Spotify tries to defend its artist payout rates

It's no secret that Spotify isn't a big money maker for most artists. But, in its annual Loud & Clear report, the music streamer is trying to change the narrative, reiterating an earlier claim that it paid artists $10 billion in 2024 ($60 million since launching) and adding that these payments increased tenfold over the last 10 years. 

Spotify throws in quite a few other big numbers into the 2024 report. It claims that the 100,000th most streamed artist also saw a tenfold increase over a decade, receiving $6,000, up from $600. Meanwhile, the 10,000th most streamed artist reportedly received $131,000, up from $34,000. Plus, it reports that almost 1,500 artists generated over $1 million.

Despite these numbers, Spotify still doesn't hold much goodwill from artists. For starters, a report from music catalog buyer Duetti found that Spotify paid out $3 per 1,000 streams in 2024, while the same figure gave artists $4.80 at YouTube, $6.20 at Apple Music and $8.80 at Amazon Music. In a statement after the report's release, Spotify told TechCrunch, "These claims are ridiculous and unfounded," and argued that music platforms don't pay by stream. 

In January, Billboard reported that four of the five artists nominated at the Grammys for songwriter of the year chose to skip Spotify's Grammy party for songwriters — all of Spotify's Grammy parties were eventually canceled because of the Los Angeles wildfires. Songwriters, including Jesse Jo Dillon and Amy Allen, both cited Spotify's decision last year to bundle audiobooks and songs in subscription tiers. The publication had previously reported that the new premium, duo and family tiers meant songwriters got paid a discounted bundle rate, losing an estimated $150 million in US mechanical royalties over the first 12 months.