I was checking the Artist Ally Summit 2026 at sister site cause i saw in the comments people are saying that can have a good info, and what i found on the chapter 2 - Marketing and Fanbase Development, in the "Spotify for Artists presents Loud Clear - Breaking Down the Streaming Economy" (which i found weird cause in the first ones the focus was gain ground on spotify ) they told this:

1. The “pay-per-stream” myth
Spotify finally admits in this video that they don't pay a fixed rate per stream (like the famous $0.003).
The reality: They pay based on “market share.” If, in a given month, [ARTIST NAME] [“SONG NAME”] accounts for 0.01% of all streams in [COUNTRY NAME], you get 0.01% of that market’s revenue pool.

3. The Role of Major Labels vs. Independent Labels
Spotify washes its hands of the matter, saying that it pays the rights holders (distributors or labels) and that if the artist receives little, it is because of their contract with those entities.

This kinda explains why the label takes more money than you xd

What do you think? Of course, Spotify is stepping in to try to save face

 

wrong. if you bother to look beyond the surface you will find all sorts of underhanded secretive if not criminal activities. yes spotify the company sold $170,000,000. million of its share in distrokid after going public with the spot cash grab obviously, but still owns $53,000,000. in shares today 2026. in addition, the same companies that own spotify today, are the largest majority dominant owners of distrokid today. facts, spotify owns distrokid and it is a blatant conflict of interest and nothing short of unscrupulous maleficence.

also these same companies including spotify founder are all owners of arms manufacturing and major institutional-investor-contractors in various governments war departments and front offshoot companies around the world, if that matters at all to you. to start you can look up prima materia, helsing, silversmith capital, insight partners, only to scratch slightly beyond the surface to quickly learn who and what you are funding by paying these distribution fees and your streaming royalties to these scoundrels. they are taking your money and money from anyone who subs or even clicks or listens to your music, both upfront and on the backend always and forever.

the entire history of spotify and owners reads like a big scheming fantastical wallstreet cold war spy movie script where anything goes in the name of bottom-line cash and "winning". its not a conspiracy theory when its happening everyday in real life and factually available to anyone who bothers to spend 5 minutes investigating who you are dealing with and supporting. open your eyes man. beats, not bombs, right?

 

lmao. how is what Op said "wrong"? You went on a (somewhat related) tangent, and did nothing to prove OP wrong.

 

also "lmao" here its a c/p from the last spotify thread which why the hell would I bother wasting my time rewriting the same facts about such a obvious topic and result.

still confused? what part of

and my reply do you not understand?

spotify owns distrokid. now re-read the quote above.

now if you can think rethink everything

 

first you ask "how do they really pay us", then you ask what other "think". that is somehow contradictory.

last but not least you obviously do not belong to these "us", otherwise you would know what they pay.

so, what did you mean to ask?

 

yea i thought for the title, was enough... its like a question ill do myself a long time ago, and just now im gettin this info... idk if u know this time ago..

mm... okay..??? i consider myself an artist and musician... recently was trying to figure out how this streaming platforms are paying so for me its a new info that i couldnt find before.

simply as that... maybe more people dont know how it works and now that they know... what did they think... simple as that... maybe someone have other info which can be useufl to the topic... idk... its all too complex my friend xd

 

Is Spotify paying artists? I thought they only payed for war drones.