Today, we updated our annual Loud & Clear report, designed to demystify how artists earn money through streaming, and highlight the evolving global music landscape. We believe in showing you the full picture. That's why we share a level of royalty data that no other streaming service publishes.
Spotify pays the majority of every dollar we generate from music back to your selected rights holders (record labels, publishers, PROs, collecting societies and distributors). 🎶In 2025, that added up to more than $11 billion, the the largest annual payment to music from any retailer. And these payouts aren’t concentrated to a small number of superstar artists, either. Once again, roughly half of royalties were generated by independent artists and labels.
Spotify alone has now paid out nearly $70 billion all-time to music rights holders to date.
🧵Here are the 2025 Takeaways you need to know.
Spotify pays the majority of every dollar we generate from music back to your selected rights holders (record labels, publishers, PROs, collecting societies and distributors). 🎶In 2025, that added up to more than $11 billion, the the largest annual payment to music from any retailer. And these payouts aren’t concentrated to a small number of superstar artists, either. Once again, roughly half of royalties were generated by independent artists and labels.
Spotify alone has now paid out nearly $70 billion all-time to music rights holders to date.
🧵Here are the 2025 Takeaways you need to know.
