Getty Images paid more than $220 million in royalties to its content contributors in 2025, roughly 22.4% of its $981.3 million in revenue, and that ratio is the clearest public benchmark for how much of a stock licensing dollar reaches the people who make the content. On the music side, Envato reports $1.4B in contributor earnings, Epidemic Sound pays artists through a 50/50 streaming split plus upfront fees, and CISAC societies collected EUR 13.97 billion for creators in 2024. At the same time, Shutterstock’s paid downloads fell from 112.6 million to 98.7 million year over year in Q2 2026, and a CISAC study puts 24% of music creators’ revenue at risk from generative AI by 2028. We aggregated data from Shutterstock and Getty Images SEC filings, Epidemic Group’s 2025 annual report release, Envato and AudioJungle disclosures, CISAC, GEMA and SACEM, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Spotify and YouTube. For the upfront-fee versus backend-royalty side of the business, see our companion roundup on production music library statistics.
TL;DR
- Getty Images paid over $220 million in royalties to contributors in 2025 (Getty Images Form 10-K 2025).
- Getty counts more than 600,000 contributors, over 83,000 of them exclusive (Getty Images Form 10-K 2025).
- Shutterstock’s contributor royalties payable rose to $94.2 million at end-2025 from $81.1 million (Shutterstock Form 10-K 2025).
- Shutterstock’s five highest-earning contributors accounted for less than 4% of downloads in 2025 (Shutterstock Form 10-K 2025).
- Envato reports $1.4B in contributor earnings (Envato About page).
- Epidemic Sound offers an upfront payment per track plus 50/50 streaming royalty splits (Epidemic Sound For Artists page).
- Epidemic Group revenue was SEK 1,828 million in 2025, up 3% in constant currency (Epidemic Group 2025 Annual Report release).
- Shutterstock subscribers fell to 951,000 at June 30, 2026 from 1,073,000 a year earlier (Shutterstock Q2 2026 results).
- CISAC societies collected EUR 13.97 billion in 2024, up 6.6% (CISAC Global Collections Report 2025).
- Rightsholders chose to monetize over 90% of YouTube Content ID claims in 2025 (Google Transparency Report).
- U.S. music directors and composers earned a median $73,710 in 2025 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
- 24% of music creators’ revenues are at risk from generative AI by 2028 (CISAC / PMP Strategy AI Study 2024).
1. Public Stock Marketplaces: Revenue and Royalty Pools
The two listed stock media companies show how big the contributor pool really is. Getty Images disclosed over $220 million in royalties paid in 2025, and dividing that by its $981.3 million in revenue gives about 22.4% (220 / 981.29). That is our calculation, not a Getty figure, and the royalty number includes content partners, but it is the closest public proxy for an industry-wide payout ratio.
Shutterstock does not publish a royalty total, but its balance sheet carries a running liability for royalties owed. That line grew about 16% in 2025 (94,163 / 81,076 = 1.161) while total revenue grew about 6%, which suggests more licensing volume is flowing to contributors, or that more is waiting to be paid, depending on timing. Both companies sell music alongside images and footage, so these are blended stock-media numbers rather than music-only figures.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Royalties paid to contributors, 2025 | Over $220 million | Getty Images Form 10-K 2025 |
| Royalties paid to contributors, 2024 | Nearly $220 million | Getty Images Form 10-K 2024 |
| Getty Images revenue, 2025 | $981.3 million (2024: $939.3 million) | Getty Images Form 10-K 2025 |
| Royalties as share of Getty revenue, 2025 (derived: 220 / 981.29) | About 22.4% | Getty Images Form 10-K 2025 |
| Shutterstock revenue, 2025 | $989.9 million (2024: $935.3 million) | Shutterstock Form 10-K 2025 |
| Shutterstock content revenue, 2025 | $786.7 million (2024: $760.0 million) | Shutterstock Form 10-K 2025 |
| Shutterstock contributor royalties payable, Dec 31, 2025 | $94.2 million (2024: $81.1 million) | Shutterstock Form 10-K 2025 |
| Shutterstock cost of revenue, 2025 | $406.8 million (2024: $396.3 million) | Shutterstock Form 10-K 2025 |
Context note: Shutterstock says contributors “earn royalties based on a tiered earnings rate schedule that is tied to annual licensing volume,” so the effective rate differs by contributor. Read the filings directly: Getty Images Form 10-K for 2025 and Shutterstock Form 10-K for 2025.
