system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How does Spotify pay artists?
gpt
I worked for a now-dead streaming service.  We would keep track of what we played, and give money to the labels based on whatever payment schedule we had with them.  It was then up to the labels to pay the artist.

The same rate was paid whether it was a popular or an obscure artist.  Some labels it was by plays, some it was by seconds streamed, and others had a combination.