YouTube pays $8 billion to music industry in 2025
YouTube distributed more than $8 billion to music rights holders between July 2024 and June 2025. Global Head of Music Lyor Cohen announced the figure at the Billboard Latin Music Week conference in Miami on Wednesday. The payment stems from advertising revenue and subscription fees collected through the Google platform. Cohen said the twin revenue model demonstrates continued growth in supporting artists and publishers worldwide.
The total represents a $2 billion increase from the $6 billion paid between July 2021 and June 2022. Spotify remains the industry leader, having contributed $10 billion to music rights holders in 2024. YouTube operates across more than 100 countries and hosts 125 million subscribers to its music and premium services. The platform generated $9.8 billion in advertising revenue for the second quarter of 2025.
