Most calculators show gross payout rates. We show what actually reaches your bank account and what you're missing. Calculate earnings across 100+ countries with the only tool that accounts for distributor splits and missing publishing royalties.
A stream in Iceland can be worth 100x more than one in Belarus. But even in high-paying countries, most independent artists only collect 56% of what Spotify actually pays.
Spotify pays royalties in TWO separate streams:
What your distributor collects
Performance royalties โ Your PRO (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC)
Mechanical royalties โ MLC (Mechanical Licensing Collective)
โ ๏ธ These do NOT flow through your distributor
The remaining 16% goes to Spotify and other platform costs.
Understanding the payment waterfall is the first step to collecting everything you're owed.

Spotify allocates roughly 2/3 of its revenue (from Premium subscriptions and ads) to rightsholders. This creates separate monthly pools for each country.
That pool divides into two completely separate payment streams:
Recording royalties flow to your distributor, then to you based on your deal:
Publishing royalties do NOT go through your distributor. They require:
If you're only using a distributor like DistroKid and haven't registered with a PRO or MLC, you're collecting ~56% of what Spotify pays. The other ~28% is sitting unclaimed or going to someone else who registered the composition.
The first calculator that shows gross payouts, distributor cuts, missing publishing royalties, and what actually hits your account.
Real-time payout rates across 100+ countries. Remember: these are GROSS rates before your distributor split and missing publishing royalties.
| Country | Gross/Stream | Recording (80%) | Publishing (20%) | Market | Competition | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ๐ณ๐ดNorway | $0.007200 | $0.005760 | $0.001440 | 32.73% | Low | Calculate |
| ๐ฉ๐ฐDenmark | $0.006850 | $0.005480 | $0.001370 | 27.12% | Low | Calculate |
| ๐ฎ๐ธIceland | $0.006720 | $0.005376 | $0.001344 | 26.06% | Low | Calculate |
| ๐ธ๐ชSweden | $0.006800 | $0.005440 | $0.001360 | 30.48% | Medium | Calculate |
| ๐ซ๐ฎFinland | $0.006400 | $0.005120 | $0.001280 | 25.00% | Low | Calculate |
| ๐ณ๐ฑNetherlands | $0.005200 | $0.004160 | $0.001040 | 23.86% | Medium | Calculate |
| ๐ฆ๐บAustralia | $0.005200 | $0.004160 | $0.001040 | 25.00% | Medium | Calculate |
| ๐ฉ๐ชGermany | $0.004400 | $0.003520 | $0.000880 | 21.43% | High | Calculate |
| ๐ฌ๐งUnited Kingdom | $0.004200 | $0.003360 | $0.000840 | 23.53% | High | Calculate |
| ๐จ๐ฆCanada | $0.004100 | $0.003280 | $0.000820 | 21.79% | Medium | Calculate |
| ๐บ๐ธUnited States | $0.003900 | $0.003120 | $0.000780 | 24.48% | Very High | Calculate |
| ๐ซ๐ทFrance | $0.003800 | $0.003040 | $0.000760 | 17.65% | High | Calculate |
| ๐ต๐ฑPoland | $0.003600 | $0.002880 | $0.000720 | 13.68% | Medium | Calculate |
| ๐ช๐ธSpain | $0.003500 | $0.002800 | $0.000700 | 16.25% | High | Calculate |
| ๐ฎ๐นItaly | $0.003400 | $0.002720 | $0.000680 | 13.90% | High | Calculate |
| ๐ฏ๐ตJapan | $0.003200 | $0.002560 | $0.000640 | 8.80% | Medium | Calculate |
| ๐ง๐ทBrazil | $0.002800 | $0.002240 | $0.000560 | 12.96% | High | Calculate |
| ๐ฒ๐ฝMexico | $0.002500 | $0.002000 | $0.000500 | 12.31% | Medium | Calculate |
| ๐ฐ๐ทSouth Korea | $0.002400 | $0.001920 | $0.000480 | 8.08% | Medium | Calculate |
| ๐ฆ๐ทArgentina | $0.002200 | $0.001760 | $0.000440 | 18.48% | Medium | Calculate |
๐ก Pro Tip: High per-stream rates matter, but so does market size. The US has "only" $0.0039/stream but 82M subscribers. India has $0.0012/stream but massive growth potential and low competition.
