According to Spotify’s latest Loud & Clear report, artists who received one in every million streams on the platform generated over $10,000 on average in 2024—ten times what the same stream share would have earned a decade ago.
The streaming giant’s annual payouts to the music industry have increased tenfold from $1 billion in 2014 to over $10 billion in 2024, coinciding with the global recorded music revenue more than doubling to $28 billion since industry lows.
Artists generating at least $1 million on Spotify recorded music in 17 different languages, more than double the number from 2017. Meanwhile, those earning at least $100,000 represented over 50 languages, showing streaming’s global impact.
The report clarifies that streaming services calculate payouts based on stream share rather than fixed per-stream rates, addressing common misconceptions about the payment model.
Mid-tier artists have benefited significantly, with the 100,000th-ranked artist seeing royalties increase from under $600 in 2014 to nearly $6,000 in 2024.
Publishing rights holders received nearly $4.5 billion over the past two years, with double-digit percentage growth in 2024.
The platform also facilitates global reach, with over half of artists earning $1,000+ receiving most royalties from listeners outside their home countries.
