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Inside the Playbook: Bryan Johnson on Spotify's $11B Artist Payout
Spotify paid $11B to music rights holders in 2025 but who actually gets the money?
In this clip from The Manager’s Playbook, Mauricio Ruiz and Bryan Johnson from Spotify break down what the Loud & Clear report really means for artists, managers, songwriters, and the wider music business.
They get into how Spotify royalties work, why payments go to rights holders first, what stream-share means, why “per-stream rates” are misleading, and how independent artists are participating in the growth of streaming.
They also discuss how streaming helped lower the barriers for DIY artists, why Spotify…
The skinny
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