July 2026 · US mechanical royalty rate
Spotify
Mechanical Rate
Headline rate · Regular
$0.0035848
per stream · $100 = 27,895 streams
The per-stream mechanical rate Spotify 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
$0.0009199
108,713 streams
Family (P4)
$0.0007459
134,075 streams
Family (P4)
$0.0004876
205,078 streams
Regular
$0.0004856
205,928 streams
Regular
$0.0004715
212,107 streams
Family (P4)
$0.0004682
213,604 streams
Regular
$0.0004569
218,848 streams
Regular
$0.0004549
219,813 streams
Regular
$0.0004508
221,844 streams
Student
$0.0004245
235,557 streams
Family (P4)
$0.0003870
258,418 streams
Family (P4)
$0.0003634
275,178 streams
Family (P4)
$0.0002750
363,628 streams
Family (P4)
$0.0002663
375,537 streams
Family (P4)
$0.0002255
443,516 streams
Family (P4)
$0.0001988
503,093 streams
Family (P4)
$0.0001630
613,625 streams
Family (P4)
$0.0001461
684,697 streams
Family (P4)
$0.0001365
732,363 streams
31-month rate trend
Per-stream rate for each Spotify 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 Spotify, most recent first.
Period
Plan
Rate per stream
Jul 2026
Student
$0.0004245248
Jul 2026
Regular
$0.0004856060
Jul 2026
Regular
$0.0004507667
Jul 2026
Regular
$0.0004714604
Jul 2026
Regular
$0.0009198543
Jul 2026
Regular
$0.0035848499
Jul 2026
Regular
$0.0004569378
Jul 2026
Regular
$0.0004549325
Jul 2026
Family (P4)
$0.0001629661
Jul 2026
Family (P4)
$0.0001460501
Jul 2026
Family (P4)
$0.0001365444
Jul 2026
Family (P4)
$0.0003634014
Jul 2026
Family (P4)
$0.0002254709
Jul 2026
Family (P4)
$0.0007458529
Jul 2026
Family (P4)
$0.0003869695
Jul 2026
Family (P4)
$0.0004876190
Jul 2026
Family (P4)
$0.0002662855
Jul 2026
Family (P4)
$0.0002750063
Jul 2026
Family (P4)
$0.0001987704
Jul 2026
Family (P4)
$0.0004681571
Oct 2023
Student
$0.0003509444
Oct 2023
Regular
$0.0008799305
Oct 2023
Regular
$0.0005448891
Oct 2023
Regular
$0.0008986652
Oct 2023
Regular
$0.0329188331
Oct 2023
Regular
$0.0005859022
Oct 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0007641545
Oct 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004390241
Sep 2023
Student
$0.0003274501
Sep 2023
Student
$0.0003328920
Sep 2023
Student
$0.0004209400
Sep 2023
Regular
$0.0005597613
Sep 2023
Regular
$0.0008140249
Sep 2023
Regular
$0.0009731386
Sep 2023
Regular
$0.0084959763
Sep 2023
Regular
$0.0005514166
Sep 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006968201
Sep 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004117695
Aug 2023
Student
$0.0003706842
Aug 2023
Student
$0.0003436909
Aug 2023
Student
$0.0004318296
Aug 2023
Regular
$0.0005361658
Aug 2023
Regular
$0.0010176694
Aug 2023
Regular
$0.0008096913
Aug 2023
Regular
$0.0005799932
Aug 2023
Regular
$0.0077450750
Aug 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004147575
Aug 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006584409
Jul 2023
Student
$0.0003348552
Jul 2023
Student
$0.0004004908
Jul 2023
Student
$0.0003681881
Jul 2023
Regular
$0.0013384257
Jul 2023
Regular
$0.0005215297
Jul 2023
Regular
$0.0008010158
Jul 2023
Regular
$0.0005570946
Jul 2023
Regular
$0.0111945678
Jul 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004275518
Jul 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006715587
Jun 2023
Student
$0.0004578352
Jun 2023
Student
$0.0004427814
Jun 2023
Student
$0.0004177534
Jun 2023
Regular
$0.0009073233
Jun 2023
Regular
$0.0006288678
Jun 2023
Regular
$0.0014160471
Jun 2023
Regular
$0.0075110021
Jun 2023
Regular
$0.0006227805
Jun 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0007570297
Jun 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004853542
May 2023
Student
$0.0003562705
May 2023
Student
$0.0004156857
May 2023
Student
$0.0004131995
May 2023
Regular
$0.0014113012
May 2023
Regular
$0.0007615053
May 2023
Regular
$0.0004984453
May 2023
Regular
$0.0005343042
May 2023
Regular
