The US Copyright Royalty Board has published a proposed settlement to keep the current US statutory mechanical royalty framework for physical music products, permanent downloads, ringtones and music bundles in place from 2028 to 2032, with only inflation-linked increases. This matters because these rates determine what songwriters and publishers are paid when songs are reproduced and distributed in formats such as vinyl and downloads, and they influence how revenue is shared across the music industry. The Board is inviting comments and objections before deciding whether to adopt the deal.

The proposal was filed on 29 June by Sony Music, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, A2IM, the NMPA, NSAI and the Music Artists Coalition, and would extend the structure adopted for 2023-2027. The 2026 rate is 13.1 cents per track, or 2.52 cents per minute of playing time, whichever is higher, and it rises each year with the Consumer Price Index; before 2022, the rate had been frozen at 9.1 cents since 2006, a position the Board later rejected as unreasonable given inflation. Not all participants support the new settlement, with the Songwriters Guild of America, Word Collections and songwriter George Johnson not signing it, while a separate dispute over participation ended with Global Music Rights withdrawing after streaming services challenged its role in the case.