Mechanical Royalties

How You Earn Them:

  1. Physical Sales:
    • Paid by the record label that presses and sells your song on CDs or vinyl.
    • They owe you a set royalty rate per copy sold.
  2. Digital Downloads & Streaming:
    • Paid by streaming platforms or download stores.
    • Collected and distributed in the U.S. by the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) if you're the rights holder.
  3. You Must Be Registered With:
    • The MLC (U.S.) to collect mechanical royalties for digital uses.
    • Or have a publisher or distributor collect them on your behalf.


Who Gets Paid:

  • Songwriter and Publisher split the royalties (usually 50/50).
  • If you're independent and own your publishing, you receive both shares.


How Much You Make:

  • U.S. statutory mechanical royalty rate (for physical/digital downloads): 9.1¢ per copy (for songs under 5 minutes).
  • Streaming services pay mechanicals as part of their total per-stream royalty (much less than 9.1¢ per play but accumulates with volume).


Important Notes:

  • These royalties are not collected by PROs like ASCAP or BMI.
  • If you don’t have a publisher or distributor handling this, you’ll need to sign up with the MLC directly (free for U.S. rights holders).
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