2. Contributor Base, Concentration and Lifetime Payouts
The royalty pool is shared by a very large crowd. Getty alone counts more than 600,000 contributors, and Shutterstock says its five highest-earning contributors together drove less than 4% of downloads in 2025. No single supplier dominates, which is good for platform resilience and hard on any individual composer’s bargaining power.
Exclusivity is where money concentrates. Getty generated about 75% of 2025 revenue from exclusive content, up from nearly 70% in 2024, while only about 83,000 of its 600,000-plus contributors are exclusive. On the music marketplace side, the AudioJungle homepage counter shows how long the tail is: more than 2.4 million tracks and sounds against roughly $1.25 billion in community earnings.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Getty Images contributors, 2025 | More than 600,000 (2024: more than 583,000) | Getty Images Form 10-K 2025 |
| Getty Images exclusive contributors, 2025 | Over 83,000 (2024: over 81,000) | Getty Images Form 10-K 2025 |
| Getty revenue from exclusive content | About 75% in 2025 (nearly 70% in 2024) | Getty Images Form 10-K 2025 |
| Downloads from Shutterstock’s top 5 earning contributors | Less than 4% in 2025 (less than 3% in 2024) | Shutterstock Form 10-K 2025 |
| Envato contributor earnings (no period stated) | $1.4B | Envato About page 2026 |
| AudioJungle community earnings counter | $1,254,794,749 | AudioJungle homepage, October 2026 |
| AudioJungle items sold counter | 78,975,812 | AudioJungle homepage, October 2026 |
| AudioJungle catalog | 2,425,385 tracks and sounds | AudioJungle homepage, October 2026 |
Context note: Envato has been a Shutterstock brand since the acquisition closed on July 22, 2024, for approximately $250 million (Shutterstock Form 10-K 2024). The Envato About page does not state a period for the $1.4B figure, and the AudioJungle homepage counters are live totals that may span Envato’s wider marketplace, so treat both as cumulative company-reported numbers rather than annual payouts.
3. Subscription Music Libraries and Royalty Splits
Subscription libraries changed the composer deal from per-download royalties to a mix of upfront fees and shared streaming income. Epidemic Sound is the most transparent example: it pays an upfront payment for every track, splits streaming royalties 50/50 with artists “forever,” and lists an annual Soundtrack Bonus of USD 4.2 million shared among artists.
The business behind that offer is high margin but has been under pressure. Epidemic reported an 84% gross margin on SEK 1,828 million of 2025 revenue, yet its adjusted EBITDA margin slipped to -3% from 8% as it invested in AI. For composers, the takeaway is that the library model is profitable at the gross level; how much of that reaches artists depends on the contract, not the margin.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Epidemic Group revenue, 2025 | SEK 1,828 million | Epidemic Group 2025 Annual Report release 2026 |
| Epidemic revenue growth, 2025 | +3% constant currency, -5% reported | Epidemic Group 2025 Annual Report release 2026 |
| Epidemic gross margin, 2025 | 84% | Epidemic Group 2025 Annual Report release 2026 |
| Epidemic adjusted EBITDA margin | -3% in 2025 (8% in 2024) | Epidemic Group 2025 Annual Report release 2026 |
| Epidemic catalog | More than 55,000 tracks and 250,000 sound effects | Epidemic Group 2025 Annual Report release 2026 |
| Epidemic artist terms | Upfront payment per track plus 50/50 streaming royalty splits | Epidemic Sound For Artists page 2026 |
| Epidemic annual Soundtrack Bonus | USD 4.2 million shared among artists | Epidemic Sound For Artists page 2026 |
| Envato music library | Over 320,000 tracks | Envato AI Music Generator Guide 2026 |
Context note: Epidemic says its music reaches more than 3.5 billion daily views on YouTube and TikTok and is used by over 70% of the top 300 U.S. YouTube channels, and its about page notes the company became cash-flow positive for the first time in 2024. Its For Artists page also says it is not accepting new artist applications right now. Full figures: Epidemic Group 2025 Annual and Sustainability Report release.
