Music Royalty Estimator 2025/26

Spotify pays approximately £0.002–£0.004 per stream in the UK (the rate fluctuates based on market, subscription type and the total number of streams in a period). For a track with 1 million streams, Spotify typically pays £2,000–£4,000 to whoever owns the recording rights (label or independent artist via distributor). If you are on a label, you receive your royalty rate (e.g. 20%) = £400–£800. If you are independent, you keep the full amount minus distributor commission.

PRS for Music is the UK collecting society that licenses and collects royalties for the public performance and broadcast of musical compositions. It is owned by and operates on behalf of its members — songwriters, composers and music publishers. You should join PRS if you write original music that is performed live, broadcast on radio or TV, or streamed online. Membership is free for the first year; an annual fee applies thereafter (typically £50–£100 for active members). PRS distributes collected royalties to members quarterly.

Sync licensing fees in the UK vary enormously based on the scale of the placement. TV drama (series, background use): £500–£5,000 per episode for an indie track; £10,000–£50,000+ for a prominent title sequence placement. Advertising (national TV campaign): £5,000–£100,000+ depending on brand, territory and exclusivity period. Film (independent): £1,000–£15,000; major studio film: £10,000–£100,000+. Sync income is paid to both the songwriter (publishing) and the recording rights owner (master). PRS and PPL also generate ongoing performance royalties from broadcasts of the synced material.