Streaming Is Killing Musicians, and Most People Don’t Even Realize It

Greetings.

​Let’s be real—music streaming services are making billions while paying the artists they depend on next to nothing. And because that’s where the listeners are, bands don’t have much of a choice. If we want to be heard, we have to be on these platforms, even if it means we’re getting paid scraps for our work. Back in the day, people actually bought music—CDs, records, downloads. That model’s basically gone now. To most people, music feels “free,” and so the value that once existed in buying an album to support a band has all but disappeared.

I suppose a question to ask would be “would you rather have low proceeds or no proceeds?” Of course that answer is clear to any artist: we want the profits from the selling of our art. Like any other job or profession, the money we earn from our work goes toward supporting ourselves and our families, paying bills, feeding our families, etc. I believe that if all music lovers truly knew how little their favorite artists were paid, primarily due to these streaming services that dominate the market today, they would abandon them completely and find a different means of attaining the artist’s product.

It wasn’t so long ago that piracy was a major concern in the music industry and although that concept is still abused today with such things as movies, television shows, games, etc., which also still includes music, we have essentially abandoned an illegal system that pays nothing for a legal system that pays nothing. Bands that refuse to list their music on such streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Pandora, Amazon Music, Google Play, YouTube Music, and a plethora of others, all have fewer listeners, fewer record sales, and dramatically limit their exposure.

​If fans really knew how little artists make from streaming, I honestly believe many of them would walk away from these services. For now, we’ll take three of the top dogs: Spotify, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music.

• Spotify pays $0.00331 per stream;
• Amazon Music pays $0.00402 per stream;
• YouTube Music pays $0.00069 per stream;

Let’s break it down:

• 100,000 streams gets you:
  • $331 from Spotify
  • $402 from Amazon
  • $69 from YouTube Music
• 1,000,000 streams (a huge milestone):
  • $3,310 from Spotify
  • $4,020 from Amazon
  • $690 from YouTube

Now divide that by four if you’re in a band, then subtract taxes, label cuts, management fees, gear costs, recording costs, and everything else that goes into making music. That money disappears fast. In Texas, for example, $827.50 per bandmate from a million Spotify streams turns into about $759 after taxes—before you’ve even bought a new drum head or replaced a broken guitar cable.

Making music isn’t cheap. Studio time alone can run $10,000–$25,000 for a decent album. Add in gear, merch, tour costs, and it becomes clear: even with “success” in streaming numbers, most artists are deep in the red.
People used to talk about piracy like it was the death of the industry—and yeah, it was a big problem. But now we’ve replaced one system that didn’t pay artists with another legal one… that still doesn’t pay artists. Only now it’s the norm.

Some bands try to take a stand and keep their music off streaming services, but that just means fewer fans, fewer plays, and even fewer chances to earn. It’s a no-win situation.

I’ve been a drummer for over 20 years—professional for 14. I’ve put in tens of thousands of hours into this. I’m not exaggerating. Like so many musicians, I do it because I love it. But love doesn’t pay the bills. And when people say “maybe you should just do something else,” they don’t get it. For some of us, this isn’t just something we do—it’s who we are.

So next time you’re at a show and you see a local band selling a $10 or $20 CD, or charging for merch—know that it’s more than just a product. You’re not just buying music. You’re helping cover studio time. You’re helping someone feed their kids. You’re saying “I see you, I hear you, and your work matters.”
We’ve done the work. We’ve paid the bills. We’ve made something for you to enjoy.

​All we ask is to be respected—and fairly compensated—for it.