Song

Empire State of Mind

Jay-Z · The Blueprint 3 · 2009

high confidence

Estimate at a glance

How much money does Empire State of Mind make?

Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z is estimated at $440K-$1.4M/year on the artist side, with gross track revenue and ownership context separated below.

Takeaway: Empire State of Mind is one of the stronger modeled catalog earners here because replay demand and ownership context both support a durable annual range.

This track pairs a memorable hook with strong cultural recall, which helps explain its staying power and long-tail commercial value.

What stands out

  • Currently ranks around the top 14% of tracked songs by modeled artist-side earnings
  • Released in 2009 and still shows earnings power roughly 17 years later
  • Ranks #1 among 2 tracked songs for Jay-Z
  • External listening links available
  • high confidence estimate

Why the song still earns

  • Catalog streaming remains the main long-tail driver for recognizable rap tracks.
  • Playlist placement and cultural recall help the song stay active.
  • Sampling, sync use, and short-form rediscovery can extend earnings.

Empire State of Mind lands in the top 14% of tracked songs by estimated artist-side earnings.

The song still reads as an evergreen catalog asset roughly 17 years after release.

Last updated: July 15, 2026

artist-side split is modeled + gross track revenue is separated. Why?

The headline number is the modeled artist-side annual share for this recording when split data exists.

Modeled artist-side range $440K-$1.4M/year
Gross track revenue $1M-$2.9M/year
Ownership context Included below
Platform signals Listening links only
Last updated July 15, 2026
Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z

How It Compares

Empire State of Mind is compared against nearby songs in the catalog based on artist overlap, era, genre, and modeled earnings range.

Song Artist Estimated yearly midpoint
Empire State of Mind
selected song
Jay-Z $920,000
Umbrella
same era · similar earnings band
Rihanna $1,125,000
Bad Guy
similar earnings band
Billie Eilish $1,000,000
California Love
similar earnings band
2Pac $1,000,000

Revenue Breakdown

Gross track revenue $1M-$2.9M/year
100% of the lead revenue lane
Artist-side share $440K-$1.4M/year
47% of the lead revenue lane
Label master share $240K-$660K/year
53% of the lead revenue lane

Bars reflect modeled annual midpoint ranges, not audited royalty statements.

Listen

Preview audio is not available for this song right now.

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Reader questions about Empire State of Mind

How much did Empire State of Mind make in total?

Empire State of Mind does not have a public lifetime total, so the estimate stays focused on modeled annual earnings instead of claiming an audited career total.

How much does Empire State of Mind make per stream?

Empire State of Mind does not have a single public per-stream rate because payouts vary by platform, territory, subscription tier, and contract structure. The estimate here is modeled from aggregate streaming, licensing, and catalog behavior instead.

Who owns Empire State of Mind?

This is a modeled revenue split, not a published royalty statement.

Show ownership and assumptions

This is a modeled revenue split, not a published royalty statement.

Supporting Revenue Context

Estimated gross track revenue$1M-$2.9M/year
Estimated artist-side cut$440K-$1.4M/year
Estimated label master share$240K-$660K/year
Estimated publishing share$150K-$540K/year
Estimated songwriter share$150K-$540K/year
MastersPrimarily label-controlled masters with meaningful artist-side royalty participation
PublishingPublishing appears split among writers and publishers
Catalog sale statusNo song-specific catalog sale adjustment is applied here

Assumptions: Estimate models current earnings from large-scale streaming, New York anthem replay value, and ongoing playlist and cultural reuse.

Notes: This is a modeled revenue split, not a published royalty statement.

Split-aware estimate

The headline number is the modeled artist-side annual share for this recording when split data exists.

  • Gross track revenue is separated from artist-side take-home where the page has enough split context.
  • Ownership notes on masters or publishing are included and should be read alongside the revenue number.
  • All figures are conservative annual modeled ranges based on streaming behavior, cultural replay value, sync potential, and available ownership information, not public royalty statements.

Read the full methodology.

More Context

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