{
  "slug": "music-royalty-income",
  "title": "Music Streaming Royalty Calculator",
  "heading": "Music Streaming Royalty Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/music-royalty-income",
  "summary": "Streaming income across platforms after splits.",
  "description": "Per-stream rates vary wildly by platform. Model monthly streams, distributor cut, and label/writer splits for real payout.",
  "formula": null,
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=music-royalty-income",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "streams",
      "label": "Monthly streams",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 250000,
      "unit": null,
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "rate",
      "label": "Average per-stream rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0.0038,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "distFee",
      "label": "Distributor fee",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 15,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "artistShare",
      "label": "Your share of masters",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 50,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "publishing",
      "label": "Publishing royalties",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 180,
      "unit": "$/mo",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "yours",
      "label": "Your monthly payout",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "annual",
      "label": "Annualized",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "gross",
      "label": "Gross streaming revenue",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "per1k",
      "label": "Your $ per 1,000 streams",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Monthly streams: 250000",
      "Average per-stream rate: 0.0038 $",
      "Distributor fee: 15 %",
      "Your share of masters: 50 %",
      "Publishing royalties: 180 $/mo"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Your monthly payout: $583.75",
      "Annualized: $7,005",
      "Gross streaming revenue: $950.00",
      "Your $ per 1,000 streams: $2.335"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter monthly streams.",
      "Enter average per-stream rate ($).",
      "Enter distributor fee (%).",
      "Enter your share of masters (%).",
      "Enter publishing royalties ($/mo).",
      "Read your your monthly payout on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "streams": 150000,
        "rate": 0.0038,
        "distFee": 9,
        "artistShare": 30,
        "publishing": 110
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "streams": 250000,
        "rate": 0.0038,
        "distFee": 15,
        "artistShare": 50,
        "publishing": 180
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "streams": 400000,
        "rate": 0.0038,
        "distFee": 24,
        "artistShare": 80,
        "publishing": 290
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the music streaming royalty calculator work?",
      "a": "Per-stream rates vary wildly by platform. Model monthly streams, distributor cut, and label/writer splits for real payout."
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "5 values: monthly streams, average per-stream rate, distributor fee, your share of masters, and publishing royalties. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the your monthly payout result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/band-gig-split"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Music Streaming Royalty Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/music-royalty-income)"
}