Recorded Music Royalty Estimator

Project your earnings from streams, downloads, and physical sales across platforms and territories. No sign-up. All calculations stay on your device.

Your Release Scenario

Quick start:

Release Details

Number of Tracks

Primary Territory

Secondary Territory Mix

Release Type

Streaming Estimates

Audio Streams (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) Per track average over first year

Video Streams (YouTube, TikTok, etc.) Includes short-form and long-form video

Download & Physical Sales

Digital Downloads (iTunes, Amazon, etc.) Total album-equivalent units

CD Sales

Vinyl Sales

Avg. Wholesale Price (USD) Used for physical royalty calculation

Enter your release details and click Calculate Royalties to see your earnings estimate.

A Realistic Scenario

Imagine you're an independent artist releasing a 10-track album. You've built a modest following on Spotify and Instagram, and you're pressing 300 vinyl copies for Bandcamp and at shows. Here's how the numbers might look after one year:

Audio streams: 100,000 per track across all platforms. At an average blended rate of $0.004 per stream, that's about $400 per track, or $4,000 total for the album from streaming.
Video streams: 25,000 views on YouTube for your lead single. At roughly $0.00069 per view, you're looking at about $17. Not much, but it drives discovery.
Downloads: 500 album downloads at $9.99 retail. After the store cut (30%) and your distributor's fee (10%), you might net around $3.15 per album, totaling $1,575.
Vinyl: 150 units sold at $25 each. After manufacturing ($8/unit) and distributor margin, your net could be around $8 per unit, or $1,200.
CDs: 200 units at $12 each. Net per unit might be $5 after costs, adding another $1,000.

Total gross estimate: roughly $7,792 before any publishing splits, manager commissions, or recoupable expenses. If you have a 50/50 publishing deal and a manager taking 15%, your personal take-home might be closer to $3,300. This is why merchandise and touring still matter for most artists.

Assumptions & Limitations

Streaming rates are blended averages for 2026. Actual payouts vary by service, listener location, and subscription type.
Physical royalties assume a standard wholesale model. Direct-to-fan sales (Bandcamp, Shopify) may yield higher net revenue.
Mechanical royalties for physical and download formats are calculated at the US statutory rate of 9.1¢ per track, prorated by the number of tracks on the release.
Performance royalties assume a blended PRO rate and do not account for direct licenses or blanket licenses in some territories.
Sync fees are treated as one-time payments and are not included in ongoing royalty projections.
This estimator does not model advance recoupment, producer royalties, sample clearance costs, or union fees.
All figures are in USD. Currency conversion and local tax treatment (VAT, GST) are not applied.

Quick Answers

Are these numbers guaranteed?: No. They're planning estimates based on publicly reported averages. Your actual royalties depend on your distributor, label deal, territory mix, and listener behavior.
How do I improve my streaming revenue?: Focus on growing listeners in Tier 1 territories, encourage premium subscriptions among your fans, and pitch your music to official playlists. Direct fan support through Bandcamp or Patreon often pays much more per listener.
What about publishing royalties?: If you write your own songs, you're owed mechanical and performance royalties from the composition side. Register with a PRO (ASCAP, BMI, PRS, etc.) and a mechanical rights organization (Harry Fox Agency, Music Reports) to collect them.
Can I use this for a label negotiation?: It can give you a baseline, but label deals involve advances, recoupment schedules, and specific royalty percentages. Have an entertainment lawyer review any contract.

Recorded Music Royalty Estimator

Your Release Scenario

Estimated Gross Royalties

By Format

By Territory Tier

Royalty Type Split