Rights, royalties and the business · updated 2026-08-16

PERFORMANCE ROYALTY VS MECHANICAL

Performance royalties pay for a work being played publicly; mechanicals pay for it being reproduced or streamed. Different collectors, different money.

Contract paperwork, a pen and a vinyl record on a desk in a music office

SOURCES AND CITATIONS

Free, primary references for performance royalty vs mechanical — standards bodies, manufacturers, government offices and university course material.

The MLC (opens in a new tab)
SoundExchange (opens in a new tab)

RELATED TERMS IN RIGHTS, ROYALTIES AND THE BUSINESS

PRO
Mechanical royalty
Neighbouring rights
Sync licence
Sample clearance
Split sheet
Work for hire
Distributor vs label

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