Guides
How much do artists make on Spotify?
About $4.40 for every 1,000 plays. Here's what that means for you.
In short
- 11,000 plays ≈ $4.40.
- 21 million plays ≈ $4,400.
- 3On LUCY Pro, all of it is yours.
What Spotify pays
About $0.0044 per play, on average.
- 1,000 plays ≈ $4.40
- 10,000 plays ≈ $44
- 100,000 plays ≈ $440
- 1,000,000 plays ≈ $4,400
Why it changes
A play from a paying subscriber is worth more than a free one. Plays from the US and UK pay more than plays from cheaper countries.
The 1,000-play rule
Spotify only pays a song once it has 1,000 plays in the last 12 months.
Who keeps what
On LUCY Pro, LUCY keeps nothing: everything Spotify pays goes to you. On Free you keep 70%.
How to earn more
Put your music on every app, not just Spotify. Each one pays you too. Try the calculator to see your total.
What it costs
You can release free once a month and keep 70% of the money. Go Pro for £8 a month to release as much as you like and keep 100%.
Questions? Easy answers.
How much is 1,000 plays on Spotify?+
About $4.40.
How many plays to make $1,000?+
About 230,000 Spotify plays. Fewer if you also earn on Apple Music, YouTube and TikTok.
Does Spotify pay songs with under 1,000 plays?+
No. A song needs 1,000 plays in the last 12 months before Spotify pays it.
Does LUCY take a cut?+
On Pro and Label, no: all of it goes to you. On Free you keep 70% and LUCY keeps 30%.
Related pages
Your next step
Get heard. Get paid. Stay independent.
Put your music on 470+ stores and apps. Release free and keep 70%, or go Pro and keep 100%.