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Music Connection: A Letter from The MLC CEO

A Letter from The MLC CEO, Kris Ahrend

I hope this finds all of you enjoying summer so far. July 1st marked 18 months since The MLC officially began operations and the midway point in our second full year of operations. A lot has happened since our last issue of the Quarter Note.




With the completion of our July monthly royalty distribution — The MLC’s 16th overall — we have now distributed more than $580 million in blanket royalties to our Members, and each of those 16 distributions has been completed on time or ahead of schedule. Additionally, our initial match rates — the percentage of royalties sent to us by DSPs that we have matched to musical works in our database — have continued to improve. Our initial match rate exceeded 85 percent for the first time in our May distribution, and our initial match rates for the June and July distributions were also above 85 percent.

The MLC also achieved two important milestones related to the historical unmatched royalties:  we began distributing our first set of matched historical royalties in our June distribution, and we began making the data for the remaining unmatched historical uses available for Members to search in our Matching Tool. We share more details about these two milestones in this newsletter.

Click here to view the full article.

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MEmbership is always free

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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Resources

Resources to help you maximize your earnings
stylus tablet ARTICLES

DURP Informational Webinar

If you’re an independent music distributor, aggregator, or sound recording distributor interested in accessing all the unmatched recordings you’ve

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soundboard ARTICLES

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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iStock-493969748_@1x FAQs

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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hand on keyboard FAQs

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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News & Press Releases 

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Creative Industries News: Six Takeaways from The MLC Annual Report

February 21, 2026
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Music Connection: A Letter from The MLC CEO

February 21, 2026
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Music Row: The MLC & Nashville Music Equality

February 21, 2026
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University of Miami: Meeting of Music Data Experts

February 21, 2026
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Music Row: Leadership Music Class of 2023

February 21, 2026
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