A literary work royalty meter rate accounting method is provided by which a royalty based on the frequency of use of literary works such as music data distributed through a communication circuit is imposed on a customer. A management terminal apparatus sells a right of use of music data to a customer through a communication circuit, receives literary work use situation information such as the number of times of use, the hour of use or the amount of use of the music data by the customer, and imposes a royalty on the customer through the communication circuit in accordance with the literary work use situation information. A literary work provider terminal apparatus distributes the literary works to a customer terminal apparatus through the communication circuit. The customer terminal apparatus purchases the enciphered right of use of the music data from the management terminal apparatus, receives the music data desired by the customer and distributed thereto from the literary work provider terminal apparatus and deciphers the right of use and the music data so that the customer may use the music data. The customer terminal apparatus notifies the management terminal apparatus of the literary work use situation information through the communication circuit.