Only 0.4% of artists in the UK make a living from streaming their music, according to a new study.

Only 0.4% of artists in the UK make a living from streaming their music, according to a new study.

The research – ‘Music Creators’ Earnings In The Digital Era’ – was published by the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and was based on data collected between 2014 and 2020, as well as figures from hundreds of musicians and producers engaged in study groups.

The results include the fact that only artists who regularly collect over a million streams per month can be considered to be living exclusively from online music platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music. This equates to only 1,723 individuals or acts, or 0.4% of UK artists.

As RA notes, Cherie Hu, cultural writer and author of the online industry guide Water & Music, posted on Twitter that for those who achieve the number of pieces required to “make a living” it comes down to an income. between £ 2,200. and £ 3,700 per month.

not only 0.4% of artists on DSPs generate this number of streams, BUT the vast majority of these streams are also intended for releases from major labels

thus, the number of * independent / unsigned * artists who generate enough flow to make a living is much, much lower

– cheriehu.eth (@ cheriehu42) September 28, 2021

She also notes that the “vast majority” of artists within 0.4% are signed to majors, meaning the percentage of independent artists will be much lower. His estimates also suggest that the number of individual names now feeding on feeds is potentially five times what it was in 2014, but the competition is much fiercer today, which means the number of feeds needed for this income is now significantly higher.

In July, the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) released its own report, The Economy of Streaming, using data dating back to October 2020. It found that the entire streaming model needed a “total reset”. citing “pitiful returns” as a major concern. In 2019, DJ Mag published a detailed article on the ways in which electronic producers can make money on digital music platforms.