What Music Streaming Platform Pays Artists the Most in 2025?

Pandora

Pay per stream: $0.0013 | Streams to earn $1,000: about 769,000

Pandora started in 2000 as one of the pioneers of music streaming and it's the oldest platform on this list. It caters primarily to U.S. listeners through its personalized radio-style platform. Pandora is known for its different take on music streaming, offering shuffled radio stations based on what you listen to rather than on-demand streaming of specific songs.

The internet radio station has dealt with user decline over the years as platforms like Spotify now dominate the market, but Pandora still has over 46 million active listeners.

Pandora remains a popular choice, though its payout per stream is one of the lowest in the industry. For musicians looking to monetize their music, Pandora might not be the best choice as it pays on average less than half the money that all the other platforms on this list pay–with that being said it is still worthwhile to distribute your music to Pandora as it still has a relatively large population of users.

Soundcloud

Pay per stream: $0.0025 - $0.004 | Streams to earn $1,000: about 320,000

SoundCloud is a unique platform that empowers independent artists with a direct path to their fanbase. SoundCloud (especially in the earlier days of music streaming) allowed musicians to upload, promote, and monetize their music without needing a record label.

With over 120 million users worldwide, it’s a go-to for discovering emerging talent. While the payout varies between $0.0025 and $0.004 per stream, SoundCloud remains attractive due to its accessibility and fan-driven model. To reach $1,000 in earnings, artists need around 320,000 streams, making it more artist-friendly than Pandora but still a lower payout compared to major players like Spotify or Apple Music.

Spotify

Pay per stream: $0.003 - $0.004 | Streams to earn $1,000: about 285,000

Spotify is the largest music streaming platform globally, with more than 626 million users and over 30% market share in the music streaming industry. Known for its vast catalog and algorithm-driven playlists, Spotify is a must for artists seeking wide exposure.

However, Spotify’s payout per stream has drawn criticism. The platform pays between $0.003 and $0.004 per stream, meaning artists need around 285,000 streams to earn $1,000. Recent changes to Spotify’s royalty system have added complexity: artists' now need to reach over 1,000 streams and have a currently unknown number of unique listeners per track, before being able to gather royalties. While Spotify certainly isn't one of the highest-paying streaming platforms, it is the most important platform for bands to be on right now considering it has the highest user count and offers the most exposure for your music.

Amazon Music

Pay per stream: $0.004 | Streams to earn $1,000: about 250,000

Amazon Music, with an estimated 55 million paid subscribers, has steadily gained ground as a streaming giant thanks to its seamless integration with Amazon Prime and Alexa. Offering a range of subscription tiers, Amazon Music appeals to both casual listeners and audiophiles seeking high-definition lossless sound. The platform pays artists about $0.004 per stream, meaning it takes approximately 250,000 streams to earn $1,000. While not the best-paying platform, Amazon Music does tend to outperform Spotify payments per stream and is still an excellent streaming platform to get your music out there.

Deezer

Pay per stream: $0.0064 | Streams to earn $1,000: about 156,000

Deezer may not be as widely recognized in the U.S., but it boasts over 12 million active users globally and is especially popular in Europe and Latin America. Known for its focus on high-quality audio and unique user-centric payment model, Deezer offers artists a relatively competitive payout rate of $0.0064 per stream.

To earn $1,000, musicians need around 156,000 streams, making Deezer a viable streaming platform for artists looking to maximize earnings while tapping into international markets. Deezer’s curated playlists and personalized recommendations keep listeners engaged, helping artists grow their fanbase across the globe.

Apple Music

Pay per stream: $0.006 - $0.007 | Streams to earn $1,000: about 153,000

Apple Music, with its 93 million paying subscribers, is one of the biggest names in the streaming industry, particularly among iOS users. It offers one of the highest payouts to artists, averaging between $0.006 and $0.007 per stream. To make $1,000, an artist would need around 153,000 streams on Apple Music. The platform’s integration across Apple’s devices, along with exclusive releases and high-quality sound options, attracts a loyal user base. Apple Music’s relatively high payout makes it an appealing platform for musicians seeking to monetize their music more effectively.

YouTube Music

Pay per stream: $0.008 | Streams to earn $1,000: about 125,000

YouTube Music capitalizes on the massive user base of YouTube, which boasts over 2 billion active users monthly. Known for its video and music integration, YouTube Music allows artists to reach an audience that loves both visual and audio content.

With a payout rate of about $0.008 per stream, YouTube Music offers one of the best earnings-per-stream models, with artists needing only around 125,000 streams to reach $1,000. Its vast audience and powerful recommendation algorithm make YouTube Music a top choice for artists looking to grow their presence while earning a higher return per stream compared to other platforms.

Tidal

Pay per stream: $0.013 | Streams to earn $1,000: about 76,000

TIDAL stands out among music streaming platforms by positioning itself as the artist-friendly option, offering the highest payouts per stream at $0.013. With somewhere around 3 million subscribers, TIDAL appeals to audiophiles and fans of high-definition sound, thanks to its premium-tier audio options. While it has a much lower user count than many of the other streaming platforms, TIDAL offers a significantly higher pay-per-stream which averages out the smaller user base.

TIDAL has a strong focus on supporting musicians by ensuring better compensation and promoting exclusive content. For artists, it takes about 76,000 streams on TIDAL to earn $1,000.

Which Music Streaming Platform Pays the most Per Stream?

TIDAL offers the highest payout to musicians, averaging $0.0133 per stream. Artists can earn $1,000 with approximately 76,000 streams, making it the most artist-friendly platform for royalties.

After TIDAL, the next highest-paying streaming platforms are YouTube Music, Apple Music, and then Deezer.

Conclusion

As a musician in today's music scene, it's important to have your songs available on as many platforms as possible to maximize the reach of your music, how many streams you get, and your royalties.

While TIDAL has the highest pay-per-stream you should still your distribute music to all major streaming platforms to have access to as many users as possible and not miss out on streams from multiple platforms at once.

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