How Much Money Does YNW Melly Make from Music?
YNW Melly, despite his legal battles and incarceration, continues to generate significant income from his music career. His earnings from music come from a variety of sources, including streaming royalties, album sales, and live performances. Here’s a breakdown of how much money he makes from music and how these revenue streams contribute to his overall income.
Must Check: YNW Melly Release Date
YNW Melly’s Streaming Revenue
Streaming Revenue
One of the biggest sources of income for artists today is streaming. Platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and SoundCloud generate billions of plays for artists, translating into substantial royalties.
Spotify Revenue
Spotify alone, which is one of the most popular streaming services, pays artists about $0.003 to $0.005 per stream. YNW Melly’s popular tracks, like “Murder on My Mind” and “Mixed Personalities”, have amassed millions of streams, which leads to a significant income from streaming.
Example: “Murder on My Mind” has been streamed over 1 billion times on Spotify alone, bringing in a massive amount of revenue.
Apple Music & Tidal
Apple Music and Tidal pay slightly higher per-stream rates than Spotify, with payouts closer to $0.007 to $0.01 per stream, depending on the artist’s contract. Melly’s music is widely available across all major platforms, ensuring that he collects royalties from each stream.
YouTube Revenue
YouTube also pays artists based on ad revenue generated from music videos, live performances, and other content. With millions of views on his official music videos, Melly earns a significant amount from ads, fan-generated content, and his Vevo account. YouTube royalties can fluctuate based on the number of views, engagement, and ads, but for an artist like Melly, it’s not unusual for popular tracks to bring in thousands of dollars per month.
Estimated Streaming Earnings in 2024
In 2024, it’s estimated that Melly could be earning between $100,000 to $250,000 annually from streaming revenue alone. This estimate takes into account his popular tracks, ongoing streaming across platforms like Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music, as well as potential new releases that continue to generate engagement.
YNW Melly’s Earnings
Album and Single Sales
While streaming has overtaken physical album sales, there is still money to be made through digital album purchases and single sales.
YNW Melly’s albums, such as “We All Shine” and “Melly vs. Melvin”, have performed well commercially, with Melly reaching the Billboard charts. Albums typically earn $7 to $10 per copy sold, depending on the platform and distribution.
Single Sales: Songs like “223’s”, “Suicidal”, and “Mixed Personalities” have all sold in high numbers, contributing additional income.
Estimated Earnings: Considering the number of albums and singles Melly has sold, his album and single sales could be bringing in $50,000 to $150,000 annually, especially given his active fan base and the success of his singles.
Live Performances and Touring
Although YNW Melly has been unable to tour regularly due to his legal issues, live performances have traditionally been a major source of income for artists. When Melly was actively performing, he was able to command high fees per show, which is common for successful rappers.
Potential Earnings from Tours: Even though Melly has been unable to fully capitalize on touring due to his current legal situation, his ability to tour again post-release could be a massive revenue stream. A potential comeback tour could see him earning millions from ticket sales, merchandise, and live performances.
Merchandising
YNW Melly also generates income through the sale of merchandise. Like many artists, he has a line of branded products, including t-shirts, hoodies, hats, and other fan gear. These items often sell out quickly due to his dedicated fan base.
Online Store: Fans often buy Melly’s merchandise from his online store, especially items featuring his album artwork, lyrics, and iconic phrases. Merchandise revenue can vary, but for an artist like Melly, it’s common for these sales to generate anywhere from $50,000 to $200,000 per year.
Social Media & Collaborations: His Instagram and TikTok presence, which boasts millions of followers, are great platforms for promoting new merchandise drops. Collaboration merchandise (e.g., limited-edition collections) with popular clothing brands also brings in extra income.
Music Publishing and Royalties
As a songwriter and producer, YNW Melly makes money from music publishing royalties. These royalties are earned whenever his songs are played on the radio, in TV shows, films, or through covers by other artists.
Melly’s tracks like “223’s” and “Murder on My Mind” have been featured in numerous playlists and other forms of media, which continually add to his royalty income.
Estimated Earnings from Publishing: Publishing royalties could be contributing anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000 annually, depending on the licensing agreements and usage of his music in media.
Conclusion: YNW Melly’s Earnings from Music
In total, it’s estimated that YNW Melly makes anywhere from $250,000 to $500,000 a year from his music-related activities, even with his current legal troubles. His earnings come from a combination of streaming royalties, album sales, live performances, merchandise, and music publishing royalties.
Once his legal issues are resolved, and he returns to performing and creating new music, it’s expected that his income could rise dramatically. A successful comeback could bring Melly back to the top of the charts, and his touring and music sales could see an even greater spike.
As of now, Melly’s career remains in a period of uncertainty, but his ongoing success in the streaming world and the loyalty of his fanbase indicate that his music income will continue to be a major part of his financial portfolio.