4. Demand Signals in 2026: Subscribers, Downloads and Customers
Per-download royalties only pay when someone downloads, and the volume signal at Shutterstock is weak. Paid downloads fell to 98.7 million in Q2 2026 from 112.6 million a year earlier, a drop of about 12.3% ((112.6 - 98.7) / 112.6), while subscribers fell about 11.4% to 951,000. Average revenue per customer rose to $292 from $266, so the company is earning more from fewer, larger buyers.
Epidemic is moving the other way, with Q2 2026 revenue up 14% in constant currency. The split suggests that composers paid per transaction on broad marketplaces face shrinking volume, while creator-focused subscription libraries are still adding revenue, at least in local currency.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Shutterstock revenue, Q2 2026 | $221.8 million vs $267.0 million in Q2 2025 (-17%) | Shutterstock Q2 2026 results |
| Shutterstock paid downloads, Q2 2026 | 98.7 million vs 112.6 million | Shutterstock Q2 2026 results |
| Shutterstock subscribers, June 30, 2026 | 951,000 vs 1,073,000 | Shutterstock Q2 2026 results |
| Shutterstock average revenue per customer (LTM) | $292 vs $266 | Shutterstock Q2 2026 results |
| Shutterstock customers licensing content | Over 3.5 million in 2025 vs over 4.0 million in 2024 | Shutterstock Form 10-K 2025 and 2024 |
| Epidemic Group revenue, Q2 2026 | SEK 480 million, +14% constant currency | Epidemic Group 2025 Annual Report release 2026 |
| Getty Images new customers | More than 365,000 in 2025 vs more than 385,000 in 2024 | Getty Images Form 10-K 2025 and 2024 |
| Getty Images video attachment rate | 15.9% in 2025 vs 16.5% in 2024 | Getty Images Form 10-K 2025 |
Context note: Shutterstock’s contributor royalties payable stood at $98.3 million at the end of Q2 2026, and the company says its proposed merger with Getty Images has been terminated. Source: Shutterstock Q2 2026 earnings release (Exhibit 99.1).
5. Backend Royalties: Collective Collections for Creators
Stock music composers who keep their writer share registered with a performing rights society also earn backend income when their tracks air on TV, radio, streaming services or in public venues. That pool is large and still growing: CISAC societies collected EUR 13.97 billion in 2024, and music made up 90% of it (12.59 / 13.97). The CISAC “live and background” category, which includes music played in shops, gyms and venues, grew 9.6%.
The weak spot for library composers is broadcast. TV and radio royalties, historically the backbone of production music income, grew only 0.8% in 2024 after falling 4.0% in 2023. Digital, now the largest single source, grew 11.2%. For a closer look at how the big societies split and deduct these funds, see our performing rights royalties statistics.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Global collections, 2024 | EUR 13.97 billion (+6.6%) | CISAC Global Collections Report 2025 |
| Music repertoire collections, 2024 | EUR 12.59 billion (+7.2%) | CISAC Global Collections Report 2025 |
| Digital collections, 2024 | EUR 5.14 billion (+11.2%) | CISAC Global Collections Report 2025 |
| TV and radio collections, 2024 | EUR 3.94 billion (+0.8%) | CISAC Global Collections Report 2025 |
| Live and background collections, 2024 | EUR 3.60 billion (+9.6%) | CISAC Global Collections Report 2025 |
| Canada/USA collections, 2024 | EUR 3.52 billion (+10.0%) | CISAC Global Collections Report 2025 |
| Global collections, 2023 | EUR 13.09 billion (+7.6%) | CISAC Global Collections Report 2024 |
| TV and radio collections, 2023 | EUR 3.89 billion (-4.0%) | CISAC Global Collections Report 2024 |
Context note: CISAC says digital income has grown 110.6% since 2020. Sources: CISAC Global Collections Report 2025 and CISAC Global Collections Report 2024. The 2025 report covers calendar 2024, the latest year available.
