system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How do music streaming services pay artists? How much are artists paid? What is payment based on (number of plays, etc)?
gpt
They know what people are playing and they compile costs based on play count and cut checks to the labels on a pre-determined basis.  Sometimes rates are different based on quantity and such.  It all differs, but most services pay standard rates that are set by law.

Sometimes companies pay different rates depending on if they have a contract that gives the artist greater control of the streaming rights and sometimes they pay different rates for specific artists for things like exclusives.

It depends on the situation, the song, and what agreements have been struck.