 dollars rien que sur Spotify Le 50 000e en todas las fuentes de ingresos registradas — y similares $50,000 artista con mayores ingresos generaron+ de $12 500de Spotify El número 50 000 über alle erfassten Einnahmequellen hinweg. — und wahrscheinlich 50.000 $ am besten verdienende Künstler*in generierte 12.500+ $ nurvon Spotify Der*die 50.000. em todas as fontes de receita — e provavelmente R$ 50.000 artista mais lucrative gerou +de US$ 12.500 só no Spotify   O 50.000º
Explore

Spotify paid out more than $3 billion to publishing rights holders over the 
last two years

Spotify

Songwriters’ Rights Holders

Spotify

Songwriters’ Rights Holders

Explore

There are around 200,000 professional or professionally aspiring recording acts globally on Spotify, 
and they generated 95% of the total royalties in 2022

Explore

Over a quarter of all artists who generated over $10,000 self-distribute to Spotify

Explore

Nearly 35% of the artists who generated more than $10,000 on Spotify live in countries outside the top ten music markets

35%
Explore

In 2022, nearly 3,000 catalog-heavy artists generated more than $100,000 on Spotify alone 

Spotify and the Streaming Economy

Who is generating money? How much are they making? How do artists and songwriters get paid? Let’s get into it…

Revenue Generation Over the Years

As of 2022, Spotify’s all-time payouts to the music industry are approaching $40 billion.*

To put those numbers in context, click a dollar amount below to see how many artists globally generated at least that amount — across recording and publishing for their catalog — for each of the past six years on Spotify.

These figures only represent a part of the picture. Spotify is one of many music streaming services that generate revenue for the music industry, and streaming only makes up a portion of all industry revenues. There are also physical sales, touring, merch, sync, or other sources. Spotify accounts for more than 20% of global recorded music revenue (up from less than 15% in 2017).** For a rough estimate, you can multiply the Spotify revenue by four to approximate how much artists generated from all recorded revenue sources in 2022.

*$40 billion includes both recording and publishing royalties. 
**Spotify’s % of recorded music revenue calculated based on IFPI’s 2023 Global Music Report.

How many artists are on Spotify?

We estimate that there are around 200,000 professional or professionally aspiring recording acts globally. 

We see this in Spotify data: 

  • Of the nine million people who have uploaded any music to Spotify, 5.6 million have published fewer than 10 songs all time — indicating that they may be very early in their journey, approaching music as a hobby, or not leveraging streaming as part of their career path.
  • There are 213,000 artists who have released at least ten songs all-time (meaning they have a body of work to earn from) and average at least 10,000 monthly listeners (meaning they have been able to attract the beginning of an audience).

We also see this through our integrations with Songkick, Ticketmaster, and dozens of other live and virtual ticketing partners: 

In 2022, there were 189,000 artists with at least one ticketed concert or event, demonstrating professional activity outside streaming.

Based on these estimates, more than a quarter of these professionally aspiring artists generated more than $10,000 in payouts from Spotify alone last year (suggesting more than $40,000 from total recorded revenue sources, and more when you consider touring, merch, and other business lines).

To help put those numbers in context, click a dollar amount, to see how many artists have generated at least that much in royalties on Spotify for each of the past five years:

How the Money Flows

One of the questions we get asked most often is: How do artists and songwriters get paid? We break it down in the videos below:

Some of The Musical Voices of Spotify

Our goal is to help professional musicians make a living. It’s something we take seriously. And while not every artist on Spotify will find the same success, we’re working to create opportunities for more artists to reach more fans. From there, listeners ultimately decide who succeeds and thrives. 

In this section, we’re focusing on select groups of professional or professionally aspiring artists by charting their paths to growth in streams and revenue. And based on trends and streaming data, we’ve broken them down to help you better understand who they are. These groupings are illustrative only, so some artists might see themselves as fitting squarely into one of these descriptions, some could span a few, and others might simply be in a league of their own.

Meet the Artists on Spotify
Click for more about the different artist types on Spotify.
Back
DIY
These artists are honing their craft and making music in new and innovative ways.

