How to Get Paid · Chapter 04 of 9
The MLC and streaming mechanicals
Every on-demand stream and download in the US owes the song’s writers a mechanical royalty. The MLC collects it, for free, but only pays writers who joined and registered their songs.
Facts last checked
What The MLC collects
The MLC, the Mechanical Licensing Collective, collects US mechanical royalties from on-demand streaming and download services and pays them to songwriters and publishers. A mechanical royalty is what a song’s writers are owed each time the song is copied: streamed on demand, downloaded, or pressed onto a CD or record.
It covers the song, not the recording, and it is separate from the performance royalty your PRO pays. A single Spotify play in the US owes both.
How big are mechanicals?
The government sets the rate. For 2026:
| Use | 2026 rate |
|---|---|
| On-demand streaming | 15.3% of the service’s revenue, “all-in”. Performance royalties are subtracted from it, and The MLC pays the mechanical part |
| Downloads and physical copies | 13.1¢ per song |
| Songs over 5 minutes | 2.52¢ per minute |
Joining and getting paid
- Free. Each songwriter joins, or their publisher or administrator joins for them.
- Register every song with every writer and their share, the same split as at your PRO.
- Paid monthly, about 75 days after the month the streams happened.
- From $5 by direct deposit. Cheques need $100.
Don’t double up. If you sign with a publishing administrator, it usually registers your songs at The MLC for you. Registering the same songs yourself too makes the claims collide.
Unclaimed money doesn’t wait forever
The MLC holds royalties it can’t match to a writer for at least three years. After that, the law lets it pay them out to publishers by market share. The first payout like that is planned for April 2027, covering January 2021 streams. From then on, old money nobody claimed goes to whoever has the biggest market share, not to you.
Questions
What is The MLC?
The Mechanical Licensing Collective. It was set up under US law to collect mechanical royalties from on-demand streaming and download services in the US and pay them to songwriters and publishers. It is free to join.
What is a mechanical royalty?
The money owed to a song’s writers and publishers each time the song is copied: streamed on demand, downloaded, or pressed on a CD or record. It is separate from the performance royalty your PRO pays.
How much is the US mechanical rate in 2026?
For on-demand streaming, services owe songwriters and publishers 15.3% of their revenue as an all-in figure, with performance royalties subtracted from it. For downloads and physical copies the rate is 13.1¢ per song, or 2.52¢ per minute for songs over 5 minutes.
When does The MLC pay?
Monthly, about 75 days after the month the streams happened. It pays from $5 by direct deposit; cheques need $100.
What happens to mechanicals nobody claims?
The MLC holds unmatched royalties for at least three years, then pays them out to publishers by market share. Its first payout like that is planned for April 2027, covering January 2021 streams. After that, money nobody claimed goes to whoever has the biggest market share.
Sources
Official pages, all checked on October 28, 2026.
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Fees and rules change: check the official site on the day you sign up. For a big deal, such as a sync offer, a label contract or selling a catalogue, pay a music lawyer for an hour.