July 2026 · US mechanical royalty rate
Apple Music
Mechanical Rate
Headline rate · Regular
$0.0011098
per stream · $100 = 90,103 streams
The per-stream mechanical rate Apple Music pays songwriters and publishers, calculated monthly from US service revenue and total plays. Historical data covers 23 monthly periods since May 2021 across 4 service plans.
Other plans
Rate
$100 =
Regular
$0.0009156
109,219 streams
Family (P4)
$0.0006228
160,570 streams
Family (P4)
$0.0005081
196,823 streams
Student
$0.0005045
198,235 streams
Regular
$0.0002083
480,176 streams
23-month rate trend
Per-stream rate for each Apple Music service plan, month by month. Rates move with the ratio of streaming revenue to plays — a good barometer for the health of songwriter earnings on the platform.
About this data
These rates are the statutory US mechanical royalties payable under Section 115 of the Copyright Act for interactive streaming services. UniteSync tracks the per-period calculations for every major DSP in the United States and updates this page monthly as new usage periods are reported.
The headline number for each service plan is the per-play rate that DSP pays for that tier. Rates differ by plan because the revenue-per-play ratio differs — a family plan spread across four listeners pays less per stream than a premium individual account.
Are you collecting yours?
Mechanical royalties are paid to publishers, not to distributors. If you self-publish and haven't registered your catalog with a mechanical rights administrator, this money is likely sitting unclaimed in a black box.
UniteSync has recovered €1,1M in unclaimed royalties for independent artists — and counting. Our audit is free and takes 24 hours.
Request my free audit →All periods
Complete monthly history for Apple Music, most recent first.
Period
Plan
Rate per stream
Jul 2026
Student
$0.0005044525
Jul 2026
Regular
$0.0009155924
Jul 2026
Regular
$0.0002082568
Jul 2026
Regular
$0.0011098406
Jul 2026
Family (P4)
$0.0005080718
Jul 2026
Family (P4)
$0.0006227809
Oct 2023
Student
$0.0005879269
Oct 2023
Regular
$0.0012002966
Oct 2023
Regular
$0.0011902911
Oct 2023
Regular
$0.0001146133
Oct 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006925847
Oct 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0005987094
Sep 2023
Student
$0.0005783360
Sep 2023
Regular
$0.0011803470
Sep 2023
Regular
$0.0011498899
Sep 2023
Regular
$0.0002268407
Sep 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0005854923
Sep 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006721722
Aug 2023
Student
$0.0005874223
Aug 2023
Regular
$0.0011653091
Aug 2023
Regular
$0.0002789289
Aug 2023
Regular
$0.0011538079
Aug 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0005911103
Aug 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006799066
Jul 2023
Student
$0.0005986703
Jul 2023
Regular
$0.0011929558
Jul 2023
Regular
$0.0002880106
Jul 2023
Regular
$0.0011621796
Jul 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006996548
Jul 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006041251
Jun 2023
Student
$0.0005427704
Jun 2023
Regular
$0.0002795974
Jun 2023
Regular
$0.0009954192
Jun 2023
Regular
$0.0010599148
Jun 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006273553
Jun 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0005190545
May 2023
Student
$0.0005643707
May 2023
Regular
$0.0009842034
May 2023
Regular
$0.0002737326
May 2023
Regular
$0.0010904791
May 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0005097524
May 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006340229
Apr 2023
Student
$0.0005463705
Apr 2023
Regular
$0.0002707960
Apr 2023
Regular
$0.0009687794
Apr 2023
Regular
$0.0010543993
Apr 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006242980
Apr 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0005068350
Mar 2023
Student
$0.0005970213
Mar 2023
Regular
$0.0010661613
Mar 2023
Regular
$0.0011496617
Mar 2023
Regular
$0.0002692414
Mar 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006860100