Whether they’re recording from bedrooms, garages, or local studios, these acts are taking steps to do it themselves. Some have built a career, some are pushing hard to break through, and some are dabbling in music making. Each has the common goal of sharing their art with a world of like-minded music fans.

CLICK TO LEARN MORE +

Whether they’re recording from bedrooms, garages, or local studios, these acts are taking steps to do it themselves. Some have built a career, some are pushing hard to break through, and some are dabbling in music making. Each has the common goal of sharing their art with a world of like-minded music fans.

DIY on Spotify

Streaming has leveled the playing field for how DIY artists get their music into the world. As the cost of producing and releasing music has become more affordable, DIY artists can now access the same global audience and tools as chart-topping artists. They can release music whenever they want, from wherever they want, and collaborate with whomever they want. Their creative world is bigger than ever, and listeners globally can discover them like never before. A quarter of artists who generated over $10,000 in 2022 self-distribute their music to Spotify through an artist distributor like DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, or others — 200% more artists than in 2017.

Criteria: More than 10,000 monthly listeners in 2022 and they distribute music to Spotify via an artist distributor

  • Number of DIY Artists: 94,000
  • Average Royalties Generated in 2022*: $12,200
  • Average Monthly Listeners in 2022: 109,800
*

Average Royalties Generated represents 2022 revenue generated for an artist’s entire catalog across recording and publishing on Spotify. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. Spotify doesn’t always receive proper metadata on whether an artist is distributed via an artist distributor, so the real number of DIY artists is higher than what we report here, as we’ve only included artists where we actively receive this attribution.

VIEW MORE ARTISTS
Back
SPECIALIST
These artists, composers, and producers have identified niche audiences who have an ear for their unique music.

They bring an entrepreneurial mindset to their craft by creating sounds that enrich the lives of typically underserved listeners. In their musical innovations and inventions, they’ve found new and uncharted avenues of bringing audio to life.

CLICK TO LEARN MORE +

They bring an entrepreneurial mindset to their craft by creating sounds that enrich the lives of typically underserved listeners. In their musical innovations and inventions, they’ve found new and uncharted avenues of bringing audio to life.

Specialists on Spotify

In the streaming era, sleep sounds and meditation are in high demand, whereas in the purchase era, few people would have bought albums made for these specific reasons. And it’s not just for relaxation: Yoga & fitness, children’s, and holiday music are helping specialist artists generate income like never before. Coupled with the streaming innovations of playlisting, song search, and algorithmic recommendations, it’s now possible to succeed without the traditional needs of album packaging, tour, and promo. New listening experiences are also evolving for these artists, with dedicated app experiences and the thriving ecosystem of bespoke playlists tailored to mood, moment, and motivation.

Criteria: More than 25,000 monthly listeners with over 90% of tracks classified in Children’s, Classical, Easy Listening, Holiday, Religious, or Soundtrack

  • Number of Specialist Artists: 5,900
  • Average Royalties Generated in 2022*: $33,900
  • Average Monthly Listeners in 2022: 224,100
*

Average Royalties Generated represents 2022 revenue generated for an artist’s entire catalog across recording and publishing on Spotify. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100.

VIEW MORE ARTISTS
Back
BREAKTHROUGH
These up-and-comers are generating plenty of early buzz and have A&Rs clamoring to work together.

They are rising fast and building a loyal fan base by leveraging the power of discovery. For some, it feels like it happened overnight. For others, it’s been years in the making. They have huge promise and are poised to make the leap from hometown hero to festival headliner.

CLICK TO LEARN MORE +

They are rising fast and building a loyal fan base by leveraging the power of discovery. For some, it feels like it happened overnight. For others, it’s been years in the making. They have huge promise and are poised to make the leap from hometown hero to festival headliner.

