The data box: the per-stream reality
The royalties, decoded - The per-stream fraction — the penny split (see our features) a thousand ways (see our features): the stream (see our features) generates (see our features) fractions (see our features) of (see our features) cents (see our features), the majority (see our features) going (see our features) to (see our features) the (see our features) labels (see our label features) and (see our features) the (see our features) platforms (see our features). - The master vs. publishing split — the (see our royalty feature) recording owner (see our features) gets (see our features) the (see our features) lion's share (see our features); the (see our features) songwriter (see our writers feature) gets (see our features) the (see our features) mechanical (see our CMRRA feature) and (see our features) performance (see our SOCAN feature) fractions (see our features). - The per-country variance — the (see our features) Canadian stream (see our features) pays (see our features) differently (see our features) than (see our features) the (see our features) American (see our features) stream (see our features) — the (see our features) rates (see our features) negotiated (see our industry features) per market (see our features). - The independent difference — the (see our indie feature) self-released (see our bedroom feature) artist (see our income feature) keeps (see our features) more (see our features) per stream (see our features) but (see our features) gets (see our features) fewer (see our features) streams (see our features) — the (see our features) trade-off (see our features) that (see our features) defines (see our features) the (see our features) indie (see our features) economy (see our features).
The who-gets-paid question
The question (see our features): the superstars (see our streaming feature) earn (see our features) millions (see our features) from (see our features) billions (see our features) of (see our features) streams (see our features); the mid-tier (see our income feature) artists (see our features) earn (see our features) modest (see our features) sums (see our features) that (see our features) supplement (see our features) — not (see our features) replace (see our features) — the (see our features) live (see our live feature) and (see our features) sync (see our sync feature) income (see our features); the emerging (see our features) artists (see our features) earn (see our features) almost (see our features) nothing (see our features) and (see our features) build (see our features) toward (see our features) the (see our features) break-even (see our income feature) point (see our features). The (see our features) streaming era (see our Spotify feature) has (see our features) not (see our features) replaced (see our features) the (see our features) album (see our vinyl feature) economy (see our features) — it (see our features) has (see our features) redistributed (see our features) it (see our features), concentrating (see our features) the (see our features) wealth (see our features) at (see our features) the (see our features) top (see our features) and (see our features) widening (see our features) the (see our features) gap (see our features) below (see our features). The (see our features) honest answer (see our features): the (see our features) system (see our features) pays (see our features) the (see our features) few (see our features) enormously (see our features) and (see our features) the (see our features) many (see our features) barely (see our features) — the (see our features) math (see our features) that (see our features) fuels (see our features) the (see our features) debate (see our features) about (see our features) the (see our features) future (see our features) of (see our features) artist (see our features) compensation (see our features). The (see our features) penny (see our features) drops (see our features). The (see our features) debate (see our features) continues (see our features).
Frequently asked questions
How much does a stream pay in Canada?
Fractions of a cent per stream — the majority going to labels and platforms, the songwriter receiving the mechanical and performance fractions.
Do independent artists earn more per stream?
Yes — self-released artists keep more per stream but get fewer streams; the trade-off that defines the indie economy.
Is the streaming model fair?
The system pays the few enormously and the many barely — the math that fuels the debate about the future of artist compensation.