Song

Hurt

Nine Inch Nails · The Downward Spiral · 1994

high confidence

Estimate at a glance

How much money does Hurt make?

Hurt by Nine Inch Nails is estimated at $140K-$520K/year on the artist side, with gross track revenue and ownership context separated below.

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

Its emotional directness and long cultural afterlife keep it durable as both a catalog listen and a song people continue to rediscover.

What stands out

  • Currently ranks around the top 53% of tracked songs by modeled artist-side earnings
  • Released in 1994 and still shows earnings power roughly 32 years later
  • Ranks #2 among 2 tracked songs for Nine Inch Nails
  • External listening links available
  • high confidence estimate

Why the song still earns

  • Long-tail streaming and alternative-catalog listening sustain recurring plays.
  • The song's emotional weight supports continued rediscovery and reuse.
  • Strong songwriter-side value helps retain meaningful earnings around the recording.

Hurt lands in the top 53% of tracked songs by estimated artist-side earnings.

The song still reads as an evergreen catalog asset roughly 32 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 $140K-$520K/year
Gross track revenue $406K-$1.5M/year
Ownership context Included below
Platform signals Listening links only
Last updated July 15, 2026
Hurt by Nine Inch Nails

How It Compares

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

Song Artist Estimated yearly midpoint
Hurt
selected song
Nine Inch Nails $330,000
Mariah Carey $7,700,000
California Love
same era
2Pac $1,000,000

Revenue Breakdown

Gross track revenue $406K-$1.5M/year
100% of the lead revenue lane
Artist-side share $140K-$520K/year
35% of the lead revenue lane
Label master share $133K-$494K/year
65% 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 Hurt

How much did Hurt make in total?

Hurt 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 Hurt make per stream?

Hurt 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 Hurt?

Hurt is modeled from public-facing catalog behavior and conservative rights-split assumptions, not from audited royalty statements.

Show ownership and assumptions

Hurt is modeled from public-facing catalog behavior and conservative rights-split assumptions, not from audited royalty statements.

Supporting Revenue Context

Estimated gross track revenue$406K-$1.5M/year
Estimated artist-side cut$140K-$520K/year
Estimated label master share$133K-$494K/year
Estimated publishing share$42K-$156K/year
Estimated songwriter share$59K-$218K/year
MastersLikely controlled through the recording label or distributor unless a specific rights sale is known
PublishingWriter and publisher splits affect the publishing share shown here
Catalog sale statusNo specific catalog sale adjustment is modeled for this track

Assumptions: Estimate keeps the headline range as the artist-side figure and models gross track, label, publishing, and songwriter lanes from that conservative annual range.

Notes: Hurt is modeled from public-facing catalog behavior and conservative rights-split assumptions, not from audited royalty statements.

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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