Mar 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0005556463
Feb 2023
Student
$0.0005665018
Feb 2023
Regular
$0.0002698584
Feb 2023
Regular
$0.0010161060
Feb 2023
Regular
$0.0011010865
Feb 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0005306551
Feb 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006558024
Jan 2023
Student
$0.0005764432
Jan 2023
Regular
$0.0002476719
Jan 2023
Regular
$0.0011122034
Jan 2023
Regular
$0.0010174256
Jan 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006609596
Jan 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0005331742
Dec 2022
Student
$0.0005840576
Dec 2022
Regular
$0.0011162019
Dec 2022
Regular
$0.0002421728
Dec 2022
Regular
$0.0005186933
Dec 2022
Family (P3)
$0.0002741746
Dec 2022
Family (P3)
$0.0006473481
Jun 2022
Student
$0.0004607713
Jun 2022
Regular
$0.0006016669
Jun 2022
Regular
$0.0009982949
Jun 2022
Regular
$0.0001896931
Jun 2022
Family (P3)
$0.0005739762
Jun 2022
Family (P3)
$0.0003136456
May 2022
Student
$0.0004562748
May 2022
Regular
$0.0005962447
May 2022
Regular
$0.0009739547
May 2022
Regular
$0.0001760383
May 2022
Family (P3)
$0.0005600523
May 2022
Family (P3)
$0.0003082457
Apr 2022
Student
$0.0004565741
Apr 2022
Regular
$0.0005960278
Apr 2022
Regular
$0.0001424421
Apr 2022
Regular
$0.0009609110
Apr 2022
Family (P3)
$0.0005616148
Apr 2022
Family (P3)
$0.0003068749
Mar 2022
Student
$0.0004960001
Mar 2022
Regular
$0.0005730906
Mar 2022
Regular
$0.0001406633
Mar 2022
Regular
$0.0010310113
Mar 2022
Family (P3)
$0.0002976675
Mar 2022
Family (P3)
$0.0006160135
Feb 2022
Student
$0.0004620104
Feb 2022
Regular
$0.0005384048
Feb 2022
Regular
$0.0009666660
Feb 2022
Regular
$0.0001479197
Feb 2022
Family (P3)
$0.0002758174
Feb 2022
Family (P3)
$0.0005742088
Jan 2022
Student
$0.0005033927
Jan 2022
Regular
$0.0010547991
Jan 2022
Regular
$0.0005728283
Jan 2022
Regular
$0.0001472012
Jan 2022
Family (P3)
$0.0006225395
Jan 2022
Family (P3)
$0.0002922944
Sep 2021
Student
$0.0004182981
Sep 2021
Regular
$0.0006590547
Sep 2021
Regular
$0.0009399733
Sep 2021
Regular
$0.0002366046
Sep 2021
Family (P3)
$0.0005363827
Sep 2021
Family (P3)
$0.0003607140
Aug 2021
Student
$0.0004287018
Aug 2021
Regular
$0.0002206384
Aug 2021
Regular
$0.0006660192
Aug 2021
Regular
$0.0009689244
Aug 2021
Family (P3)
$0.0003755888
Aug 2021
Family (P3)
$0.0005563214
Jul 2021
Student
$0.0004464746
Jul 2021
Regular
$0.0002153893
Jul 2021
Regular
$0.0010123809
Jul 2021
Regular
$0.0006803086
Jul 2021
Family (P3)
$0.0005866654
Jul 2021
Family (P3)
$0.0003865364
Jun 2021
Student
$0.0005421717
Jun 2021
Regular
$0.0010034893
Jun 2021
Regular
$0.0001864683
Jun 2021
Regular
$0.0009503995
Jun 2021
Family (P3)
$0.0005507775
Jun 2021
Family (P3)
$0.0005720860
May 2021
Student
$0.0005716770
May 2021
Regular
$0.0009984588
May 2021
Regular
$0.0010565178
May 2021
Regular
$0.0001877106
May 2021
Family (P3)
$0.0006120062
May 2021
Family (P3)
$0.0005781171
Frequently asked questions
How much does Apple Music pay per stream in mechanical royalties?
Apple Music paid $0.0005045 per stream (Student) in July 2026. That's roughly 198,235 streams to earn $100 in mechanical royalties.
Are Apple Music mechanical royalties the same as recording royalties?
No. Mechanical royalties are paid to songwriters and publishers for the composition. Recording (master) royalties are paid to labels and performers for the sound recording. This page only shows mechanicals — the money that flows to the songwriter side of the credits.
Why does the rate change every month?
The US statutory mechanical royalty is calculated as a share of each streaming service's US revenue divided by total plays for that month. When revenue grows faster than streams, the per-stream rate ticks up; when streams outpace revenue, it drops.
How do I know if I've been paid these royalties?
Mechanical royalties are paid to publishers and their administrators, not to distributors. If you self-publish and don't have a mechanical rights administrator, this money is likely sitting unclaimed. Request a free audit to check.
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