5 Proven Ways to Make Money on Spotify: Streams, Playlists, Podcasts & More

Yup!

There are indeed many ways you can make money on Spotify – whether that’s creating music on there or just making playlists.

And we’re here to tell you exactly how to do it. So, grab a drink and settle in while we tell you exactly how to make money on Spotify.

How to Make Money on Spotify

To make money on Spotify do the following:

• Make money on Spotify as an artist
• Start a podcast
• Make Spotify playlist
• Sell merch
• Sell tickets to a live show

Read on for details on each option to monetize your passion for music on the biggest music streaming platform, Spotify.

1. Make money on Spotify as an artist

An obvious choice is to well, make music, of course! Spotify is known for music – it’s kind of its whole jam (pun intended). Musicians can upload their music on the platform and earn royalties.

Here are the types of royalties you can earn on Spotify with music:

• Recording royalties: This is the money that’s owed to rightsholders for recordings that users stream on Spotify, which is paid to artists through the licensor that delivered the music – usually their record label or distributor.
• Publishing royalties: This is the money that’s owed to songwriters or owners of a composition. These payments get issued to publishers, collecting societies, and mechanical agencies based on the territory of usage.

The more music you have on there, the better. You want to have lots available for people to listen to. This can help people to find your tracks.

Getting a lot of streams is good because you will earn more. It’s a good idea to promote your music online on places like social media, for example.

• Learn more about how to get your music on Spotify here.

2. Make money on Spotify podcast

Not everyone is suited to making music. Many people prefer podcasts. That’s why a lot of people looking to earn on the platform wonder – can you make money on Spotify with a podcast?

Indeed, you can!

Spotify enables podcasters to earn money.

If you host your podcast with Spotify, there are quite a few ways that you can monetize your podcast on Spotify for Podcasters. Spotify states that availability depends on your location and audience size.

Here’s how you can make money with podcasting on Spotify:

Podcast Subscriptions

You can create subscriber-only episodes of your podcasts, which fans will need to pay for if they want access to them.

In order to be eligible for this monetization option, you need to:

• Have published at least two podcast episodes.
• Be located in a market where Podcast Subscriptions are available (you can learn more about this here).
• Have at least 100 listeners on Spotify within the last 60 days.

Listener Support

As a podcaster on Spotify, you can receive monthly donations from your listeners.

In order to be eligible for the Listener Support monetization option, you need to:

• Have published at least two podcast episodes.
• Be located in the US.
• Have at least 100 listeners on Spotify within the last 60 days.

Automated Ads

Spotify gives podcasters the option to place sponsor-read ads from third-party brands within their episodes.

The Automated Ads program is currently available in the US, the UK, and Australia on an invite-only basis.

• Start a podcast on Spotify here.

Maybe you’re not a musician. And perhaps you don’t want to start a podcast either. Maybe you just don’t want to create any content yourself for Spotify.

Are there ways to make money on Spotify without making music or podcasts?

There are indeed!

And, it’s simple.

You get paid to make Spotify playlists.

How, you ask?

Well, the first step is to sign up for a Spotify music review service as a playlist and song placement curator. Two places where you can do this are at Playlist Push and SubmitHub.

Both Playlist Push and SubmitHub do have requirements that you’ll need to meet if you want to become a curator on there.

So, for example, with Playlist Push, you’ll need to have a minimum of 1,000 followers per playlist.

On, SubmitHub requires you to have at least 1,000 followers on at least one playlist.

Just be sure to check what the requirements are when you come to sign up.

Once you’ve signed up for Playlist Push and/or SubmitHub, you basically share your music knowledge by reviewing and curating songs.

You’ll get paid for reviewing songs. It’s pretty simple, right?

4. Sell merch

An option that many people don’t consider when they’re looking into how to make money on Spotify is selling merchandise. Selling merch is a good option for both musicians and podcasters.

Musicians can get their logo out there and use merch to promote their albums and tour dates.

You can sell T-shirts, mugs, hats, bags and many other customizable items.

Selling merch is also a good idea for podcasters because they can put the name of their podcast or their logo on it and increase the visibility of their show.

You can add merch to Spotify and promote it across the app. With the platform’s Shopify integration, you can connect your merch store with Spotify for Artists to sell merch where fans are already listening.

You can get started on Shopify for as little as $5 a month.

