Royalties take a while to reach you, and most of the time nothing is wrong. Usually the stores just haven't reported your earnings yet. Sometimes there's a small thing to sort out on your side, like your tax form or payout details.
The five quick checks below cover almost every case. If none of them explain it, message us and we'll look into your account.
What this means
We know it's frustrating to see streams coming in and no money yet. Here's why there's a gap.
Your royalties travel in three stages:
A store counts your streams. You'll often see them in your stats quite quickly. This count doesn't take into account streams that the stores may later find to be artificial or illicit.
The store reports and pays us. Each store has its own reporting schedule, and this is the longest wait: currently two to six months.
We pay you. Once we've received the money and matched it to your releases, it shows on your royalty statement. It's ready to pay out within 90 days of us receiving it, as long as your balance has reached the $100 payout minimum.
So streams from this month won't be paid this month. That's normal, and it works the same way across the music industry. How money works on The Artist Platform walks through the full timeline.
When this applies
You can see streams, but no money has arrived yet.
A payment you expected is late, smaller than you thought, or didn't go through.
You've just started releasing music and haven't had a royalty statement yet.
If you think money is missing from a statement, not just late, message us. We'll check your account directly.
What you need before you start
Your login for The Artist Platform.
The email address linked to your payout account (currently PayPal only).
Roughly when the streams happened (for example, "March and April").
Step-by-step
1. Check whether your earnings have been reported yet. Open your royalty statements in The Artist Platform (Distribution > Go to Distribution Center > Transactions). If the months you're looking for aren't there yet, the stores haven't reported them. This is the most common reason, and there's nothing you need to do. If you're new, your first statement usually arrives about three months after your first release.
2. Check whether you've reached the payout minimum. We pay out once your balance reaches $100. Until then, your earnings roll over to your next statement. Nothing is lost.
3. Make sure you've sent back your tax form. Before your first payment, we email you a tax form. It goes only to you, so you won't find it in the help center. Your payment waits until the form is back with us, so it's worth filling it in as soon as it arrives. Can't find it? Check your spam folder, or ask us to send it again.
4. Check your payout details. Open your payout settings and check that:
your payout method is set up (PayPal)
the email address matches your payout account exactly
your payout account is active and can receive payments in USD
If a payment came back because of a problem with the account, update your details and we'll try again in the next payment run.
5. If you share earnings with collaborators, check your splits. Everyone in a split needs to accept their invitation and add their own payment details before they can be paid. Track splits
What happens next
If your earnings haven't been reported yet, they'll appear on a future statement. You don't need to do anything.
If you've just fixed your tax form or payout details, your payment goes out in our next payment run.
If you message us, we'll check your account and tell you what we find. Some checks involve the stores, which can take a little longer. We'll keep you posted.
Troubleshooting
What's happening | What to do |
I can see streams but no earnings | That's expected. Streams show up long before stores report the money. Check again after your next statement. |
My statement shows earnings, but nothing was paid | Run through steps 2, 3 and 4 above: the minimum, your tax form, and your payout details. |
I got a "payment failed" email | Your payout account couldn't accept the payment. Check that it's active and that the email matches exactly, then update your details. |
My payment is lower than I expected | Stores pay different amounts per stream, and streams that don't come from real listeners can be removed. If you got an artificial streaming notice, read My release was flagged for artificial streaming. What now? Otherwise, message us and we'll take a look. |
My collaborator hasn't been paid | Ask them to look for the split invitation email and add their payment details. |
I can't use PayPal where I live | Let us know before your balance builds up, so we can talk through your options. |
None of these explain it | Message us with the details below. We'll look into it for you. |
Need help?
We're here to help. Message us through the chat in The Artist Platform and include:
your artist name and the email on your account
the months or releases you're asking about
any payment or error email you received
We'll check your account and get back to you within 1 business day.