If you’re hoping to strike it rich as a songwriter, have a backup plan...

There’s no shortage of wannabe artists and songwriters in the music industry...

So how much do they stand to make off a hit song? David Lowery, singer, songwriter and guitar player for bands like Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven is shedding some light on those royalty checks - and they’re less than you might think. In the last quarter, the Cracker song “Low” was streamed on Pandora about 1.16 million times. The band get’s to split the royalty check, a whopping total of $42.25. Lowery’s take: $16.89.

Now if your song makes it to the big time, on traditional radio, you’ll reap sweeter rewards. “Low” got only 18,000 plays during that time but earned Lowery a more generous $1,373 check.