6. Platform Payouts: YouTube Content ID and Streaming Benchmarks
Stock music is heavily used in online video, so Content ID is part of the composer income picture: library tracks registered through a distributor or publisher can earn ad revenue when they appear in uploads. In 2025, rightsholders chose to monetize over 90% of all Content ID claims, and YouTube says the tool had generated $12 billion for rightsholders from ads as of December 2024. If you track creator-side ad economics, our YouTube Shorts RPM statistics cover the other side of that split.
Streaming numbers set the benchmark library composers are measured against. Spotify reports paying the music industry more than $11 billion in 2025, and the 100,000th highest-earning artist on the platform made more than $7,300 from Spotify alone. Epidemic’s 50/50 streaming split (section 3) is how many library tracks tap into this pool.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Content ID claims monetized by rightsholders, 2025 | Over 90% | Google Transparency Report, YouTube Copyright 2026 |
| Paid to rightsholders from Content ID-claimed ads (as of Dec 2024) | $12 billion | Google Transparency Report, YouTube Copyright 2026 |
| YouTube payouts to creators, artists and media companies, 4 years to Jan 2025 | More than $100 billion | Google Transparency Report, YouTube Copyright 2026 |
| Channels with Copyright Match Tool access | 4M+ | Google Transparency Report, YouTube Copyright 2026 |
| Spotify payouts to the music industry, 2025 | More than $11 billion | Spotify Loud and Clear 2026 |
| Artists earning at least $100,000 from Spotify, 2025 | More than 13,800 | Spotify Loud and Clear 2026 |
| Royalties of the 100,000th highest-earning Spotify artist, 2025 | More than $7,300 (about $350 a decade earlier) | Spotify Loud and Clear 2026 |
| Spotify payouts to publishers and songwriting representatives, two years | About $5 billion | Spotify Loud and Clear 2026 |
Context note: YouTube and Spotify figures cover all music and media rightsholders, not only stock or library music; they show the size of the pools library tracks compete in. Sources: Google Transparency Report on YouTube copyright and Spotify Loud and Clear takeaways.
7. Composer Workforce and Generative AI Exposure
The U.S. composer workforce is small and barely growing. BLS counts 51,100 music director and composer jobs with a median pay of $73,710 in 2025, projects just 1% growth to 2035, and notes that part-time work is common. A quarter are self-employed, the group most exposed to library and per-track pricing.
Generative AI is the risk composers and their societies cite most. The CISAC study expects a EUR 16 billion generative AI music market by 2028 and estimates 24% of music creators’ revenues at risk that year, while a GEMA and SACEM survey of about 15,000 members found one in three already uses AI. Stock libraries are adding AI generators of their own, which puts library composers on both sides of the shift; our music AI licensing statistics track the licensing deals being struck in response.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay, music directors and composers, 2025 | $73,710 per year ($35.44 per hour) | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook 2026 |
| Music director and composer jobs, 2025 | 51,100 | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook 2026 |
| Projected employment growth, 2025 to 2035 | 1% (about 4,200 openings per year) | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook 2026 |
| Self-employed share | 25% | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook 2026 |
| Music creators’ revenues at risk from gen AI, 2028 | 24% | CISAC / PMP Strategy AI Study 2024 |
| Cumulative loss to music creators over five years | EUR 10 billion | CISAC / PMP Strategy AI Study 2024 |
| Royalties at risk in Germany and France, 2028 | About EUR 950 million | GEMA / SACEM Goldmedia AI Study 2024 |
| GEMA and SACEM members already using AI | One in three (about 15,000 surveyed) | GEMA / SACEM Goldmedia AI Study 2024 |
Context note: Both AI studies were published in 2024 and model 2028 outcomes, so they are projections, not measured losses. Most recent available data: CISAC / PMP Strategy, 2024; GEMA / SACEM, 2024. Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Music Directors and Composers, CISAC AI study and GEMA AI study summary.
