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Music Business Worldwide: The MLC Has Paid Out Over $1.5BN to Songwriters to Date

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) reports that it has now distributed over $1.5 billion in royalties to songwriters in the past two and half years since launching full operations.

The MLC was established by the United States Copyright Office (USCO) as an entity tasked with administering a blanket compulsory license for the use of musical works by digital music services following the passage of the Music Modernization Act (MMA) in 2018. 

What that means in practice, is that music streaming services in the United States like Spotify and Apple Music have been required to pay large sums of mechanical royalties to the MLC, which serves as an exclusive administrator.

The MLC’s job is to then distribute these royalties to music publishers, administrators, ex-US CMOs, and self-administered songwriters, composers and lyricists whose songs have been streamed.

As of Monday (October 30), the MLC said it has already met every milestone set by Congress in the MMA and distributed over $1.5 billion in royalties.

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Our mission is to support creators like you with full transparency into the performance of your music. Our member portal helps you see which of your songs have earned royalties, which ones are still being matched, and when payments are made. This openness helps you trust the process and know that your songs are being tracked and paid for fairly.

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DURP Informational Webinar

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Data Programs

Data Programs at The MLC The MLC’s data programs support the efforts of dozens of digital media and technology companies around the world to gain insight

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iStock-493969748_@1x FAQs

What are the regulations and where can one find the full text of the rates and terms for Phono 4?

The CRB published a Final Rule in the U.S. Federal Register setting the blanket license mechanical royalty rates for permanent digital downloads.

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Where can I find answers about The MLC portal?

After you have established a login to the Portal, you will find helpful information in our Knowledge Base.

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I want to read the regulation myself. Where can I find it?

The regulation outlining this entire process is found in 37 CFR 210.10(c)(5). You can also reference the regulation along with supplementary information as

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