About
About Artist Payout
Artist Payout builds free, transparent calculators that help independent music creators understand their own money — what a royalty advance might look like, which publishing royalties they may not be collecting, and what their catalog could be worth. We're an information service, not a financial firm. We make tools, not decisions for you.
What we believe
The music-money landscape is fragmented and confusing on purpose. Royalties are scattered across collectors, funding terms are opaque, and a lot of advice online is either a sales pitch in disguise or just made up. We think artists deserve plain explanations and honest ranges so they can walk into any conversation — with a funder, a publisher, a buyer — already knowing roughly where they stand.
Our sourcing discipline
The most important rule we hold ourselves to: we never invent a number. Every rate, multiple, and range you see comes from a documented data layer, and each figure carries a source and an "as of" date. Where a value is genuinely uncertain, we flag it for verification rather than smoothing it over. Where we don't have a reliable number, we leave it out instead of guessing.
That's also why our outputs are ranges, not false-precision single numbers. Real-world advances, royalties, and valuations depend on inputs that vary, so a responsible estimate is a spread with stated assumptions. The methodology page explains exactly how each calculator works.
How we stay independent
Artist Payout is not owned by, operated by, or controlled by any distributor, publisher, performing-rights organization, or funding company. We don't take editorial direction from the providers we mention. When we list providers worth comparing, the list reflects the market — not who paid the most. Informational links are labeled as such and are not paid placements.
How we make money
Being free for artists means we're funded another way, and we'd rather be upfront about it. Two models support the site:
- Affiliate links. Some outbound links to providers may be affiliate links, meaning we could earn a commission if you sign up or transact — at no extra cost to you. We describe this in our affiliate disclosure.
- Cost-per-lead (CPL) referrals. If you choose to share your details through a form, we may connect you with relevant providers and be compensated for that introduction. You're always in control of whether to submit anything, and we tell you what we collect on our privacy page.
These models only work if our recommendations are genuinely useful, so our incentive is to send you toward options that actually fit your situation — not to maximize a single click.
What "a qualified lead" means to us
We hold a transparent standard for the introductions we make, and we share it openly with the partners who work with us:
A qualified lead is a music creator who completed a calculator, provided verifiable contact info, and consented to be contacted.
In plain terms: we only pass along genuine, consenting music creators who actually used a tool and chose to be contacted. No scraping, no buying lists, no surprises.
Not financial advice
Estimates are for informational purposes only and are not financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. Actual offers and figures vary by provider, contract terms, and current market conditions.
Contact
Questions, corrections, or partnership inquiries? Drop us a line below — if you spotted a figure that looks off, tell us which calculator and what you saw. Accuracy is the whole point. Prefer email? Reach us at hello@artistpayout.com.