Commercial radio stations pay about 12 cents per play, while college stations pay about 6 cents per play. Half of the money goes to the publisher and half goes to the songwriter or songwriters.

It's always been a crap shoot for musicians. They make more money touring which is why even really successful musicians tour well into their twilight years.

Record sales are also a crapshoot. Someone else posted the numbers for those in this thread. Streaming allows more access by more people to more music. But that access results in a cost. The cost is less pay per listen. The entire industry is broken.

https://kbin.social/m/music@lemmy.world/t/926850/-/comment/5918633