SAMPLEDHow Do Songwriters Get Paid From Streaming?
A plain-English guide to the two sides of every stream, mechanical and performance royalties, who collects them, and the current U.S. rates: 13.1 cents per physical copy or download and 15.3% of streaming revenue in 2026.
Every song has two copyrights, and each stream pays both. Understanding that split is the key to getting paid, whatever year it is.
What are the two copyrights in a song?
| Copyright | What it covers | Who usually owns it | Who pays it out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sound recording (master) | The specific recorded performance | Artist or label | Distributor or label |
| Composition (publishing) | The melody and lyrics | Songwriter and publisher | PROs, the MLC, publishers |
An artist who writes and releases their own music owns both, and needs to collect both.
What royalties does the songwriter side earn from streaming?
- Performance royalties. Streams count as public performances. In the U.S. these are collected by PROs such as ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. See What Is a Performing Rights Organization?
- Mechanical royalties. Streams also count as reproductions. In the U.S., on-demand streaming mechanicals are collected by the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC).
Your distributor generally pays the master side. Most distributors do not collect publishing for you unless you add a publishing service.
What are the U.S. mechanical rates right now?
The Copyright Royalty Board sets them. For 2026, per Royalty Solutions Corp (opens in a new tab):
- 13.1 cents per song for physical copies and permanent downloads (up from 12.7 cents in 2025), or 2.52 cents per minute for songs over five minutes.
- 15.3% of a U.S. interactive streaming service's revenue goes to songwriters and publishers, rising to 15.35% in 2027 under the Phonorecords IV schedule.
For context, the physical rate was frozen at 9.1 cents from 2006 to 2022. Phonorecords IV (2023 to 2027) added yearly cost-of-living increases, which is why rates now change every January.
Photo: Mitchschneider88 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Why is there no fixed "per-stream" rate?
Most services pay into a pool based on revenue and share it by listening share. Your per-stream amount depends on the service, the country, subscription vs. free tier, and the total number of streams. That is also why floods of extra tracks, including AI uploads, matter to everyone. Read Why Are Universal and Sony Asking a Court to Make DistroKid Reveal Its AI Uploads?
What should you register to get paid?
Do this checklist for every release:
- Distribute the master and confirm your ISRC codes. (What Is Music Distribution?)
- Join a PRO as a writer, and as a publisher if you self-publish. (ASCAP vs. BMI vs. SESAC)
- Register the song with your PRO with correct splits.
- Register with the MLC (U.S. mechanicals), directly or via a publishing administrator.
- Outside the U.S., use a publishing administrator or local societies.
- Register copyrights with the U.S. Copyright Office for stronger legal protection.
FAQ
Does my distributor pay songwriter royalties? Usually not; it pays the master side.
Do I need a publisher? No, but without one or an administrator you must register everything yourself.
Do rates change after 2027? A new rate proceeding sets the period after Phonorecords IV. Check the Copyright Royalty Board each year.