Streaming pays artists little
Multiple German outlets reported that many musicians still earn almost nothing from streaming and often can’t live on streaming income alone. (diepresse.com) The coverage frames streaming as important for discovery but insufficient as a standalone revenue stream for many creators. (krone.at)
Musicians around the world say streaming is essential for getting heard, but most still cannot make a living from it. (oii.ox.ac.uk) A report published on April 9 by the Oxford Internet Institute and the University of Groningen surveyed about 1,200 musicians in Brazil, Chile, the Netherlands, Nigeria, and South Korea. It found what the researchers called a “streaming paradox”: easier access to audiences, but weak financial returns. (oii.ox.ac.uk) German-language coverage on April 12 highlighted the same pattern for working artists: 77 percent of respondents in the international survey said they made less than 10,000 euros a year from music, 29 percent made less than 1,000 euros, and 26 percent reported no music income at all. (krone.at) Streaming was not irrelevant to those artists. In the same survey, 81 percent said streaming was somewhat or extremely important to their careers, even though Robert Prey of Oxford said “very few artists can make a living from streaming alone.” (krone.at) Germany’s own market data points in the same direction. A government-backed study released on February 11, 2025 said 0.1 percent of artists captured 75 percent of streaming revenue in 2023, while 68 percent of artists generated less than 1 euro. (europa-uni.de) That German study was based on more than 60 interviews and an anonymous nationwide survey of about 3,000 music creators. More than 74 percent said they were dissatisfied with streaming income, while fewer than 9 percent said they were satisfied. (europa-uni.de) The gap is sharper because streaming now dominates the business. The German Music Industry Association said digital formats made up 87.5 percent of recorded-music sales in the first half of 2025, and audio streaming remained the main growth driver. (musikindustrie.de) Who gets paid inside that system is still contested. A 2022 study commissioned by GEMA said that on a standard 9.99-euro subscription, about 30 percent of net revenue stayed with streaming services, about 55 percent went to labels and performers, and 15 percent went to songwriters, composers, and publishers. (gema.de) The 2025 German study also pointed to why many artists struggle to check what they are owed: researchers cited complex contract and licensing chains, opaque calculation methods, and limited access to platform data. Heise, summarizing the report, said Spotify accounted for a little more than half of surveyed artists’ streaming income. (europa-uni.de) (heise.de) The result is a business where streaming keeps artists visible, but usually does not pay enough to stand on its own. In both the April 2026 international survey and the February 2025 German study, musicians described the same trade-off: they cannot afford to leave streaming, and many cannot afford to rely on it. (oii.ox.ac.uk) (europa-uni.de)
