Music streaming break-even calculator

A music break-even calculator shows how many streams you need to earn back the money you’ve spent promoting your track. It helps you understand if your current strategy is financially sustainable.

To calculate your break-even point:

1. Enter your promotion budget (e.g. €250)

2. Choose the streaming platform (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.)

3. The tool estimates how many streams are required based on average payout per stream (e.g. $0.003 - $0.005 on Spotify)

Spotify pays artists between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream on average. This varies depending on location, type of listener (free vs premium), and distribution fees.

You need roughly 20,000 to 33,000 Spotify streams to make $100. The exact number depends on your payout rate and distribution agreement.

Yes. Apple Music generally pays more per stream — around $0.007 to $0.01, which means fewer streams are needed to break even compared to Spotify.

Yes, but it’s challenging. Most artists rely on a mix of strategies — streaming, merchandise, live shows, and platforms like Groover — to build traction and eventually generate income.

• Get on higher-paying platforms like Apple Music or Tidal

• Use direct-to-fan platforms (like Bandcamp or Patreon)

• Reduce promotion costs by targeting smarter channels (Groover, niche blogs, etc.)

• Improve conversion rates with stronger visuals and storytelling

It’s common, especially early on. Focus on long-term fanbase growth. Break-even is one metric — building community, getting press coverage, or landing gigs can be more valuable than immediate profit.

Groover helps artists and their representatives (label managers, PR agents, publishers etc.) get their music heard.


Through an innovative web platform, Groover connects artists who want to promote their music with the best playlists curators, radios and labels seeking emerging talents. On Groover, artists can send their music directly to a selection of blogs, radios, playlist curators, record labels and pros of their choice, get feedback guaranteed, and coverage!

Thanks to Groover, more than 3,000 active music curators and pros have given more than 4 million pieces of feedback, 1 million+ shares (reviews, playlist adds etc.) and 1,000+ signatures on record labels.