this post was submitted on 13 Apr 2026
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I'm not here to explain how spotify payouts work, you need to actually look that up for yourself
I know how it works. Been in this industry a while. I wasn’t expecting you explain — I just responded.
How long have you been in the industry loaf
Started in 1999 (local label, then Roadrunner), went solo (three labels, biggest I won’t mention), quit in 2014.
Started again in 2017, been doing it ever since as a hobby. Touring is incredibly expensive now. The only real way to break even is by selling advance tickets (for venue assurance), selling merch, and hoping people will by physical media.
In Europe, touring is harder because of venues taxing merch in my experience. Transportation is a bit cheaper, but still a grind, and you’re lucky to break even.
Spotify and other streaming services are a blessing and a curse: the biggest labels can push spins, and services get paid from that + ad revenue. Indie artists get pushed downward, unless they’re playlisted a lot.
Eyekaytee can you make me understand
it's complicated, it's based on what plan the person listening to you is on (people on the free ad supported plan pay the least, those on premium the most), what country you're in (poorer countries payout less), what % of total streams you're getting, what your label has negotiated with you, etcetc
https://dittomusic.com/en/blog/how-much-does-spotify-pay-per-stream
Getting rid of the ad supported plan would raise the average payouts quite a bit but Spotify has argued it is better to keep the plan and have people only pay for a little bit than return to the old days of music piracy where artists were getting nothing and had resorted to the RIAA suing people