Streaming

How Apple Music pays royalties.

Apple Music is subscription-only, with no free ad-supported tier, so every stream comes from a paying listener — which is why its estimated per-stream rate runs roughly double Spotify's. Apple has stated $0.01 as its own average per-play figure, the only major platform to publish one. Only streams played past 30 seconds count.

Payment model: Pro-rata, subscription revenue only — no ad-supported tier diluting the pool.
Estimated rate: Estimated $0.007–$0.01 per stream — Apple has stated $0.01 as its own average.
Royalty types generated: Master recording royaltiesMechanical royaltiesPerformance royalties

How to collect it

Master royalties: paid automatically via your distributor.
Mechanical and performance royalties: same registration requirement as any streaming platform — a mechanical rights body and a PRO, separately from your distributor.

Related royalty types

Mechanical Royalties →Public Performance Royalties →

Rates verified 2026-08-28 from cross-industry research; treat all per-stream figures as estimates — they vary by territory, subscription tier, and your own distribution deal. Rekon is independent of Apple Music and not affiliated with it.

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