Breakthrough on Spotify

Streaming is helping more new artists break through — capturing the energy of a world that moves at the speed of social media virality — and enabling them to go from first single to first significant paycheck faster than ever. Within the growing number of artists who generated at least $10,000 per year – 57,000 artists in 2022 – 8% released their first song in the past two years. Alongside their hard work, determination, and artistry, playlisting has helped these artists get discovered and become overnight sensations. Over 275,000 artists were editorially playlisted at least once in 2022. And with streaming, listeners can quickly jump from discovering a breakthrough song to diving into that artist’s entire catalog, accelerating fandom like never before.

Criteria: Fewer than 1 million streams prior to 2021 — and are now in the top 50,000 of all artists by streams

  • Number of Breakthrough Artists: 17,400
  • Average Royalties Generated in 2022*: $87,000
  • Average Monthly Listeners in 2022: 756,000
*

Average Royalties Generated represents 2022 revenue generated for an artist’s entire catalog across recording and publishing on Spotify. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 1,000.

VIEW MORE ARTISTS
Back
CHART TOPPERS
These superstars have one-in-a-million careers and are changing the musical landscape globally.

Their lives are the stuff dreams are made of. Kids, coworkers, neighbors, and even your grandparents know their names. Their music is everywhere, and they top nearly every chart. Their hits just keep on coming and their popularity has no geographic boundaries. In 2022, they each generated millions of dollars from Spotify alone — for some, even tens of millions.

CLICK TO LEARN MORE +

Their lives are the stuff dreams are made of. Kids, coworkers, neighbors, and even your grandparents know their names. Their music is everywhere, and they top nearly every chart. Their hits just keep on coming and their popularity has no geographic boundaries. In 2022, they each generated millions of dollars from Spotify alone — for some, even tens of millions.

Chart Toppers on Spotify

Streaming has torn up the rules of topping the charts. Things that were unthinkable a decade ago are now commonplace: going global before waiting to be a hit at home, topping the charts in a country that doesn’t speak your language, having major success without the traditional album cycle. There’s no longer one path to the top, and superstar artists are finding ways to win that are more playful, prolific, and personal than ever before.

Criteria: The top 500 of all artists by listener numbers in 2022

  • Number of Chart Topper Artists: 500
  • Average Royalties Generated in 2022*: $4.1 million
  • Average Monthly Listeners in 2022: 21.6 million
*

Average Royalties Generated represents 2022 revenue generated for an artist’s entire catalog across recording and publishing on Spotify. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100,000.

VIEW MORE ARTISTS
Back
SONGWRITERS & PRODUCERS
These hitmakers work their magic to create the songs we know and love — many are also recording artists who are writing or producing their own tracks.

You may not always know their voices, but their music still moves us. As of 2020, the U.S. songwriter population had grown by over half a million from 2011 to 1.6 million and contributed to the creation of over 20 million American songs; the British songwriter population had grown by 115% since 2009 to 140,000. We anticipate that these numbers have only increased since 2020. And over the past two years, Spotify has paid out over $3 billion in publishing royalties to publishers, performance rights organizations, and collecting societies, which represent songwriters.

CLICK TO LEARN MORE +

You may not always know their voices, but their music still moves us. As of 2020, the U.S. songwriter population had grown by over half a million from 2011 to 1.6 million and contributed to the creation of over 20 million American songs; the British songwriter population had grown by 115% since 2009 to 140,000. We anticipate that these numbers have only increased since 2020. And over the past two years, Spotify has paid out over $3 billion in publishing royalties to publishers, performance rights organizations, and collecting societies, which represent songwriters.

Songwriters & Producers on Spotify

Streaming is changing the relationship between songwriters and listeners. Rather than being a behind-the-scenes creative force, songwriters and producers now have increasing ways to be recognized and grow their careers. There is now also an easier route to songwriters being credited as recording artists. 

Whether it’s as a side project or full time, streaming has made it far more feasible for songwriters and producers to also release music — giving them the opportunity to earn royalties for both recording and publishing. And with interactive song credits and “Written By” playlists that showcase the entire catalog of a songwriter or producer, a global audience of music lovers is now falling for the brilliant minds that make such memorable music.