Summary: Stock Music Licensing Royalties and Composer Payouts by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Getty Images royalties paid to contributors, 2025 | Over $220 million | Getty Images Form 10-K 2025 |
| Royalties as share of Getty revenue (derived) | About 22.4% | Getty Images Form 10-K 2025 |
| Getty Images contributors | More than 600,000 | Getty Images Form 10-K 2025 |
| Getty revenue from exclusive content, 2025 | About 75% | Getty Images Form 10-K 2025 |
| Shutterstock contributor royalties payable, end-2025 | $94.2 million | Shutterstock Form 10-K 2025 |
| Shutterstock top 5 contributors’ share of downloads | Less than 4% | Shutterstock Form 10-K 2025 |
| Shutterstock paid downloads, Q2 2026 | 98.7 million (from 112.6 million) | Shutterstock Q2 2026 results |
| Shutterstock subscribers, June 30, 2026 | 951,000 (from 1,073,000) | Shutterstock Q2 2026 results |
| Envato contributor earnings | $1.4B | Envato About page 2026 |
| AudioJungle community earnings counter | $1,254,794,749 | AudioJungle homepage, October 2026 |
| Epidemic Group revenue, 2025 | SEK 1,828 million | Epidemic Group 2025 Annual Report release 2026 |
| Epidemic artist streaming split | 50/50 plus upfront payment per track | Epidemic Sound For Artists page 2026 |
| Epidemic annual Soundtrack Bonus | USD 4.2 million | Epidemic Sound For Artists page 2026 |
| CISAC global collections, 2024 | EUR 13.97 billion (+6.6%) | CISAC Global Collections Report 2025 |
| CISAC TV and radio collections, 2024 | EUR 3.94 billion (+0.8%) | CISAC Global Collections Report 2025 |
| Content ID claims monetized, 2025 | Over 90% | Google Transparency Report, YouTube Copyright 2026 |
| Spotify payouts to the music industry, 2025 | More than $11 billion | Spotify Loud and Clear 2026 |
| U.S. composer median pay, 2025 | $73,710 | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook 2026 |
| Music creators’ revenues at risk from gen AI, 2028 | 24% | CISAC / PMP Strategy AI Study 2024 |
Methodology and Sources
- Shutterstock Form 10-K for fiscal 2025: revenue, content revenue, cost of revenue, contributor royalties payable, contributor concentration, customers.
- Shutterstock Form 10-K for fiscal 2024: Envato acquisition, 2024 customers and contributor concentration.
- Shutterstock Q2 2026 earnings release, Exhibit 99.1: quarterly revenue, subscribers, paid downloads, average revenue per customer, merger termination.
- Getty Images Form 10-K for fiscal 2025: royalties paid, contributors, exclusive content, revenue, new customers, video attachment.
- Getty Images Form 10-K for fiscal 2024: 2024 royalties, contributors and exclusive revenue share.
- Epidemic Group 2025 Annual and Sustainability Report release, Epidemic Sound For Artists and Epidemic Sound About Us.
- Envato About page and Envato AI Music Generator Guide.
- AudioJungle homepage counters (read October 2026).
- CISAC Global Collections Report 2025 and CISAC Global Collections Report 2024.
- CISAC / PMP Strategy study on the economic impact of AI.
- GEMA / SACEM Goldmedia AI and music study.
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Music Directors and Composers.
- Spotify Loud and Clear 2026 takeaways.
- Google Transparency Report: YouTube copyright.
- Data watch: Shutterstock and Getty report blended stock-media figures (images, video, music) and do not break out music royalties; Getty’s royalty total also includes content partners, and the 22.4% ratio is our own division of two disclosed numbers. Getty lists music licensing inside an Other revenue category that was 5.6% of 2025 revenue. Envato’s $1.4B and the AudioJungle counters are company-reported cumulative totals with no stated period, and the AudioJungle counters may cover more than the music marketplace. We could not read published per-sale royalty rate tables from AudioJungle, Pond5, PremiumBeat, Adobe Stock or Artlist (pages blocked or behind sign-in), so no per-track percentages are included; PRS for Music, ASCAP and BMI 2025 results pages were also unreachable. Epidemic figures are in SEK and were not converted. CISAC’s 2025 report covers 2024 collections; the AI impact figures are 2024 projections for 2028. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook figures cover all music directors and composers, not only stock or library composers.
Last updated: October 4, 2026. We update this roundup quarterly, and the next refresh is expected when Shutterstock and Getty Images publish Q3 2026 results and CISAC releases its Global Collections Report 2026.