Spotify pays artists on average between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream in 2025. This rate varies based on factors such as whether the stream comes from a Spotify Premium subscriber or a free-tier listener, the country of the listener, and the artist’s distribution agreement. Streams from premium users generally generate higher royalties (close to $0.005 per stream) compared to free users (closer to $0.002 per stream). Additionally, the actual amount an artist receives may be less after record labels or distributors take their cut. For example, in the U.S., the payout per stream is around $0.0039, while in some countries like Portugal, it can be as low as $0.0018 per stream. Overall, Spotify uses a revenue-sharing model where about 70% of revenue is paid out to rights holders, and 30% is kept by Spotify.