Criteria: Songwriters or producers either of their own music, as non-performing writers, or producers of another artist’s releases

Total global revenues for publishing rights holders from all streaming services:

  • 2020: $3.5B*
  • 2019: $2.9B*
  • 2018: $2.3B*
  • 2017: $1.6B*
*

Data based on the Global Value of Music Copyright Report, Will Page

VIEW MORE ARTISTS
Back
ESTABLISHED
These working artists have been able to make a career and find lifelong fans from their music.

Rather than aiming for the Hot 100, these artists are focused on sustainable long-term careers powered by regular playlisting and their creative output. Their fans are many and their fans’ loyalty to these life-changing artists is never-ending.

CLICK TO LEARN MORE +

Rather than aiming for the Hot 100, these artists are focused on sustainable long-term careers powered by regular playlisting and their creative output. Their fans are many and their fans’ loyalty to these life-changing artists is never-ending.

Established on Spotify

Streaming has given artists a way to be more in tune with their fans and earning potential. With their established fan bases and strong catalogs, these professional artists can now rely on more predictable, ongoing incomes year on year. Streaming data also helps these artists understand more about their audiences, which can inform lucrative decisions about touring and merch. And thanks to playlisting and followers, artists can find new audiences and keep superfans streaming for longer.

Criteria: In the top 50,000 artists by listener numbers for three years running (excluding the top 500 artists)

  • Number of Established Artists: 27,000
  • Average Royalties Generated in 2022*: $224,000
  • Average Monthly Listeners in 2022: 1.45 million
*

Average Royalties Generated represents 2022 revenue generated for an artist’s entire catalog across recording and publishing on Spotify. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 1,000.

VIEW MORE ARTISTS
Back
HERITAGE
These beloved artists have built an enduring musical heritage that is living on in the streaming age.

They often have released multiple albums and may have been around for a couple of decades. They’ve received recognition for their numerous musical contributions over the years and have inspired countless others. Whether they’re still on the road or their music has become their lasting legacy, these artists continue to inspire and engage fans around the world.

CLICK TO LEARN MORE +

They often have released multiple albums and may have been around for a couple of decades. They’ve received recognition for their numerous musical contributions over the years and have inspired countless others. Whether they’re still on the road or their music has become their lasting legacy, these artists continue to inspire and engage fans around the world.

Heritage on Spotify

Streaming has brought together two generations of listeners for heritage artists: those who were there at the time, and those who are discovering them for the first time. For both groups, streaming makes it easy to navigate extensive catalogs and get right to the songs that move them. There are also novel ways for artists to reinvent and repackage their catalogs to invite fans to celebrate important moments (anniversaries, milestones, new playlists). And there’s the ability to capitalize on unexpected spikes in popularity from sync, social media, and shifts in culture.

In the streaming era, heritage artists can generate perpetual and passive royalties well beyond a release cycle — rather than relying almost exclusively on first-month physical or download sales spikes like in the past. In recent years, the value of future streaming royalties has driven historic acquisition values of the catalogs of many heritage artists.

Criteria: More than 500,000 monthly listeners in 2022 and 80% of streams from tracks more than 5 years old

  • Number of Heritage Artists: 3,400
  • Average Royalties Generated in 2022*: $433,000
  • Average Monthly Listeners in 2022: 2.9 million
*

Average Royalties Generated represents 2022 revenue generated for an artist’s entire catalog across recording and publishing on Spotify. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 1,000.

VIEW MORE ARTISTS
Back
MARKET MOVERS
These rising stars herald from markets around the world that are experiencing explosive growth in music streaming revenues. They are crossing over, breaking barriers, and making local fans proud while also sharing their distinctive voices with listeners in new places.

Streaming has been a catalyst for immense growth in emerging music markets. In 2022, 35% of artists who generated more than $10,000 on Spotify came from countries outside the top ten music markets, and the 10,000 artists who generated at least $100,000 on Spotify in 2022 hail from over 100 countries.

CLICK TO LEARN MORE +

Streaming has been a catalyst for immense growth in emerging music markets. In 2022, 35% of artists who generated more than $10,000 on Spotify came from countries outside the top ten music markets, and the 10,000 artists who generated at least $100,000 on Spotify in 2022 hail from over 100 countries.