Or click any country name above for a country-specific calculator
It's not just about the per-stream rate. Market penetration, competition level, and ad revenue all affect your actual earnings.
Countries with higher subscription fees and stronger advertising markets generate larger royalty pools. A Premium stream from Switzerland contributes significantly more than one from a market with lower subscription costs.
Example: 1,000 Premium streams
Premium subscribers generate substantially more revenue than ad-supported listeners in every country. Premium-heavy markets like Norway (95% premium saturation) are significantly more valuable than ad-heavy markets.
Example: 10,000 streams in Norway
Lower competition markets mean your streams represent a larger share of the total pool. High saturation markets (85%+) have less growth potential but more stable earnings.
Market Types:
Investing $500 in ads targeting high-payout countries with existing listener traction can yield 3-6x better returns than untargeted promotion.
Case Study:
Independent artist allocated marketing budget:
Understanding this is crucial. Spotify doesn't pay "per stream" they pay based on your share of each country's total streams.
Scenario: You get 100,000 streams in Germany in March 2025
Total Potential: โฌ440.83 (โฌ352.71 recording + โฌ88.12 publishing)
At DistroKid + Registered: โฌ440.83
At Label + Not Registered: โฌ176.36
You'd miss: โฌ264.47 (60% of potential!)
If everyone else in Germany also gets more streams that month, the pool divides into smaller pieces. Your 100K streams = smaller share.
Germany's pool is much larger than Portugal's, even though Germany's per-stream rate is only ~2x higher. Scale matters.
The 20% publishing pool exists whether you claim it or not. If you don't register, someone else might claim your composition, or it sits unclaimed.
From bedroom producers to touring acts, understanding geographic royalties informs every level of career decision-making.
Starting out, limited budget
Limited marketing budget ($300-$1,000 total). Every dollar must work harder. Trying to break out of "friends and family" audience.
Electronic artist, 2,400 monthly listeners:
Growth phase, career decisions
Growth phase, deciding where to tour, which playlists to pitch, how to allocate growing (but still limited) budget. Career trajectory depends on smart decisions now.
Indie rock band, 45K monthly listeners:
Professional operation, catalog management
Managing catalog across multiple markets, optimizing label/publishing deals, deciding international expansion strategy. Significant revenue at stake.
Pop artist, 340K monthly listeners, managed:
Layer these tools with our calculator to build a complete picture of your geographic performance and opportunities.
What it shows: Listener breakdown by country and city, real-time
Best for: Identifying where your audience already is
Cost: Free
artists.spotify.com โWhat it shows: Similar geographic data for Apple Music streams
Best for: Cross-platform strategy (Apple Music pays ~1.5x Spotify on average)
Cost: Free
artists.apple.com โBest for: Identifying growth markets and playlist opportunities
Cost: $49-199/month
soundcharts.com โBest for: Identifying viral potential by region before it happens
Cost: $49-299/month
chartmetric.com โThese are separate from your distributor and take 15-30 minutes each. Do this once, collect forever.
What: ~14% of your Spotify earnings (the "performance" portion of publishing)
Who Needs This: Every songwriter, producer, and artist who writes their own music
What: ~14% of your US Spotify earnings (the "mechanical" portion of publishing)
Who Needs This: Every songwriter, producer, and artist who writes their own music AND receives US streams
๐จ Critical Note: The MLC launched in 2021 and is sitting on $424M+ in unmatched royalties. If you've had US streams since 2021 and haven't registered, YOUR MONEY IS WAITING.
What: Mechanical royalties from non-US countries (~14% of international streaming)
Who Needs This: Anyone with international streams
Option 1: Through Your PRO (Easiest) Some PROs collect both performance AND mechanical internationally
Option 2: Mechanical Agencies by Country Different countries have different systems
Option 3: Publishing Administrator (Comprehensive) Songtrust ($100/year), Sentric (Free or commission-based), CD Baby Pro ($30-70 per release)
Spotify reports streams to PROs/MLC monthly. If you register 6 months after release, you might miss those first 6 months of royalties.
Fix: Register 2-4 weeks BEFORE release date.
If your PRO registration says "Song Name (feat. Artist)" but Spotify shows "Song Name", the systems can't match.
Fix: Match EXACTLY to Spotify same spelling, capitalization, punctuation.
