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For artists

Stream Royalty Calculator

Spotify pays roughly $0.003 to $0.005 per stream — about $3–$5 for 1,000 streams — and nothing at all for a track under 1,000 streams a year. And that money never comes to you directly: it passes through your distributor or label, who keep their share, and reaches you 6 weeks later at the earliest. On Orbit, 70% of every sale and every stream goes straight to you, the moment it happens. Put in your numbers and compare.

Spotify€22.22–€37.04a month · reaches you in 6+ weeks
  1. Spotify
  2. Distributor
  3. Label
  4. You
Orbit€210a month · paid to you instantly
  1. Fan
  2. You

Orbit pays you 5.7× more. Today, not in 6+ weeks.

Illustrative estimate only, based on the assumptions shown — not a promise or guarantee of any earnings. Spotify figures are third-party estimates from public sources, not official Spotify data; actual payouts vary. Orbit figures show how a payment is split, not how many fans will stream or buy. Orbit accepts no liability for decisions based on this calculator.

Adjust the assumptions

Orbit: 70% of every sale and every stream goes to the artist (10% channel, 20% Orbit), paid instantly on every rail; streaming costs a fan €0.05 per 24 hours. Spotify: $0.003–$0.005 per stream to the rights holders (third-party estimates), nothing below 1,000 streams a year, paid through your distributor or label after their cut, 6+ weeks after the stream at the earliest.

The release-first playbook

Release on Orbit first. Streaming a month later.

This is how the artists already earning on Orbit do it. If you have a fan base, publish your new song on Orbit first, for $1. Tell your fan groups — WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, your mailing list — that it's out, and where. A month later, release it on the streaming services as usual.

  1. Day one, on Orbit. Every fan who buys pays you $0.70, the moment they buy. If 200 of your fans buy, that's $140 on release day.
  2. The first month. Your fans hear it first, from you. Spotify pays nothing yet — the song isn't there.
  3. A month later, everywhere. The song goes to the streaming services. Their first payout reaches you 6+ weeks after that, through your distributor.

Your fans get it first. You get paid first.

How Spotify pays

Spotify has no fixed per-stream rate. It puts its royalty money into one monthly pool and splits it by share of streams, so the "per-stream" figure moves every month and differs by country and plan. Since 2024, a track also needs 1,000 streams in the past 12 months before it earns anything.

And Spotify never pays you. It pays the rights holder — your distributor or aggregator, and your label if you have one. Each takes its cut before passing the rest on, and the money reaches you 6 weeks after the stream at the earliest, often much later.

How Orbit pays

On Orbit, fans pay you directly. When someone buys your release — by card, Apple Pay or crypto — 70% of the price is yours, 10% goes to the channel that brought you in, and 20% to Orbit. A $1 single pays you $0.70, every time. Fans who stream pay €0.05 for 24 hours, and the same 70% reaches you instantly. There's no shared pool and no minimum before you get paid.

The formula

  • Spotify per month = fans × plays per fan × $0.003 to $0.005 × (100% − distributor / label cut), or $0 under 1,000 streams a year — paid 6+ weeks later
  • Orbit per month = fans × days streamed × €0.05 × 70% + buyers × price × 70% — paid instantly

Spotify figures are third-party estimates; actual payouts vary by country, subscription type and distributor. For the full story behind the numbers, read the Orbit Journal for artists.