How Royalties Work for Independent Artists

There are at least 6 different types of music royalties. Most independent artists only collect 1 or 2. Here's how to collect them all.

The 6 Types of Music Royalties

1. Streaming / Download Royalties (Master Side)

This is the royalty most artists know about. When someone streams your song on Spotify, Apple Music, or any platform, you earn a per-stream payout. Downloads from iTunes or Amazon pay a fixed amount per purchase.

Spotify: ~$0.003–$0.005 per stream (varies by country and account type)
Apple Music: ~$0.007–$0.01 per stream
Amazon Music: ~$0.004 per stream
Tidal: ~$0.008–$0.013 per stream

Who collects this: Your distributor (OneSync). Paid directly to your account.

2. Mechanical Royalties (Publishing Side)

Mechanical royalties are owed to the songwriter every time a song is reproduced — including every stream. This is separate from the streaming royalty above.

US streaming rate: ~$0.0009 per stream (set by the Copyright Royalty Board)
Physical/download: $0.12 per copy for songs under 5 minutes

Who collects this: A publishing administrator or mechanical rights organization (Harry Fox Agency, MLC). OneSync's publishing admin collects this for you.

Deep dive: Mechanical vs Performance Royalties →

3. Performance Royalties (Publishing Side)

Performance royalties are generated when your song is performed publicly: radio play, live venues, TV broadcasts, restaurants, bars, etc.

Who collects this: Your PRO (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC in the US). You must register directly with a PRO.

4. Sync Licensing Fees

When your music is placed in a TV show, movie, commercial, video game, or social media content, two fees are paid: a master use license fee (for the recording) and a sync license fee (for the composition).

TV background music: $1,000–$5,000
TV featured song: $5,000–$75,000
National commercial: $25,000–$500,000+
Film placements: $10,000–$250,000+

Who collects this: Your sync licensing representative. OneSync includes sync licensing for free. How sync licensing works →

5. YouTube Revenue

Revenue from YouTube comes in two forms: ad revenue from your own channel, and Content ID revenue from other people's videos using your music.

Who collects this: Your distributor (via YouTube Content ID). OneSync includes this free.

6. Neighboring Rights

Neighboring rights royalties are paid to performers and recording owners when a recording is played publicly (radio, TV, public spaces) — separate from songwriter performance royalties.

Who collects this: Neighboring rights organizations (SoundExchange in the US). You must register separately.

        The Full Picture: A single song generates royalties from 6+ sources. Most independent artists only collect streaming royalties (#1). With OneSync's distribution + publishing admin + sync licensing, you automatically collect from sources #1, #2, #4, and #5 — covering about 80% of your total potential revenue.
      

How to Make Sure You're Collecting Everything

Use a distributor with publishing admin: OneSync handles both distribution and publishing. Why you need both →
Register with a PRO: Join ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC to collect performance royalties
Register with SoundExchange: Collects neighboring rights/digital performance royalties
Opt into sync licensing: OneSync includes this free — your music is pitched to music supervisors
Enable YouTube Content ID: Included free with OneSync distribution

📚 Related Guides

Collect Every Royalty You're Owed

OneSync: free distribution + publishing admin + sync licensing. No fees, no commission, every royalty.

Start Collecting Free →