“Getting Paid Peanuts”: SA Talent Manager Breaks Down Streaming Platforms’ Pay for 1 Million Plays

• A South African talent manager shared a detailed breakdown of what major streaming platforms pay local artists for one million plays
• The figures show that some platforms pay nearly double what others offer for the exact same number of streams from the same country
• After labels, producers and collaborators take their agreed share, artists often take home a fraction of the original payout amount

South African artists are out here racking up millions of streams and barely seeing the money. Talent manager and event curator Thato Mokoena went on Instagram on 14 April 2026 and broke down exactly what streaming platforms pay for one million plays in South Africa.

The figures got people talking, and for very good reason. Mokoena, known online as @thatoeffect, works in the local creative industry as a tour and talent manager. He posted the breakdown because artists need to understand the full picture before celebrating those stream counts.

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According to Mokoena, Spotify pays between R55,000 and R95,000 for one million streams. Apple Music sits between R100,000 and R150,000 for the same number. YouTube Music ranges from R18,000 to R55,000. Amazon Music offers R70,000 to R120,000 per million plays. Deezer pays between R60,000 and R100,000.

The numbers sound decent until you hear what comes next. Mokoena said that none of that money arrives whole. Producers get paid from it. Collaborators get paid from it. If the artist is signed to a label, the label gets paid first.

The numbers check out, mostly

These figures are consistent with what global streaming data shows. Spotify pays about 8 cents per stream worldwide. That converts to roughly R55,000 to R92,000 per million plays at current exchange rates. Apple Music has no free tier at all. Every single listener on Apple Music is a paying subscriber.

That is why it pays more per stream than most other platforms. The global Apple Music rates up to 16 cents per stream. YouTube Music is known for sitting at the lower end of streaming payouts globally.

See the breakdown in the clip below:

Mzansi weighs in on the numbers

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Briefly News compiled some comments from the post below.

ladydu_sa said:

“I’ve been saying this 🙄 and people think I’m jealous when I say streams mean nothing. Apple Music actually pays way more than Spotify.”

mpendulo_k_ commented:

“Life is really unfair sometimes. I saw that AI music guy called Rea Gopane made 4 million streams on YouTube music alone, 100% ownership of royalties, not sharing with any label or vocalist. 🤣😂🙆‍♂️ Everything is just AI.”

lwakhe_hina highlighted:

“Artists should be educated about SARS also. I think most artist are lacking this information, and yet it’s crucial for their career. 🙏🏾”

moketeratlabala wrote:

“Forget the music streaming or sales money. One million streams means you have motion, and getting gigs after gigs. One million streams should make you think of 10 gigs a week because it seems like the only way to make money to me, as someone who knows nothing much about the music business from the outside.”

sybpabllomusic commented:

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“We're getting paid peanuts though😭, and imagine if more people worked on the song, you are individually not getting that R100,000.”

More about music streams

• On 4 December 2025, Briefly News reported that Mthandeni SK celebrated a major streaming milestone for his new collaboration with Mawhoo.
• South African musician DJ Maphorisa has yet another banger under his discography, titled Money Constant.
• Tyla recently marked a major career milestone after surpassing three billion streams on Spotify.

Source: Briefly News