A rough calculation of the amount some of the most-streamed artists have earned on the music streaming platform as of January 2025.

Most major streaming services, including Spotify, do not pay artists a flat rate per stream. Instead, they use a pro-rata payment model. This collects all advertising and subscription revenue over a month, then shares 70% (with the other 30% going to Spotify) with artists based on how many streams they accrued during that month.

Not all streams are created equally. The price of a Spotify Premium subscription varies around the world, as does the amount advertisers pay out based on various factors. Streaming revenue can also vary based on the contract worked out between Spotify and labels. For these reasons, the term “pay per stream” can be misleading.

Several publications have calculated a rough estimate of how much a stream is worth on Spotify. The most up-to-date estimate on Spotify is around $0.003 and $0.005 per stream.

We use the total streams data provided by ChartMasters to find the top ten artists and their all-time Spotify streams. By multiplying the “lead streams” by an average 0.004 dollar per stream, we get the total earnings listed below. Lead streams does not include featured streams.

Please note, the amounts stated below are before labels, managers, etc. take their cut. Don’t forget, Spotify is just one source of revenue. The highest earning artists in the world have multiple sources of income from other stores, licensing deals, business ventures, live shows, merch sales, etc. These numbers are rough amounts the artists have generated on Spotify alone. To keep 100% of the revenue streaming services payout, check out RouteNote Premium!

Since last updating this list in May last year, there has been some movement in the top ten. Taylor Swift is still the queen of Spotify, with almost 100 million lead streams, putting her total earnings at over $387 million. This is ahead of the most-streamed male artist, Drake at 82 million streams and $331 million. Justin Bieber and Eminem have traded places. Post Malone has been knocked off the top ten with Kanye West taking number nine and a new entry at number ten, Billie Eilish.


The number one most-streamed artist on Spotify

1. Taylor Swift

Total earnings: $387,631,286

Lead streams: 96,907,821,535


Drake

2. Drake

Total earnings: $331,391,170

Lead streams: 82,847,792,594


The number three most-streamed artist on Spotify

3. Bad Bunny

Total earnings: $325,173,945

Lead streams: 81,293,486,169


4. The Weeknd

Total earnings: $270,876,668

Lead streams: 67,719,166,919


The number five most-streamed artist on Spotify

5. Ed Sheeran

  • Total earnings: $205,109,278
  • Lead streams: 51,277,319,567

The number six most-streamed artist on Spotify

6. Ariana Grande

Total earnings: $203,222,300

Lead streams: 50,805,575,049


7. Eminem

Total earnings: $192,061,815

Lead streams: 48,015,453,793


8. Justin Bieber

Total earnings: $185,666,885

Lead streams: 46,416,721,191


Kanye West

9. Kanye West

Total earnings: $176,552,402

Lead streams: 44,138,100,609


The number ten most-streamed artist on Spotify

10. Billie Eilish

  • Total earnings: $174,482,873
  • Lead streams: 43,620,718,257

Are you an aspiring musician seeking opportunities? Using websites like Jooble, you can find many jobs in the music industry with no experience required, even in bustling metropolises like New York City. Seize your chance and get closer to the success of the most-streamed artists.

When you distribute your music through RouteNote for free you keep 85%, or 100% when you choose our Premium distribution plan.