Tidal royalties calculator: pay per stream in 2026
Tidal pays the rights holder about $0.0072 to $0.0130 per stream ($7.20 to $13.00 per 1,000), among the highest averages of any service, because every listener pays. Sources disagree by almost two times. 1 million streams pay roughly $7,200 to $13,000, though few independent artists reach that on Tidal.
SOURCE: Ditto Music blog, How much does TIDAL pay per stream (2026-01-08) · CHECKED 15 October 2026Streams to Money Calculator runs in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded.
What Tidal pays per stream in 2026
Paid-only and small, so the per-stream average is high but it rarely adds much money; sources disagree by almost 2x. The table shows what that range means for common totals and three typical distributor cuts.
| Streams | Paid to rights holder (0% cut) | You keep at 9% | You keep at 15% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 streams | $7.20 to $13 | $6.55 to $12 | $6.12 to $11 |
| 10,000 streams | $72 to $130 | $66 to $118 | $61 to $111 |
| 100,000 streams | $720 to $1,300 | $655 to $1,183 | $612 to $1,105 |
| 1,000,000 streams | $7,200 to $13,000 | $6,552 to $11,830 | $6,120 to $11,050 |
Rate: $0.0072 to $0.0130 per stream ($7.20 to $13.00 per 1,000), sources 1 2. Distributor cuts: 0% is DistroKid's subscription model 1, 9% is CD Baby 1, 15% is RouteNote Free 1 and AWAL 1. All checked 15 October 2026. If you are signed to a label, multiply the last columns by your royalty rate.
How Tidal pays
Tidal is a paid-only service with a small audience. With no free listeners pulling the average down, its per-stream figure is high: one distributor puts it at around $0.013 in 2026 (Ditto Music). A distributor calculator sits lower, at $7.20 to $8.80 per 1,000 (LANDR).
Why it is a range, not one number
No source measures every Tidal payment, and each one covers different countries, years and plans. Here is what each says, word for word. The low end of our range is the lowest credible recent figure and the high end the highest.
| Source | What it says | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Ditto Music blog | "On average, TIDAL pays out around $0.013 per stream in 2026." | Third-party |
| LANDR royalty calculator | "Tidal $0.00720 - $0.00880" | Third-party |
High per stream, small in total
A high rate on a small audience rarely adds up to much money. Use the comparison table in the calculator: the same number of streams pays more on Tidal, but the streams usually are not there.
Worked examples
- 1 million streams on Tidal pays about $7,200 to $13,000 to the rights holder. After a 15% distributor cut you keep $6,120 to $11,050.
- 100,000 streams pays about $720 to $1,300; 10,000 pays about $72 to $130.
- $1,000 takes about 76,900 to 139,000 streams with a 0% cut.
- Rent of $1,500 a month takes about 115,000 to 208,000 streams every month, before tax.
- A 50/50 split with a producer on 1 million streams: each of you gets about $3,600 to $6,500. Add collaborators in the calculator to see each person's share.
What these figures leave out
Every number here is the recording (master) side: what the platform pays the account that owns the recording, usually your distributor account. Songwriting money is separate. Mechanical and performance royalties for the composition go to the publisher, collection society or PRO, and US radio-style plays also earn SoundExchange money. None of that is in these figures, so a songwriter who owns their masters earns more than the table shows.
Questions artists ask
How much does Tidal pay per stream?
About $0.0072 to $0.0130 per stream to the rights holder, or $7.20 to $13.00 per 1,000 streams.
Does Tidal pay artists the most?
Per stream, Tidal's upper estimate is the highest of the ten platforms we track. In total money it is usually small, because its audience is small.
How much is 1 million streams on Tidal?
Roughly $7,200 to $13,000 to the rights holder, $6,120 to $11,050 after a 15% distributor cut.
How many Tidal streams make $1,000?
About 76,900 to 139,000 streams with no distributor cut.
Why do Tidal estimates disagree?
One distributor's blog quotes about $0.013, while a distributor calculator gives $0.0072 to $0.0088. The difference is likely which plans and countries each source covers.
Related
- Streams to money calculator: what every platform pays per stream
What Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and 7 more pay per stream in 2026, after your distributor's cut and splits. Sourced, dated ranges. Free. - Apple Music royalties calculator: pay per stream in 2026
What Apple Music pays per stream in 2026, why the penny figure is not what you get, and what you keep after your distributor. Sourced and dated. - Amazon Music royalties calculator: pay per stream in 2026
What Amazon Music pays per stream in 2026 across Unlimited, Prime and free listening, and what you keep after your distributor. Sourced, dated. - Deezer royalties calculator: pay per stream in 2026
What Deezer pays per stream in 2026, how its artist-centric model doubles some artists' streams, and what you keep after your distributor. - Spotify stats calculator: save rate, streams per listener and the 1,000-stream rule
Free Spotify stats calculator: save rate, streams per listener, playlist adds, the 1,000-stream royalty rule and a rough payout, with sourced benchmarks. - Spotify artificial streaming check
Free Spotify artificial streaming check: compare your Spotify for Artists numbers with the warning signs distributors use, and what to do after a notice. - Music release planner: every deadline from upload to release day
Free release planner: pick a date and distributor and get every deadline (upload, Spotify pitch, pre-save, release day), each with its dated source.
Sources
- Ditto Music blog, How much does TIDAL pay per stream (2026-01-08) · checked 15 October 2026 · third-party source
- LANDR royalty calculator (undated, page footer 2026) · checked 15 October 2026 · third-party source
- DistroKid pricing · checked 15 October 2026
- CD Baby: How much does CD Baby cost · checked 15 October 2026
- RouteNote Support: Free vs Premium distribution · checked 15 October 2026
- AWAL FAQ · checked 15 October 2026
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