Every other calculator shows you the gross. This one shows what you keep after your distributor takes their cut. The number nobody else computes.
CD Baby and UnitedMasters quietly take 9 to 10% of every streaming dollar. DistroKid takes 0%.
1Your streams
Listener mix
Your real streaming payout
Gross streaming revenue$0Your distributor keeps$0
You take home$0
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Streaming platforms pay wildly different rates per stream in 2026. Qobuz and Tidal pay the most; Spotify and YouTube Music pay the least. Premium subscriber streams pay roughly 2.5 to 3 times more than free, ad-supported streams, and the rate is also weighted by where your listeners live.
This is the part every other calculator skips, and it's where your money quietly disappears. Your distributor sits between you and the platform, and some take a percentage of every dollar you earn. DistroKid, TuneCore, Amuse, and UnitedMasters Select take 0% on streaming and charge a flat fee instead. CD Baby takes 9% of everything. UnitedMasters' free tier takes 10%.
keep it all
DistroKid
0%
$24.99/yr+
keep it all
TuneCore
0%
$9.99/yr single
keep it all
Amuse
0%
Free / $23.99
keep it all
UM Select
0%
$5/mo
takes a cut
UnitedMasters
10%
Free tier
takes a cut
CD Baby
9%
$9.95 single
The honest math: on 250,000 Spotify streams (about $1,000 gross), DistroKid pays you all $1,000. CD Baby pays $910. UnitedMasters' free tier pays $900. Same streams, $100 gone to the door.
TuneCore and Amuse take 0% on DSP streams but a cut on social (TikTok/Instagram) and YouTube Content ID. Verified July 2026. Sources: Ditto, Ari's Take, HoriaMC.
03 / GOALS
How many streams to make $1,000?
At Spotify's roughly $0.004 per stream, you need about 250,000 streams to gross $1,000. On a distributor that takes 9 to 10%, your real take-home is closer to $900. On Apple Music (about $0.008) you'd need half as many.
$100
25,000
Spotify streams (~12,500 on Apple)
$1,000
250,000
Spotify streams (~125,000 on Apple)
$3,000 rent
750,000
Spotify streams (~375,000 on Apple)
04 / ANSWERS
Common questions
How much does Spotify pay per stream in 2026?+
Spotify pays independent artists roughly $0.003 to $0.005 per stream in 2026, blended across premium and ad-supported listeners. Premium streams pay about 2.5 to 3 times more than free streams, so your real rate depends heavily on your listener mix.
Does DistroKid take a percentage of my royalties?+
DistroKid takes 0% of your streaming royalties. It charges a flat annual fee ($24.99/yr and up) and you keep 100% of what you earn. CD Baby (9%) and UnitedMasters' free tier (10%) are the ones that take a percentage of every dollar.
Why is my real payout lower than the gross number?+
Two reasons. Your distributor may take a percentage cut (9 to 10% on CD Baby or UnitedMasters free), and ad-supported streams pay roughly half what premium streams pay. This calculator accounts for both, which is why the take-home is lower than the gross figure other tools show.