Spotify has responded to Snoop Dogg’s claim that he only makes $45,000 from one billion streams on the music platform.
In December 2023, the rapper shared this figure during an appearance on the Business Untitled podcast. Snoop doubled down recently while announcing his new partnership with Tune.FM, telling Billboard that he doesn’t “fuck with Spotify anymore.”
On the same day his Tune.FM deal launched, Spotify addressed Snoop’s allegations in a statement to TMZ. For context, artists typically receive $0.003-$0.005 per stream on Spotify, with portions going to songwriters, record labels, Spotify and other contributors.
“We can’t speak to endorsement deals for Web3 companies but … $45K for a billion streams? It’s well documented that a billion streams on Spotify generates millions of dollars to rights holders,” the spokesperson told TMZ on Thursday. “It’s unfortunate to hear that Spotify’s payments didn’t make it through to Snoop.”
They added, “Snoop’s a legend and, hopefully now that he owns Death Row Records, he’s seeing more of that money.”
The West Coast hip-hop legend reportedly became the face of Tune.FM after meeting the platform’s founder Andrew Antar at the controversial Crypto Ball during inauguration weekend in January.
Snoop previously criticized Spotify’s payment structure during a panel with Gamma co-founder Larry Jackson in early 2023.
“It’s an exciting time, but streaming got to get their shit together ’cause I don’t understand how you get paid off of that shit,” Snoop said in the clip below. “Can someone explain to me how you can get a billion streams and not get a million dollars? That shit don’t make sense to me.”
