Independent artists have finally been entitled to one (more or less) good news: the income generated by their streams seem to stabilize, according to the 2024 of Duetti assessment. On average, they received $ 3.41 per 1,000 streams this year, a drop of less than 2 % compared to 2023. So certainly, the figure is down but this remains a notable improvement if we consider that rates had dropped 7 % per year on average since 2021.
Spotify challenges Duetti figures
However, everything is not rosy. The data show that income vary a lot from one platform to another. For example, Spotify, often criticized, continues to offer one of the lowest payments, with only $ 3 for 1,000 streams. The reason? A strong dependence on its free offer funded by advertising, its Discovery Mode program (which reduces payments by 30 % for participating artists) and a less favorable geographical distribution.
In comparison, Amazon Music leads with $ 8.8 per 1,000 streams, thanks to its integration with the premium subscriptions. Apple Music follows closely with $ 6.2, taking advantage of its positioning on markets with high purchasing power. For its part, YouTube displays the highest increase, with an average income of $ 4.8 (+$,0.5 compared to 2023), thanks to better monetization of subscriptions.
The report also highlights a gradual change in the artists’ income shares between the different platforms. YouTube seems to snack on the field on Spotify: between 2023 and 2024, the share of income of artists from YouTube increased by 3 %, while that of Spotify fell by 2 %. In some genres such as electro, the gap is even more striking, with an increase of 17 % for YouTube, against an equivalent drop for Spotify.
But these figures did not pleased Spotify, which reacted strongly by qualifying the conclusions of Duetti ” ridiculous and unfounded ». According to the platform, it is deceived to speak of “income by stream”, because the model is based on a global sharing of the revenues generated, and not on a fixed payment by listening. It also recalls that it remains the main financial contributor for artists, with its 252 million subscribers and 402 million free users worldwide.
Duetti’s report also points to two interesting phenomena. On the one hand, Tiktok, often seen as a springboard for artists, does not always hold its promises: only 15 % of viral titles on the platform generate a significant increase in Spotify Streams (+30 % or more). In addition, with a payment of only $ 0.5 per 1,000 Tiktok videos created, income remains derisory compared to traditional streaming services.
On the other hand, niche musical genres, such as punk goth or hyperpop, seem to be doing well. On average, these styles report $ 0.3 more per 1,000 streams than popular genres like hip- HOP or POP, thanks to a better proportion of paid users and a lower use of programs such as Discovery Mode.
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