If you are already selling your merch on Shopify, then you can simply install the Spotify for Artists app in the Shopify App Store.

After an integration process, you can then publish up to 250 items from your Shopify store onto Spotify. Once published, your merch is available for purchase on Spotify.

What’s good about this integration is that it supports connecting one Shopify store to one or multiple artist profiles. So, teams are able to streamline their stores all in one place.

If you are not already selling on Shopify, it’s still easy to get started with it. Choose a plan that suits you. Then, you can integrate with Printful, which is a print-on-demand partner, to design and list new merch without needing inventory to start.

• Spotify actually has a merch guide, which you can check out here, to learn more about selling merch on there.

5. Sell tickets to a live show

Aside from music streams and selling merch, another way that musicians can make money on Spotify is by selling tickets to a live show.

Performing their music in front of a live audience is a good way for musicians to earn more money.

Spotify has its own ticket sales website, which you can check out here, where people can buy tickets directly from Spotify to attend live events and concerts for the artists they like.

You could earn money selling tickets to a live show if you’re a musician.

So, How Much Can You Make with Spotify?

How much money you can earn with Spotify really depends on a variety of factors.

One important factor is the number of streams your content gets. If you are actually publishing content on there like music or podcasts, your income is largely going to depend on how many streams you get.

Someone who gets 10,000 streams a month is going to make more than someone who gets 1,000 streams. I’ll cover how much you can earn per stream on Spotify in the “FAQs” section below.

The money-making option or options that you choose though also impact how much you earn.

For example, someone who makes a podcast may earn a different amount than someone who uploads music. A podcaster who also sells merch may earn more money than a podcaster who only makes podcast episodes and doesn’t sell merch, etc.

To give you a better idea of how much money you can earn each month with Spotify, I searched for “How to make money on Spotify, Reddit” to see what Redditors had to say. I was able to gather some real life examples from Reddit.

These show how much people have earned with Spotify:

• I make about 500 monthly from Spotify, due to being on editorial playlists and then, in turn, getting streams from algorithmic playlists. My advice is to release as much music as possible! I released once a month ish for a year before I pitched to editors, I got on a playlist and then had 8 over a year and half (with monthly releases). Once I bumped up to once a week releases, I’ve had huge success with playlists. Also, fill out your profile as much as possible to make your profile as valuable for the consumer as possible (full bio, pics, user playlists, big discography).
• I’ve made about $12 in 2 years. Chaaaaching!
• About 60-70 € per month from basically one single song. I did nothing to promote it, someone put it on a quite popular playlist for that genre and that’s it.
• I started uploading to Spotify 1.5 years ago, folk songs from my bedroom. I now make about ~$2k CAD per month (give or take) but it has been slowly ramping up to this! Hoping to get to the $5k/month mark later next year. All from Spotify and Apple Music. I have 10 songs on there right now I think, and own 100% of the rights. It can work!
• I make about $3 a month. I know… impressive.

FAQs

Now that you have a list of ways to make money on Spotify, I’ll answer some of the common questions people have about earning cash on the platform.

Can I earn money from Spotify?

You can earn money from Spotify through making music, starting a podcast, making Spotify playlists, selling merch, and selling tickets to live shows.

How much does Spotify pay per 1,000 streams?

Spotify pays around $4 per 1,000 streams. This works out to about $0.004 per stream. How much revenue you earn is influenced by factors, such as country, subscription type, and licensing agreements.

How many streams on Spotify to make $100?

You would need around 25,000 streams on Spotify to make $100. This is because you earn about $0.004 per stream. So, 100/0.004 = 25,000.

How many Spotify listeners do you need to make money?

Tracks must have reached a threshold of at least 1,000 streams in the previous 12 months to be eligible for monetization.

Closing Thoughts

Now you know how to make money on Spotify!

From making music to selling merch to making playlists, there are plenty of ways to earn money on Spotify. Choose the option or options that best suit you.

For example, you may not be a musician, or you may not want to start a podcast – so in your case, making Spotify playlists is going to be one of your best options.

Or, you may enjoy making music, so in that case, uploading music and earning royalties on Spotify may be your best option.

Or, perhaps you’ve always wanted to start a podcast? In that case, starting a podcast and earning through Podcast Subscriptions, Listener Support, and Automated Ads may be the best option for you.

It really just depends on what option suits you best.

Be sure to try out our ways to earn money on Spotify and start putting some extra cash in your pocket.