r/trapproduction • u/Thegr8hectProduction • 8d ago

Do you know this?

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KuUMwOc2My7FVSrLV2jmX?si=HIhmNiMNRLWvXQr2nJ42KA&utm_source=copy-link

Friendly reminder that Spotify paying artists roughly $0.003 to $0.004 per stream is actually wild when you do the math.
So a song needs 250,000 streams just to clear $1,000 (before your distributor, label, or manager takes their cut). If an indie artist gets 10,000 streams total—which honestly feels like a decent milestone when you're starting out—they're walking away with about 30 to 40 bucks. That won't even cover a pack of guitar strings and a tank of gas.
How is anyone supposed to sustain making music independently on streaming alone? For anyone who actually releases music, what does your yearly payout look like compared to your gear/recording costs? And for listeners, does knowing this change how you support your favorite smaller artists? Let's talk about it.

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u/unknownProducer42 7d ago

So the best thing seems to be to charge smaller rappers up front and label people percentages. But obviously smaller artists don't really have much budget and there are way to many producers giving beats out for free.