July 2026 · US mechanical royalty rate
Pandora
Mechanical Rate
Headline rate · Regular
$0.0007970
per stream · $100 = 125,474 streams
The per-stream mechanical rate Pandora pays songwriters and publishers, calculated monthly from US service revenue and total plays. Historical data covers 31 monthly periods since May 2021 across 3 service plans.
Other plans
Rate
$100 =
Regular
$0.0007209
138,722 streams
Regular
$0.0004888
204,584 streams
Family (P4)
$0.0004839
206,641 streams
Student
$0.0004050
246,909 streams
Regular
$0.0002396
417,429 streams
31-month rate trend
Per-stream rate for each Pandora 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 Pandora, most recent first.
Period
Plan
Rate per stream
Jul 2026
Student
$0.0004050079
Jul 2026
Regular
$0.0004887960
Jul 2026
Regular
$0.0002395616
Jul 2026
Regular
$0.0007969803
Jul 2026
Regular
$0.0007208668
Jul 2026
Family (P4)
$0.0004839312
Oct 2023
Student
$0.0003812406
Oct 2023
Regular
$0.0008597410
Oct 2023
Regular
$0.0007333581
Oct 2023
Regular
$0.0005696508
Oct 2023
Regular
$0.0002665926
Oct 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004472916
Sep 2023
Student
$0.0003919306
Sep 2023
Regular
$0.0002670202
Sep 2023
Regular
$0.0007459045
Sep 2023
Regular
$0.0008783591
Sep 2023
Regular
$0.0005832707
Sep 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004569920
Aug 2023
Student
$0.0003762015
Aug 2023
Regular
$0.0004778507
Aug 2023
Regular
$0.0002725358
Aug 2023
Regular
$0.0007105189
Aug 2023
Regular
$0.0008205748
Aug 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004328639
Jul 2023
Student
$0.0003913706
Jul 2023
Regular
$0.0002714851
Jul 2023
Regular
$0.0004699629
Jul 2023
Regular
$0.0008270358
Jul 2023
Regular
$0.0007129858
Jul 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004471740
Jun 2023
Student
$0.0003855401
Jun 2023
Regular
$0.0006963170
Jun 2023
Regular
$0.0008033041
Jun 2023
Regular
$0.0004551257
Jun 2023
Regular
$0.0002724541
Jun 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004366689
May 2023
Student
$0.0003760586
May 2023
Regular
$0.0002738350
May 2023
Regular
$0.0004469313
May 2023
Regular
$0.0006781610
May 2023
Regular
$0.0007910035
May 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004253457
Apr 2023
Student
$0.0003308026
Apr 2023
Regular
$0.0006999682
Apr 2023
Regular
$0.0002670833
Apr 2023
Regular
$0.0004587908
Apr 2023
Regular
$0.0008200153
Apr 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004429189
Mar 2023
Student
$0.0003787086
Mar 2023
Regular
$0.0008518596
Mar 2023
Regular
$0.0002716862
Mar 2023
Regular
$0.0004798704
Mar 2023
Regular
$0.0007300466
Mar 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004443375
Feb 2023
Student
$0.0003887145
Feb 2023
Regular
$0.0007326814
Feb 2023
Regular
$0.0008708261
Feb 2023
Regular
$0.0002588870
Feb 2023
Regular
$0.0004912067
Feb 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004567325
Jan 2023
Student
$0.0003819948
Jan 2023
Regular
$0.0008062434
Jan 2023
Regular
$0.0002390834
Jan 2023
Regular
$0.0004912127
Jan 2023
Regular
$0.0008411657
Jan 2023
Regular
$0.0007152364
Jan 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004411770
Dec 2022
Regular
$0.0007986180
Dec 2022
Regular
$0.0004767753
Dec 2022
Regular
$0.0000328922
Nov 2022
Regular
$0.0000339525
Nov 2022
Regular
$0.0008106705
Nov 2022
Regular
$0.0004892975
Oct 2022
Regular
$0.0000283672
Oct 2022
Regular
$0.0007986742
Oct 2022
Regular
$0.0004897270
Sep 2022
Regular
$0.0004829691
Sep 2022
Regular
$0.0000327989
Sep 2022
Regular
$0.0007851506
Aug 2022
Regular
$0.0004661325
Aug 2022
Regular
$0.0007583175
Aug 2022
Regular
$0.0000285849
Jul 2022
Regular
$0.0000269821
Jul 2022
Regular
$0.0007743522
Jul 2022
Regular
$0.0004747644
Jun 2022
Regular
$0.0000336612
Jun 2022
Regular
$0.0004696964
Jun 2022
Regular
$0.0007619567
May 2022
Regular
$0.0004684547
May 2022
Regular
$0.0007609523
May 2022
Regular
$0.0000325502
Apr 2022
Regular
$0.0000266807
Apr 2022
Regular
$0.0007630369
Apr 2022
Regular
$0.0004655689
Mar 2022
Regular
$0.0000277963
Mar 2022
Regular
$0.0007908735
Mar 2022
Regular
$0.0004831450
Feb 2022
Regular
$0.0008259737
Feb 2022
Regular
$0.0000159511
Feb 2022
Regular
$0.0005041703
Jan 2022
Regular
$0.0005314253
Jan 2022
Regular
$0.0000190472
Jan 2022
Regular
$0.0008626395
Dec 2021
Regular
$0.0004483941
Dec 2021
Regular
$0.0004234212
Dec 2021
Regular
$0.0007225944
Nov 2021
Regular
$0.0007464129
Nov 2021
Regular
$0.0004769176
Nov 2021
Regular
$0.0002634574
Oct 2021
Regular
$0.0004343610
Oct 2021
Regular
$0.0006892131
Oct 2021
Regular
$0.0000585675
Sep 2021
Regular
$0.0004474372
Sep 2021
Regular
$0.0004322570
Sep 2021
Regular
$0.0007006377
Aug 2021
Regular
$0.0004386273
Aug 2021
Regular
$0.0000347373
Aug 2021
Regular
$0.0006896156
Jul 2021
Regular
$0.0006776402
Jul 2021
Regular
$0.0000344717
Jul 2021
Regular
$0.0004358424
Jun 2021
Regular
$0.0000352930
Jun 2021
Regular
$0.0004260007
Jun 2021
Regular
$0.0006646930
May 2021
Regular
$0.0006584541
May 2021
Regular
$0.0004167347
May 2021
Regular
$0.0000326072
Frequently asked questions
How much does Pandora pay per stream in mechanical royalties?
Pandora paid $0.0004050 per stream (Student) in July 2026. That's roughly 246,909 streams to earn $100 in mechanical royalties.
Are Pandora 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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