If you're planning to release music on Apple Music, it's worth noting that there is significant potential to earn considerable revenue through streaming royalties. But what can you realistically expect to receive for every stream of your song on Apple Music?
In 2025, artists are compensated approximately $0.01 per stream on average by Apple Music. In other words, a single stream translates to about one penny earned. It's important to mention that this amount represents the average payout from Apple's individual paid subscriptions in the United States – streams from different subscription types may yield lower earnings.
Apple Music Royalty Estimator
Curious about how much you could earn by distributing your music and collecting royalties on Apple Music? Similar to the payout rates on Spotify, precisely determining how much artists earn from streams on Apple Music is challenging.
Does Apple Music compensate artists more than Spotify?
Comparing the average payout rates per stream on both platforms, Apple Music compensates about double what Spotify does. However, it's essential to approach this with caution. No streaming service actually "pays per stream," and Spotify distributes a larger total amount of royalties to artists and rights holders.
This is primarily because Spotify has a significantly larger user base compared to Apple Music, which results in a lower per-stream rate due to higher shared royalties. Additionally, similar to Spotify, Apple Music has clarified that this figure is influenced by numerous other factors.
What influences the Apple Music royalty rate?
According to a statement released by Apple Music, while the typical pay per stream for artists is around one penny per stream, two key factors can cause this average to vary.
These include:
1. The subscription plan of your listeners
Apple Music provides various subscription options for those who wish to stream music on the platform. With a free trial, users can listen to music ad-free without any cost. However, to maintain access to ad-free music, users must subscribe to an Apple Music paid plan for $9.99 per month. Why does this impact your royalty rate? Essentially, the more listeners who play your music from a paid subscription, the greater your average pay per stream rate will be.
2. The country or region of your listeners
Absolutely - much like Spotify, the locations of your listeners play a significant role in determining your pay-per-stream rate on Apple Music. This is attributed to the varying amounts that each country, region, or territory independently contributes to music streaming on Apple Music. As a result, you’re likely to receive a higher royalty rate if your fans are streaming your music from wealthier countries.
Is Apple Music more favorable for artists compared to Spotify?
It's challenging to declare one platform superior to the other - Apple Music or Spotify. While Apple Music generally offers higher pay-per-stream rates than Spotify, the situation isn’t entirely straightforward. Both platforms offer unique benefits for music releases. For instance, Apple Music provides greater pay per stream, which translates into increased earnings for artists.
That sounds great! However, Spotify boasts a significantly larger user base and presents more opportunities for inclusion on prominent playlists, which enhances your visibility as an emerging artist and arguably facilitates audience growth. Therefore, it’s advisable to launch your music on both platforms to maximize your streaming potential and revenue from streaming royalties.
How to enhance your earnings from streams on Apple Music
Ultimately, increasing the number of streams for your music on Apple Music is key to augmenting your royalty income from the platform and achieving the average pay-per-stream rate. After making your music available on Apple Music, becoming verified is the next crucial step. A verified Apple Music for Artists account grants you exclusive access to features intended for artists on the platform, such as analytics on your listeners and streams.
Besides getting verified, you should also leverage all the promotional tools available to you on the platform to reach as many listeners as possible—this includes designing your own icons, crafting track previews, and generating social media links to your music.