How much is a song worth?

Most independent songs sell for between £500 and £15,000. A small handful clear £50,000 or more. The gap between "a couple of pints" and "a house deposit" comes down to four things: how much the song earns, how many places it earns from, how well it's registered, and where its earnings are heading.

How much does the song earn each year?

The single biggest driver of price is annual net revenue — the money the song actually pays out after platform cuts, distributor fees, and PRS admin. A song earning £120 a year is worth roughly £600–£1,500 as a lump sum. A song earning £3,000 a year is worth £15,000–£30,000. The multiple ranges from 5x to 12x depending on the other three factors below.

Buyers ignore your gross streams. They care about the pennies that hit your bank account.

How many platforms is the song earning from?

A song earning £1,000 across Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Content ID, TikTok, and PRS is worth substantially more than a song earning £1,000 entirely from Spotify. Diverse income is stickier — if Spotify's payout rate drops 20%, a diversified song barely notices. A Spotify-only song takes the full hit.

Is the song properly registered?

Registration is where most independent songs leak money. A song needs three things to collect everything it's owed: a distributor (for streaming royalties), a PRS/PPL registration (for radio, live, and public performance), and an MLC + ISWC (for US mechanicals). Songs missing any of these get lower offers because a buyer has to spend time fixing the plumbing before the full income actually shows up.

Where are the earnings heading?

A song earning £1,000 this year but £1,400 last year is a fading catalogue — buyers will pay less. A song earning £1,000 this year and £700 last year is a growing catalogue — buyers will pay more. Recent TikTok activity, sync placements, or a fresh cover version all count as positive trajectory. So does regular streaming from playlists that aren't just algorithmic.

How does Sell Your Song price my song?

We combine annual revenue, platform diversity, registration completeness, and trajectory into a single multiple, then apply it to your net earnings. You see the range in 30 seconds from a Spotify link, and the final firm number after we've seen your royalty statement. There's no negotiation game — we show our working.

Related reading

• Lump sum vs monthly royalties: which is right for you?
• What is a royalty statement and where do I find mine?
• Full FAQ · How the process works