since 2018 I've made less than $400 from streaming. in the same time period i've made around $4500 in actual sales on bandcamp and itchio. the only reason I am able to do this full time is because i've had consistent work since the end of 2019 and am paid to write and produce the music to begin with.
i have revenue share on a few games (single digit percentages) and that alone is extremely helpful to my ability to keep making music, and it's something i wish more games did for their composers because there is little to no "tail" on music sales or streaming (unless you're insanely well known and the game you worked on is literally a masterpiece everyone is obsessed with) to help supplement the slow times when there isn't much work, or games get canceled. even time limited rev share (say, having a small % of rev share the first 3-5 years after release) is nothing to sneeze at.
