The Truth Behind Streaming: Are Indie Artists Making Money?

The majority of sites that were surveyed pay less than a penny per listen to the creator. That means in order to make $100 off of one song, it would need to be listened to ten thousand times—and that’s only if the song was on Napster or Tidal. In order to make above a penny, your song would have to be listened to twice on Apple Music, three times on Spotify, and 17 times on YouTube. This system is not a profitable system for artists who are just starting out. Artists theoretically can make more money from EPs and albums, but only if it was being listened to in its entirety. For indie artists, streaming platforms seem to serve primarily as a way to get your music out to a larger base, while profits remain a meager afterthought.