{
  "slug": "mechanical-royalty-split",
  "title": "Mechanical Royalty Calculator",
  "heading": "Mechanical Royalty Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/mechanical-royalty-split",
  "summary": "Estimate mechanical royalties owed per unit sold or streamed.",
  "description": "Mechanical royalties pay the songwriter/publisher for reproduction of the composition — separate from the master recording royalty a performer earns. In the US, the statutory mechanical rate for physical and downloads is currently 12 cents per copy or 2.31 cents per minute of playing time (whichever is greater) for songs over 5 minutes, while streaming mechanicals are paid through a complex per-stream formula administered by the MLC. This calculator handles the simpler physical/download case plus a streaming-rate estimate so you can budget what a pressing run or download sale actually owes in mechanicals.",
  "formula": "Physical/download: royalty = max(statutory flat rate, per-minute rate × song length); total = royalty × units.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=mechanical-royalty-split",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "units",
      "label": "Units sold (CD, vinyl, download)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 500,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "minutes",
      "label": "Song length",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3.5,
      "unit": "min",
      "min": 0.5,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "flatRate",
      "label": "Statutory flat rate per copy",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 12,
      "unit": "¢",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "perMinRate",
      "label": "Per-minute rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 2.31,
      "unit": "¢",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "yourWriterShare",
      "label": "Your writer/publisher share",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 50,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 100
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "yourShare",
      "label": "Your mechanical royalty share",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "totalRoyalty",
      "label": "Total mechanical royalties owed",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "perUnit",
      "label": "Royalty per unit",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "royaltyCents",
      "label": "Rate applied (cents/copy)",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Units sold (CD, vinyl, download): 500",
      "Song length: 3.5 min",
      "Statutory flat rate per copy: 12 ¢",
      "Per-minute rate: 2.31 ¢",
      "Your writer/publisher share: 50 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Your mechanical royalty share: $30.00",
      "Total mechanical royalties owed: $60.00",
      "Royalty per unit: $0.12",
      "Rate applied (cents/copy): 12"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter units sold (cd, vinyl, download).",
      "Enter song length (min).",
      "Enter statutory flat rate per copy (¢).",
      "Enter per-minute rate (¢).",
      "Enter your writer/publisher share (%).",
      "Read your your mechanical royalty share on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "units": 300,
        "minutes": 2.1,
        "flatRate": 7.199999999999999,
        "perMinRate": 1.386,
        "yourWriterShare": 30
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "units": 500,
        "minutes": 3.5,
        "flatRate": 12,
        "perMinRate": 2.31,
        "yourWriterShare": 50
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "units": 800,
        "minutes": 5.6000000000000005,
        "flatRate": 19.200000000000003,
        "perMinRate": 3.696,
        "yourWriterShare": 80
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Who pays mechanical royalties?",
      "a": "The party manufacturing or distributing copies — a record label, a distributor on your behalf, or you yourself if self-releasing — owes mechanicals to whoever owns the composition copyright. If you wrote and recorded the song yourself, you technically owe yourself, but it matters a lot once other writers are involved."
    },
    {
      "q": "How is streaming different from this calculation?",
      "a": "Streaming mechanicals aren't a fixed per-stream cent amount — they're calculated from a percentage of service revenue divided across all compositions played, administered by the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) in the US. This tool's per-copy math applies cleanly to physical and permanent downloads, not on-demand streams."
    },
    {
      "q": "Do I need a compulsory license to cover a song?",
      "a": "Yes, if you're recording someone else's composition. Services like Easy Song Licensing or the Harry Fox Agency issue mechanical licenses at the statutory rate so you're covered without individually negotiating with the publisher."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/split-sheet-royalty",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/vinyl-pressing-economics",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/streaming-royalty-payout"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Mechanical Royalty Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/mechanical-royalty-split)"
}