$0.0057022721
May 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004070419
May 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006407153
Apr 2023
Student
$0.0004063945
Apr 2023
Student
$0.0003500236
Apr 2023
Regular
$0.0014342939
Apr 2023
Regular
$0.0005367814
Apr 2023
Regular
$0.0007906116
Apr 2023
Regular
$0.0004322374
Apr 2023
Regular
$0.0100394742
Apr 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006492757
Apr 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004092629
Mar 2023
Student
$0.0003518555
Mar 2023
Student
$0.0004166252
Mar 2023
Regular
$0.0005315467
Mar 2023
Regular
$0.0004023516
Mar 2023
Regular
$0.0015534671
Mar 2023
Regular
$0.0007878774
Mar 2023
Regular
$0.0088059995
Mar 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004178342
Mar 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006681183
Feb 2023
Student
$0.0004196033
Feb 2023
Student
$0.0003375011
Feb 2023
Regular
$0.0007918344
Feb 2023
Regular
$0.0017377172
Feb 2023
Regular
$0.0004272581
Feb 2023
Regular
$0.0104121901
Feb 2023
Regular
$0.0005558102
Feb 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006881669
Feb 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004291415
Jan 2023
Student
$0.0003417159
Jan 2023
Student
$0.0004259538
Jan 2023
Regular
$0.0003222960
Jan 2023
Regular
$0.0005039587
Jan 2023
Regular
$0.0007455046
Jan 2023
Regular
$0.0016048188
Jan 2023
Regular
$0.0090343947
Jan 2023
Regular
$0.0021386719
Jan 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006754746
Jan 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004031037
Dec 2022
Regular
$0.0003564433
Dec 2022
Regular
$0.0005229552
Dec 2022
Regular
$0.0006328418
Nov 2022
Regular
$0.0006443709
Nov 2022
Regular
$0.0003543411
Nov 2022
Regular
$0.0005977784
Oct 2022
Regular
$0.0005110446
Oct 2022
Regular
$0.0003456179
Oct 2022
Regular
$0.0006333571
Sep 2022
Regular
$0.0005403833
Sep 2022
Regular
$0.0003601364
Sep 2022
Regular
$0.0006458582
Aug 2022
Regular
$0.0006474826
Aug 2022
Regular
$0.0003609748
Aug 2022
Regular
$0.0004887806
Jul 2022
Regular
$0.0004969233
Jul 2022
Regular
$0.0006648951
Jul 2022
Regular
$0.0003722845
Jun 2022
Regular
$0.0006500938
Jun 2022
Regular
$0.0006019281
Jun 2022
Regular
$0.0003686001
May 2022
Regular
$0.0005158616
May 2022
Regular
$0.0003603392
May 2022
Regular
$0.0006402429
Apr 2022
Regular
$0.0004579500
Apr 2022
Regular
$0.0003553065
Apr 2022
Regular
$0.0006469758
Mar 2022
Regular
$0.0004627821
Mar 2022
Regular
$0.0006705901
Mar 2022
Regular
$0.0003704917
Feb 2022
Regular
$0.0006710858
Feb 2022
Regular
$0.0003727101
Feb 2022
Regular
$0.0004454273
Jan 2022
Regular
$0.0003677588
Jan 2022
Regular
$0.0006824042
Jan 2022
Regular
$0.0003812745
Dec 2021
Regular
$0.0007263560
Dec 2021
Regular
$0.0002805923
Dec 2021
Regular
$0.0007448031
Nov 2021
Regular
$0.0004707371
Nov 2021
Regular
$0.0006939321
Nov 2021
Regular
$0.0007191078
Oct 2021
Regular
$0.0004689684
Oct 2021
Regular
$0.0006334658
Oct 2021
Regular
$0.0006972410
Sep 2021
Regular
$0.0008363134
Sep 2021
Regular
$0.0007975300
Sep 2021
Regular
$0.0005053888
Aug 2021
Regular
$0.0006178302
Aug 2021
Regular
$0.0004640556
Aug 2021
Regular
$0.0006730320
Jul 2021
Regular
$0.0006830684
Jul 2021
Regular
$0.0005691938
Jul 2021
Regular
$0.0004702880
Jun 2021
Regular
$0.0006054101
Jun 2021
Regular
$0.0004598628
Jun 2021
Regular
$0.0006051952
Jun 2021
Regular
$0.0006574167
May 2021
Regular
$0.0007246660
May 2021
Regular
$0.0005617491
May 2021
Regular
$0.0006613519
May 2021
Regular
$0.0004690401
Frequently asked questions
How much does Spotify pay per stream in mechanical royalties?
Spotify paid $0.0004245 per stream (Student) in July 2026. That's roughly 235,557 streams to earn $100 in mechanical royalties.
Are Spotify 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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