July 2026 · US mechanical royalty rate
Tidal
Mechanical Rate
Headline rate · Student
$0.0033069
per stream · $100 = 30,239 streams
The per-stream mechanical rate Tidal 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
$0.0032267
30,992 streams
Regular
$0.0013643
73,296 streams
Family (P4)
$0.0007648
130,757 streams
Student
$0.0005192
192,620 streams
31-month rate trend
Per-stream rate for each Tidal 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 Tidal, most recent first.
Period
Plan
Rate per stream
Jul 2026
Student
$0.0005191558
Jul 2026
Student
$0.0033069413
Jul 2026
Regular
$0.0032266896
Jul 2026
Regular
$0.0013643263
Jul 2026
Family (P4)
$0.0007647776
Oct 2023
Student
$0.0009076544
Oct 2023
Student
$0.0005009997
Oct 2023
Regular
$0.0012910154
Oct 2023
Regular
$0.0009509801
Oct 2023
Regular
$0.0008986825
Oct 2023
Regular
$0.0018775028
Oct 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0005606237
Oct 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0003376522
Sep 2023
Student
$0.0004811729
Sep 2023
Student
$0.0009389767
Sep 2023
Regular
$0.0020599653
Sep 2023
Regular
$0.0008137368
Sep 2023
Regular
$0.0009875455
Sep 2023
Regular
$0.0014097476
Sep 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004047774
Sep 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006222945
Aug 2023
Student
$0.0004836287
Aug 2023
Student
$0.0009096462
Aug 2023
Regular
$0.0007484091
Aug 2023
Regular
$0.0021778340
Aug 2023
Regular
$0.0013378340
Aug 2023
Regular
$0.0009547995
Aug 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004470424
Aug 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006502317
Jul 2023
Student
$0.0004840946
Jul 2023
Student
$0.0009243726
Jul 2023
Regular
$0.0009264732
Jul 2023
Regular
$0.0013437399
Jul 2023
Regular
$0.0007292192
Jul 2023
Regular
$0.0021583968
Jul 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0006934126
Jul 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004571359
Jun 2023
Student
$0.0005040358
Jun 2023
Student
$0.0009506346
Jun 2023
Regular
$0.0007532882
Jun 2023
Regular
$0.0022057535
Jun 2023
Regular
$0.0014072729
Jun 2023
Regular
$0.0009574324
Jun 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0004929839
Jun 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0007229942
May 2023
Student
$0.0009200750
May 2023
Student
$0.0004942938
May 2023
Regular
$0.0017998504
May 2023
Regular
$0.0009547141
May 2023
Regular
$0.0013483165
May 2023
Regular
$0.0008022870
May 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0005092070
May 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0007684348
Apr 2023
Student
$0.0004700314
Apr 2023
Student
$0.0008991253
Apr 2023
Regular
$0.0013463643
Apr 2023
Regular
$0.0009487771
Apr 2023
Regular
$0.0022117955
Apr 2023
Regular
$0.0007610276
Apr 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0007304168
Apr 2023
Family (P4)
$0.0003997464
Mar 2023
Regular
$0.0009735890
Feb 2023
Regular
$0.0010795698
Jan 2023
Regular
$0.0010473961
Dec 2022
Regular
$0.0011324957
Nov 2022
Regular
$0.0012806034
Oct 2022
Regular
$0.0012843332
Sep 2022
Regular
$0.0013118156
Aug 2022
Regular
$0.0013158490
Jul 2022
Regular
$0.0010717107
Jun 2022
Regular
$0.0012008210
May 2022
Regular
$0.0012704553
Apr 2022
Regular
$0.0011756962
Mar 2022
Regular
$0.0011075532
Feb 2022
Regular
$0.0011677109
Jan 2022
Regular
$0.0013399885
Dec 2021
Regular
$0.0012158776
Dec 2021
Regular
$0.0002837897
Nov 2021
Regular
$0.0010146328
Nov 2021
Regular
$0.0002781918
Oct 2021
Regular
$0.0012015683
Sep 2021
Regular
$0.0011439621
Aug 2021
Regular
$0.0011575324
Jul 2021
Regular
$0.0012142540
Jun 2021
Regular
$0.0010926819
May 2021
Regular
$0.0010113221
Frequently asked questions
How much does Tidal pay per stream in mechanical royalties?
Tidal paid $0.0005192 per stream (Student) in July 2026. That's roughly 192,620 streams to earn $100 in mechanical royalties.
Are Tidal 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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