If you register as 100% writer but your collaborator also registers as 100% writer, the PRO sees 200% split (impossible).
Fix: Agree on splits BEFORE registration. Use Split Sheet apps.
Many artists only register as "writer" with their PRO. Writers get 50% of performance royalties. If you don't register as publisher, the other 50% sits uncollected.
Fix: Register both writer AND publisher entities.
DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby collect recording royalties ONLY. Publishing is separate. Some offer add-on services (CD Baby Pro, DistroKid Bank), but these cost extra.
Fix: Understand what your distributor does and doesn't collect.
Based on 2025 data, the highest GROSS per-stream rates are:
However, the highest TOTAL REVENUE POTENTIAL considers both rate and market size:
Strategy: Target high-rate Scandinavian countries if you have existing traction there. Target US/UK/Germany for scale and tour opportunities.
Recording Royalties (~56% of what Spotify pays):
Publishing Royalties (~28% of what Spotify pays):
Critical mistake: They register with DistroKid, which collects recording royalties (56%), and assume that's everything. They never register with a PRO or MLC, so the publishing royalties (28%) sit uncollected.
Free:
Premium:
Distributor Reports (Delayed):
Your monthly royalty statement shows actual REVENUE by territory, confirming which countries generated earnings.
Start with Spotify for Artists it's free, real-time, and sufficient for most strategic decisions.
Yes, massively. Premium streams contribute significantly more to every country's royalty pool because:
Real example:
Strategy implication: Target markets with high Premium saturation (Nordics: 90%+, US: 87%, UK: 85%+) over markets with low Premium penetration.
Tiered approach based on career stage:
Emerging (0-50K monthly listeners):
Growing (50K-500K monthly):
Established (500K+ monthly):
Multiple factors cause fluctuation:
Normal variance: ยฑ5-10% month to month
Concerning variance: ยฑ25%+ (investigate for fake streams or metadata issues)
Best practice: Don't obsess over monthly rate changes. Track 90-day rolling average instead.
Two separate registrations required:
Registration 1: PRO (Performance Royalties)
US Options:
Time: 30 minutes setup, 5 minutes per song
Registration 2: Mechanical Rights
Usually NO.
Standard label deal:
360 deal:
Common scenario:
This is why registration matters even if you have a label.
This calculator shows you WHAT you're earning by country. PitchPlus shows you HOW to maximize those earnings with YOUR specific track.
AI analyzes your audio to identify the 30-second segment with highest engagement potential. Audio analysis of hook timing, energy curve, and melodic memorability.
Predicts where listeners will drop off, skip, or save. Shows you first 30 seconds hook speed, mid-song energy sustain, and outro timing.
Generates playlist pitch based on actual audio features, not guesswork. Genre classification, mood/energy levels, and similar artists algorithmic matches.
Based on genre/mood/energy, predict which countries have highest playlist acceptance likelihood, strongest engagement patterns, and best touring ROI.
Best for: 2-4 weeks before release
Best for: Release week and first 30 days
Best for: Serious releases, full campaigns
Money-back guarantee: If PitchPlus analysis doesn't provide at least 3 actionable insights you didn't already know, email us within 48 hours for full refund. No questions asked.
Use this calculator for all your releases and explore country-specific data
Register with PROs and MLC to collect the missing 28%
Analyze your track to target the right countries with the right strategy
Analyze Your Track โ"Finally, a calculator that shows what I ACTUALLY get paid, not fantasy numbers. Found out I was missing $340 in publishing royalties across my catalog."
Independent artist, 45K monthly listeners
"Used the calculator to justify targeting UK ads instead of US. Higher payout + less competition = better ROI for my budget."
Electronic producer, 12K monthly listeners
"The registration guides saved me hours of research. Signed up with ASCAP and MLC in 20 minutes. Already seeing unclaimed royalties in my MLC account."
Singer-songwriter, 8K monthly listeners
ยฉ 2025 PitchPlus Tools. Royalty rates updated monthly from industry sources and distributor reports. Rates are estimates and actual payouts vary based on your specific distributor deal, registration status, and Spotify's pro-rata calculations. This tool is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
PitchPlus is not affiliated with Spotify, Apple Music, or any music distributor. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Data Sources: Spotify for Artists public data, distributor reports, PRO payment data, MLC disclosures, industry publications.
Last Updated: November 2025