Skip to main content

What are Mechanical Royalties?

Written by Press Officer on .

Mechanical royalties are payments made to songwriters, composers, and music publishers when a musical work is reproduced or distributed in physical or digital form. This includes:

  • CDs, vinyl records, and cassette tapes
  • Digital downloads (e.g., iTunes purchases)
  • Streaming services (such as Spotify, Apple Music – for both downloads and interactive streams)
  • Ringtones and mobile music uses
  • Synchronised audio in visual media (in some cases, e.g. DVDs)
  • Imported recordings (from outside the EU)

These royalties are called “mechanical” because they stem from the mechanical reproduction of music — originally referring to piano rolls and now applying to modern formats.

Who collects mechanical royalties?

In Ireland, mechanical royalties are collected and distributed by:

MCPSI

(Mechanical Copyright Protection Society Ireland Ltd)

They license the right to reproduce musical works and ensure that the rightful copyright owners are paid when their music is recorded or distributed.

Through reciprocal agreements with other global societies, MCPSI also helps ensure mechanical royalties from international uses of your music are collected and returned to you.

📧 Contact MCPSI

  • CDs/DVDs and Membership Enquiries: mechanicals@imro.ie
  • General and Online Licensing, Synchronisation: mcps.licensing@imro.ie
  • Phone: +353 1 676 6940
  • Address: Pembroke Row, Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2, Ireland