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MLC collects $40m from digital service providers

Royalties being distributed to copyright owners

Copyright owners – publishers and songwriters — can celebrate this month. The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) made its first regular payment distribution to publishers in April, according to a statement by Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI).

The statement said: “NSAI is proud of our involvement in crafting and passing the Music Modernization Act, which created the MLC and streamlined the way digital mechanical licenses are issued and royalties distributed. This distribution marks a historic moment in music history and we look forward to the continued success of the MLC in matching copyright owners to digital usage while providing transparency and stability in the digital mechanical landscape.”

The distribution included royalties from the use of musical works by U.S. digital service providers (DSPs) during January 2021. It did not include any historical unmatched royalties, according to a statement at the MLC website.

Becoming a Member of The MLC is easy and free! To learn more about being a self-administered songwriter Member, click here.

Mechanical Licensing Collective gets go-ahead from U.S. Copyright

MLC will oversee collection of digital royalties for songwriters

By Preshias Harris

U.S.-based songwriters have a new champion in their corner. In July, the U.S. Copyright Office chose the industry-consensus Mechanical Licensing Collective, or MLC, to be the new agency to oversee licensing of digital mechanical royalties for American songwriters.

“The cost of collecting our royalties is, for the first time, paid for by the streaming companies instead of being deducted from our songwriter earnings.” – Steve Bogard, President, NSAI

As digital distribution of music grows and CD sales decline, songwriters have found it increasingly difficult to track royalties that are rightfully theirs. The Music Modernization Act (MMA) became law in October 2018 and set in motion the process to appoint an entity to oversee licensing of digital royalties.

Prior to the adoption of the Music Modernization Act, streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music themselves were responsible for identifying copyright owners and paying royalties. However, in many instances, streaming companies were using songs without proper licenses. In such cases, music publishers and songwriters had to resort to costly lawsuits or simply give up the fight. Now, the MLC will be charged with identifying songwriters and copyright owners and paying them royalties when their songs are played on a music streaming service.

Strong approval from songwriters

Continue reading “Mechanical Licensing Collective gets go-ahead from U.S. Copyright”

MLC needs songwriters’ support

Ensures streaming services pay royalties

A reminder to all songwriters and music publishers: please sign the petition supporting the Music Licensing Collective!

The submission, which will be filed by March 21, creates the collective required by the Music Modernization Act (MMA) to license and administer mechanical rights. (The MLC will not replace your existing P.R.O.) The Register of Copyrights will designate the MLC from submitted applications based on an entity proving itself able to achieve the goals of the MLC, as well as meeting all the legal requirements as stipulated in the MMA.

A major benefit: MLC will collect and distribute your mechanical streaming royalties for free.

As mentioned in a previous post here, at least one other organization is bidding for the right to administer these services. However, MLC is the one formed as a collective that includes and is endorsed by Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), Songwriters of North America (SONA) and National Music Publishers Association (NMPA). Additionally, MLC receives the endorsement of your Performing Rights Organizations ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. It is the applicant that is run by songwriters for songwriters.

When the MLC is up and running, there will be no charge for songwriters to participate. The financial benefits for songwriters under the new MMA are considerable, particularly with increase in potential income from streaming and downloads that MLC will administer.

But time is running out and MLC needs your endorsement to show the US Copyright Office that the MLC has your support. Take a moment to add your endorsement now at supportthemlc.com.

MLC ‘great new tool’ for songwriters

Excerpt from ‘About the MLC:’ Streaming companies must license millions of individual songs and no agency exists to do this job. Music publishers may collect mechanical royalties for a songwriter or hire a company to collect them. Many self-published songwriters must pay someone to collect their royalties, do the often-complicated job themselves, or many just don’t bother with collecting them at all.

The Music Licensing Collective, or MLC, will be a great new tool for American songwriters and in January 2021 will begin licensing your mechanical streaming royalties for FREE! It’s free because the streaming companies agreed to pay all the costs as part of the MUSIC MODERNIZATION ACT. All you’ll have to do is join!

Read more information about how the MLC will help songwriters at no charge to you here.

#supportthemlc #musicmodernizationact #songwriters

Preshias Harris is a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com

Music Licensing Collective (MLC) needs songwriters’ support

Songwriters, artists: sign petition to support MLC to collect streaming royalties. Take action now!

Nashville, TN (February 4, 2019) – The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), the Songwriters of North America (SONA), National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), today unveiled broad endorsements for their industry-consensus Music Licensing Collective (MLC) submission to the U.S. Copyright Office (USCO).

The submission, which will be filed by March 21st, creates the collective required by the Music Modernization Act (MMA) to license and administer mechanical rights. Additionally, the groups announced the MLC Board and Committee appointments and launched a website for all of the songwriters and artists who support the MLC to sign an official petition: SupporttheMLC.com and a site for music publishers to add their endorsements: SongConnect.org.

“We’ve worked for decades for the benefits the MLC will bring songwriters/composers, including licensing their digital mechanical royalties at no cost since the streaming music companies have agreed to fund the collective.” – Steve Bogard, President, NSAI

Increased royalty payments from streaming services

Personal note: The Music Licensing Collective (MLC) needs your support to ensure its success on your behalf. It will create and maintain a thorough database of music composition copyrights (and the copyrights’ owners), collect mechanical royalties from digital music streaming services, and transmit those royalties to copyright holders based on the ownership claims set forth in the database.

Streaming services will pay mechanical royalties to the MLC based on the number of streams each song has racked up. This a major benefit for both artist and songwriters. The MLC will also set up a blanket mechanical license for streaming of music compositions, replacing the unwieldy Notice of Intention (NOI) that is currently filed when a streaming service cannot track down a copyright owner. This will result in significantly higher royalty payments for copyright holders in the MLC’s master database.*

All you have to do is join. And its free.

“The U.S. Copyright Office will choose who runs the MLC this Summer. The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), Songwriters of North America (SONA) and the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) helped passed the MUSIC MODERNIZATION ACT, working on the legislation for years. We are asking for your support for the MLC being created by us. We KNOW we can do the best job when it comes to licensing your songs and protecting your royalties because we’ve been doing it for decades.” – quote from the MLC website.

The Music Modernization Act (MMA) requires that the MLC is “endorsed by, and enjoys substantial support from, musical work copyright owners that together represent the greatest percentage of the licensor market.” Continue reading “Music Licensing Collective (MLC) needs songwriters’ support”