For music producers and independent artists, knowing where to distribute your music is crucial—not just for exposure, but also for earnings. Beatport and Spotify are two major platforms in the digital music world, but they serve different audiences and offer different payout structures. So which one pays artists more? Let’s break it down.

Audience and Purpose

  • Beatport: A niche platform focused on electronic music and DJ culture. It’s the go-to marketplace for DJs to buy high-quality, curated tracks for their sets.

  • Spotify: A global streaming giant with millions of listeners across all genres. It’s more about mass streaming than track purchases.

Read Also: Beatport vs. Spotify: Which Pays Artists More?

Revenue Model

  • Beatport: Tracks are sold individually, usually between $1.29 and $2.49 per download. Artists and labels receive a percentage of each sale.

  • Spotify: Pays per stream. The average per-stream payout ranges from $0.003 to $0.005, depending on subscription revenue and ad-generated income.

Artist Payouts

  • Beatport: Artists typically earn 50% of the track sale price after the label’s cut. For a $1.99 track, the artist could make around $0.99.

  • Spotify: With an average payout of $0.004 per stream, an artist would need around 25,000 streams to earn the same $99 they could get from selling 100 tracks on Beatport.

Exposure vs. Earnings

  • Beatport: Provides high earnings per sale but caters to a smaller, specialized audience.

  • Spotify: Offers massive exposure with millions of potential listeners but lower earnings per play.

Which Platform is Better?

  • For Earnings: Beatport generally pays more per sale, making it ideal for producers focused on electronic music and DJ audiences.

  • For Exposure: Spotify’s huge user base can help artists grow their fan base worldwide, though the earnings per stream are lower.

Conclusion

Choosing between Beatport and Spotify depends on your goals. If you’re targeting DJs and want higher payouts per track, Beatport is the way to go. If you’re looking to reach a broader audience and build streaming numbers, Spotify offers unmatched exposure. Many artists use both to maximize their reach and revenue—why not do the same?