When your music is distributed through Fresible Music, your earnings from streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and others do not come from a fixed “pay-per-stream” rate.
This is because streaming services do not pay a flat rate for every stream. Instead, royalties are calculated using several economic, regional, and contractual factors.
This article explains how streaming royalties work and why your earnings may vary from one platform or month to another.
🎧 There Is No Fixed “Pay-Per-Stream” Rate
Streaming platforms do not assign one single payment amount to every stream.
Instead, your earnings represent your share of the monthly revenue generated on each platform, based on how much and where your music was streamed.
Any “per-stream rate” you see online is only an estimate and does not reflect actual payout structures.
💡 How Streaming Platforms Calculate Royalties
Pro-Rata Model (Most Platforms Use This)
Platforms like Spotify and Apple Music combine all subscription and ad revenue into a monthly revenue pool.
Your payout depends on:
- Your share of total streams on the platform that month
- How much revenue the platform generated in that period
- The type of listeners who streamed your music (free or premium)
Because these factors change monthly, your earnings also vary.
2. User-Centric Model (Used by a Few Platforms)
A small number of platforms are testing a system where each subscriber’s monthly payment is distributed only to the artists they personally listened to.
This model is not widely adopted yet but may benefit artists with dedicated fanbases.
🌍 What Affects How Much One Stream Is Worth
1. Listener’s Country & Location
The value of a stream changes depending on:
- Regional subscription prices
- Local advertising rates
- Currency exchange ratesMarket economic conditions
Streams from higher-priced regions generally generate higher revenue.
2. Free vs. Paid Listeners
- Premium subscribers generate more revenue per stream
- Ad-supported listeners generate less
Services with large free tiers may have lower overall average payouts.
3. Your Rights & Contract Splits
Royalties from streaming platforms are paid to the rights holder (Fresible or your label).
Your final payout depends on:
- Your distribution agreement
- Publishing splits
- Any other parties entitled to royalties
For Fresible Music artists, the standard revenue split is 70% Artist / 30% Fresible.
4. Total Platform Revenue Each Month
Your per-stream value can change based on:
- Number of total streams on the platform
- Changes in subscription revenue
- Fluctuations in advertising income
- Seasonal trends (e.g., holidays, promotions)
5. Minimum Play Duration
- Most platforms only count a stream after at least 30 seconds of listening.
- Shorter plays may not earn royalties.
6. Playlist & Algorithm Exposure
Being placed in playlists (editorial or algorithmic) or receiving high listener engagement can increase total streams, which affects your share of the revenue pool.
📌 Why Your Earnings May Look Different Month to Month
Your royalty earnings can vary even with similar stream counts due to:
- Differences in where your listeners are located
- Free vs. premium listener activity
- Monthly platform revenue changes
- Currency fluctuations
- Changes in global or regional listening behavior. This is normal and expected.
📝 Summary
- Streaming platforms do not pay a fixed per-stream rate.
- Earnings depend on your share of the platform’s monthly total revenue.
- Many factors influence payout value, including country, subscription type, and platform revenue.
- Fresible Music pays artists 70% of all streaming and download royalties collected.
