
Show Notes
How much do artists really make from streaming? Spotify just paid out $10 billion in 2024, but where does that money go—and is streaming actually sustainable for artists? In this episode of Live From Mars, Alex (@vinylbymars) sits down with Sam Duboff, Spotify for Artists’ Global Head of Marketing & Policy, to break down the newly released 2024 Loud&Clear report and what it means for artists, streaming, and the music industry.
In this episode, we cover: The Truth About Streaming Royalties – How artists actually get paid (no, there’s no fixed per-stream rate) The Rise of Independent Artists – Why 50% of Spotify’s payouts go to indie and DIY musicians Superfans Are the Future – The 2% of listeners who generate 50% of merch sales The Globalization of Music – How international collaborations are reshaping the industry What’s Next for Streaming? – The comeback of music videos, new artist tools, and more
Plus, we dive into Lady Gaga’s Mayhem, the magic of Charli xcx and Lorde’s “Girl, so confusing remix,” and play Best, Worst, Fav with Lorde’s Melodrama.
Read the full Loud&Clear report: spotify.com/loudandclear
Follow Me: TikTok & Instagram: @vinylbymars | https://www.instagram.com/vinylbymars Listen to Live From Mars on Apple Podcasts Listen to Live From Mars on Spotify Subscribe on YouTube
Subscribe, rate, and follow for more deep dives into music, streaming, and the industry’s biggest topics. To provide feedback, please fill out this survey: http://bit.ly/livefrommars-survey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Live From Mars
Matt Hansen joins Live From Mars for an emotional deep dive into his debut album Orchid, the songwriting experiences that shaped it, and the realities of building a music career completely independently.
Subscribe on Substack for more Mars Music: https://vinylbymars.substack.com/
Subscribe on Substack: https://vinylbymars.substack.com
In this episode of Live From Mars, I sit down with John Stein, Head of Editorial at Spotify, to break down Spotify Wrapped 2025 and what the year in music actually sounded like.
Subscribe to my Substack for more pop music deep dives and unfiltered reactions: https://vinylbymars.substack.com