Market Mover on Spotify

There’s been great growth in music markets around the world: The IFPI reported that recorded music revenues grew in every region around the world in 2022. And they reported that streaming revenue grew by more than 20% year on year in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East & North Africa, and Asia.

The switch to streaming by music fans in these markets has brought in huge revenues that would otherwise have been lost to music piracy. As a result, artists in these markets can turn their creativity into full-time careers and help shine a light on more music from their homes. They also have an unprecedented opportunity to take their sound to the world and break through in new markets thanks to the power of playlisting. As of March 2023, Spotify is available in 184 markets, which means more opportunities for artists around the world to reach potential new fans.

Criteria: More than 25,000 monthly listeners globally in 2022 and from one of the 17 markets where recorded music grew more than 25% year on year in 2021 according to IFPI

  • Number of Market Mover Artists: 36,100
  • Average Royalties Generated in 2022*: $22,600
  • Average Monthly Listeners in 2022: 279,000
*

Average Royalties Generated represents 2022 revenue generated for an artist’s entire catalog across recording and publishing on Spotify. Royalties are in USD, converted from local currencies. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100.

VIEW MORE ARTISTS

Streaming Numbers in Context

Spotify, like the other major streaming services, pays royalties to rights holders based on an artist’s share of overall streams across the platform. This is referred to as “streamshare.” So it’s important to know how streaming numbers stack up on Spotify in 2022 to understand payouts.

What might have been a lot of streams even five years ago looks pretty different today. In fact, over 281,000 songs were streamed over a million times in 2022 alone.

 

Enter any monthly listener count for an artist or all-time stream count for a song to estimate how each number compares with all artists and songs on Spotify.

*Note that all numbers are rounded to the thousandth place.

0

monthly listeners would be in the top artists on Spotify globally

This artist is within the top 1,000 monthly listeners on Spotify

(based on 2022 data).

0

all time streams would be in the top tracks on Spotify globally

This track is in the top 1,000 streams on Spotify

(based on 2022 data).

Industry Context

Dive deeper with these other useful resources about streaming from think tanks, academic scholars, economists, and industry groups, as well as our Spotify for Artists.

A Look at the Publishing Industry

The publishing industry — which represents songwriters and producers — is incredibly complex. Still, music publishing revenue generated from recorded music has never been worth so much. Over the past two years, Spotify paid out more than three billion dollars to publishing rights holders. Music economist and the author of Tarzan Economics, Will Page, looked at publishing revenues from 2001 to today to see how streaming has impacted the industry.

Publishers, songwriters and their CMOs are seeing more revenue from streaming alone than they’ve ever seen from CDs and downloads

Publishing rights holders generated $3.5 billion from streaming overall in 2020, a sum that is more than publishing revenue from CDs and downloads in any year in the 21st century so far, even at the peak of the CD era.

Global Consumer Revenues to Publishers, Songwriters and their CMOs ($bn)

‘01 ‘02 ‘09 ‘19 ‘10 ‘20 ‘12 ‘03 ‘13 ‘04 ‘14 ‘05 ‘15 ‘06 ‘16 ‘07 ‘17 ‘08 ‘18 ‘11 $4 $3 $2 BILLIONS ($BN) $1 $0

Revenues from Sales (CDs and Downloads)

Revenues from Streaming (Paid and Free)

Source: IFPI GMR 2021, USD $bn (Constant Currency)

Tips for Beginning Songwriters and Producers

Our team talked to leading organizations across the world that help songwriters and producers claim their share of publishing royalties from streaming. Click below to visit Spotify Songwriting, our home for songwriters and producers, to read top tips compiled from leading collection societies and performance rights organizations:

Your Questions, Answered

We know you have a ton of questions around music streaming economics, and we want to make sure to get you the answers. We’ve included the questions we get most frequently from artists and will continue to add to this list as more questions come in.

Artists deserve clarity about the economics of music streaming. This site aims to increase transparency by sharing new data on Spotify’s royalty payments and breaking down the global streaming economy, the players, and the process.